SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – House Bill 1742 passes through the Senate and the House.
The bill would expand the eligibility of a civil no-contact order to include family and household members of survivors of sexual assault.
The legislation passed through both chambers on Thursday.
“Family members of sexual assault survivors can have shared trauma and feel the need to seek a no-contact order,” State Sen. Karina Villa said. “People who are closest with a survivor should not have to live in fear of contact with their loved one’s abuser.”
Under the current law, a petition for a civil no-contact order can be filed by a survivor of non-consensual sexual conduct or by another person on behalf of a survivor who cannot file the petition.
In order to qualify for these protections, the person filing the petition must first receive consent from the survivor.
“The safety and well-being of a survivor is the number one priority after a sexual assault, and no-contact orders can be key to protecting them,” Villa said. “This measure will help ensure survivors and their families do not have to relive traumatic events due to unwanted contact with their abuser.”
House Bill 1742 passed the Senate with a vote of 57-0.
