SPRINGFIELD --- Less than a week after a University of Illinois lecturer with ties to a 1970s radical group pleaded his case to keep teaching, the Illinois Senate passed a measure that would ban him from teaching regardless of whether the university rules he could stay on board.



Sponsoring Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said the bill was "absolutely pushed" because of James Kilgore, whose dismissal case from the university is pending review of university officials. His employment came under scrutiny in February after the News-Gazette in Champaign detailed his former involvement with the Symbionese Liberation Army, which is most famous for kidnapping media heiress Patricia Hearst in 1974.



Last week, Kilgore told the University of Illinois board of trustees that he is not the same man today. He said is embarrassed by his actions during the 1970s, which led to him serving 6 years in prison for his connection to a fatal bank robbery.



Rose said Monday the bill "would prevent someone like Mr. Kilgore from working at the university."



"He might not have pulled the trigger, but he was a part of the group," Rose said. "He didn't stop it. He fled the country and used a fake name to obtain a degree. He, and others like him, just shouldn't be teaching our children."



The measure states that it would be illegal for a person to use a degree that was obtained under false pretenses to get a job, enroll in an institution of higher learning or admission to an advanced degree program. Rose said Kilgore, who used an alias to get his degree, was a "prime example of why the bill is important."



Rose said he isn't sure of how many university faculty members this measure would impact but said it would add teeth to university background-check policies.



The measure passed the Senate 46-0 and heads to the House.



About two months after The News-Gazette article was published, Kilgore was reportedly told by a campus administrator the university would not renew his contract after the current one expires in August.

Faculty and students who support Kilgore's employment at the university have circulated petitions hoping to help him keep his job. Kilgore teaches classes in global studies, urban planning and the College of Fine and Applied Arts, according to the petition, which is signed by 310 academic staff members, including professors and adjunct lecturers on the campus. It states that Kilgore is a "respected researcher, writer, educator and criminal justice activist" who is open about having felony convictions.

According to the FBI, Kilgore was the final member to be arrested from the Symbionese Liberation Army. He was taken into custody in 2002 in South Africa, where he had been living for more than 10 years under the alias Charles William Pape and working at the University of Cape Town teaching English.



Also at the Capitol on Monday:



*Senate lawmakers passed a measure that would give local governments more control over their taxing districts dealing with issues like public health and water. Sponsoring Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, said the measure would allow local governments to consolidate, an attempt to better control the overall tax bills and efficiency.



"Illinois has more units of local government than any other state," Biss said. "This bill would simply allow those local governments to combine taxing bodies."



The measure passed 48-0 and heads to the House.



*The Senate also voted 51-0 for a bill aimed at holding parents accountable when they allow or give their children alcoholic beverages. The measure expands current underage drinking laws, which make it illegal for parents or guardians to host or allow kids to consume alcohol in their homes.



Sponsoring Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Deerfield, said her measure also would make it illegal for parents to let their children drink in places like vehicles, boats, campers and other types of property.



"Two teenagers died and countless lives were shattered by a drunk driving accident a few blocks from my house," Morrison said. "They were returning to a party where the parents were home and knew that all of the teens there were drinking."



The measure now goes to the House.

