The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 4090 Monday, a measure that will make it a crime to present false credentials to obtain employment.

The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, in the house and Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, amends the Criminal Code of 2012. In addition to making it a crime to present false credentials for employment, it will be unlawful to use those credentials to obtain admission to an institution of higher education or for the purpose of obtaining a promotion or higher compensation in employment.

Rose sponsored the resolution in response to the employment of James Kilgore, research associate for the Center for African Studies and instructor in FAA and LAS, at the University.

“Dr. Kilgore fraudulently stole the identity of a deceased child to obtain his degree under false pretenses,” Rose said. “The University has said that it is working on comprehensive background checks for employees. I look forward to working with them on this point. Should their initiative have some ‘teeth’ to it, this may not be necessary.”

Rose said with the session winding down, the bill needed to be advanced back to the House of Representatives for concurrence.