Yingling Supports Legislation Protecting Human Trafficking Survivors

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. – State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, helped pass legislation that would extend confidentiality protections to human trafficking survivors in an effort to help keep them safe.

“With all that they have been through, it is important that we work to do our part in providing resources to survivors of human trafficking to help them recover,” said Yingling. “Forcing survivors to use their home address on public documents can put them and their families in danger, and they should have an alternative option if their lives are in jeopardy.”

Yingling voted in favor of Senate Bill 593, which passed the House with unanimous support. The bill will allow survivors of human trafficking to apply to be in the Attorney General’s Illinois Address Confidentiality Program (ACP). The ACP provides survivors with a substitute address to use as their home, school, and work addresses in order to keep their actual home address hidden on public documents and make it harder for perpetrators to locate survivors.

During his time in office, Yingling has worked to keep survivors safe. Recently, he helped pass legislation that makes no-contact orders against those convicted of sexual crimes permanent. In a previous session, he co-sponsored legislation adding sex trafficking to the list of offenses for which perpetrators must register as a sex offender and enacting harsher punishments for those who are convicted of the crime.

“In order to keep survivors safe, we must work to strengthen our laws and crack down on those who traffic people,” said Yingling. “We must explore all avenues available to make our laws as effective as possible in keeping residents safe.”