SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Several Republican state lawmakers hope the Illinois Senate will vote on a plan during veto session to address sexual abuse by educators and authority figures in high schools.

While there are strong protections in place for students 17 and younger, sponsors told WAND News that educators and staff should be charged for sexual conduct with students between 18 and 23 years old.

Under House Bill 4241, teachers or authority figures who sexually abuse these students could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for their first offense and Class 4 felony for any repeat offenses.

A person would commit this crime if the staff member is at least four years older than the student and commits an act of sexual conduct.

"Currently, an educator or staff member can have sexual conduct with an 18-year-old student and will lose their job if they're caught," said Rep. Amy Elik. "But police cannot investigate, and the person can go on to work with students in other capacities outside of the school system."

Sexual abuse by an educator involving intercourse would be charged as a Class 4 felony for the first offense and a Class 3 felony for repeat offenses. 

House Bill 4241 passed unanimously out of the House on April 19, but the measure failed to move after it arrived in the Senate.

Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) said kids can't afford to wait any longer for this issue to be addressed.

"With the passage of House Bill 4241, we can tell every individual within our state that suffered this abuse that their lawmakers heard their cries for help and acted," Bryant said.

Elik stressed that consent of the victim should not be a defense for this type of abuse. 

"We carefully crafted this legislation to anticipate any possible concerns by both the House and Senate," Elik said. "This bipartisan bill has no vocal opposition and must move forward this session so students have the necessary protections they deserve." 

Bryant currently has 16 co-sponsors for the legislation in the Senate, including four Democrats.

Copyright 2024. WAND TV. All rights reserved.