Hurley Sponsored Legislation to Expand Protections in No Contact Orders

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Protections for people who have taken out a no contact order will be increased under legislation sponsored by state Rep. Fran Hurley, D-Chicago.

“If a person ever has to go through a situation which results in a no contact order, we should be doing everything we can to protect them from further trauma or a future threatening situation,” said Hurley. “If we aren’t making sure that our laws are updated to include new ways of contact or potential threats, we could see potentially dangerous cases of a person still being harassed or threatened.”

Hurley cosponsored Senate Bill 1677, which recently passed out of the House Judiciary Criminal Committee unanimously. The measure amends the Stalking No Contact Order act by expanding the definition of “contact” to include electronic communication. The definition of electronic communication will include any transfer of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric or photo-optical system. Senate Bill 1677 is awaiting a vote on the House floor.

“With the passage of this legislation, I am happy to see our state continuing to lead the way in protections for domestic violence survivors or anyone else who has faced a physical or verbal threat,” said Hurley. “One of my missions as a legislator has been to make sure that our communities remain safe, and that we are taking the proper steps to ensure that victims and other vulnerable people have the protections they need.”