SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A bill to expand what constitutes stalking passed the House Judicial Civil committee unanimously on Wednesday.
The plan would make it easier to charge a person with a Stalking No Contact Order when the victim feels under "emotional distress."
Under the proposed policy, victims can seek legal relief if they receive multiple phone calls from the stalker after they've been told to stop, they're repeatedly appearing at the victim's workplace or outside their home, or they're following the victim in a public place among others.
State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) said a lot of the time, due to the language of current stalking laws, some stalkers can leave charge free.
"One of the things I've heard from my constituents was the Stalking No Contact Order left too many gaps," Gong-Gershowitz said. "It was unclear what constituted stalking, what would enable them to get a Stalking No Contact Order and this bill addresses that concern."
The proposal now heads to the House floor where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.
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