* I’m pretty sure that if we let legislators vote on who is the most obnoxious and goofy freshman, Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood) would win hands down.

Yesterday, the House took up SB 1872 as amended. The bill, which would eliminate the felony prostitution penalty, is being pushed by groups like Protestants for the Common Good…

Illinois’ felony punishment for a second prostitution offense is an expensive, ineffective use of diminishing local and state public safety resources. Illinois’ Department of Corrections reported 127 felony prostitution admissions for 2012, costing the state $2,011,680.

Felony prostitution unfairly targets women for harsher punishments. The “solicitation” offense for customers does not have a felony upgrade for subsequent offenses. In 2011, when law enforcement charged under the state criminal code, there were 1,875 arrests for prostitution and 95 arrests for solicitation.

Felony prostitution sentencing is rare in the United States – only seven other states have a felony prostitution sentencing option for subsequent offenses.

* No law enforcement or prosecutorial opposition ever surfaced. The bill passed the Senate 53-1.

* But Rep. Drury, who never stops reminding people that he is a former federal prosecutor, began by asking the sponsor, Rep. Mike Zalewski: “I mean, you know that I’m a former federal prosecutor, right?”

Drury then said that he worked on prostitution cases, claimed he rarely speaks of his former job (when he does it all the time) and actually charged that the measure “is a pro child prostitution bill.” Listen…

Click to listen

Drury’s remarks created a huge uproar in the chamber, with Republicans rushing to the Democratic sponsor’s defense and a fellow Democrat rising to ask Zalewski if he knew that she was “not a former federal prosecutor.”

Heh.

* Drury demanded that everyone vote against the bill, but it passed the House with 82 votes, mainly with “targets” voting against it. Proponents said that Drury’s comments likely added 18 votes to the roll call.

Sheesh.

* Runner-up might go to Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton). Last week, Ives spoke against a bill to waive collegiate requirements for certain military veterans applying to become state police officers “notwithstanding any Department of State Police Merit Board rule to the contrary.” The bill passed 109-1.

* Yesterday, Rep. Ives rose to speak about Memorial Day…

“I’d like to just simply add to the others’ remarks by thanking all the veterans’ groups and the individuals and the old soldiers who come out this day and pull out the faded Confederate uniform and plan for the ceremony and prepare remarks and actually hold something so dear to us as a rememberance of those who died.”

Audio…

Click to listen

Confederate uniforms?

This is a Republican legislator speaking in the Illinois House, a body in which Abraham Lincoln once served, and she’s talking about the Confederacy?

As one of Ives’ fellow House Republicans cracked last night, “Will southern DuPage rise again?”

* Rep. Ives was approached on the floor by at least one fellow member who pointed out the Lincoln portrait on the wall and rose later to “clarify” her remarks…

“I inadvertently used the term ‘Confederate’ when I meant to include those who wear the ceremonial Union uniform as well.”

Sigh.

Audio…

Click to listen

Many thanks to my buddy Dave Dahl for the audio files.