ASSOCIATED PRESS
08/05/2009
Sex offenders are no longer allowed to get behind the wheel of ice cream or snow-cone trucks in Illinois.
A new law bars sex offenders from operating trucks that sell food or beverages. Officials worry that offenders might sell ice cream or other snacks as a front for harming children.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed the new law Tuesday. It also bars offenders from operating emergency vehicles, such as an ambulance.
Violation would be a felony.
The sponsor, Democratic Sen. Ira Silverstein, says the law will keep children "out of harm's way."
Some places around the country already ban offenders from such jobs. Others require background checks before anyone can be hired to drive an ice cream truck.
