A bill on Governor Pat Quinn's desk would enact strict penalties for smokers who flick their cigarette butts out the window of a vehicle.
Sponsored by State Representative Iris Martinez (D-Chicago) the legislation, which cleared both the House and Senate, would give law enforcement officers the power to apply littering penalties to the butt-flickers.
The fines could go as high as $1,500 and carry a maximum jail sentence of 180 days. Scofflaws could also receive a sentence to pick up litter along stretches of the highway for up to 30 days.
Martinez says this bill is as much about littering as it is about fire safety.