SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Police and prosecutors will be able to charge child sexual predators at any time under legislation passed by state Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, closing a loophole that allowed disgraced former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert to avoid prosecution for sex crimes he committed decades ago.

“Too often, sexual offenders are able to escape punishment and victims do not receive the justice they deserve because too much time passes before they are able to come forward,” Mussman said. “By doing away with limitations on prosecuting these horrific crimes, we are providing law enforcement the ability to put criminals who have harmed innocent children behind bars. Regardless of the amount of time that has passed, offenders need to be brought to justice.”

Mussman sponsored Senate Bill 189, which removes the statute of limitations on various sex crimes against children including sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and predatory criminal sexual assault. The measure would allow law enforcement to bring charges at any time when survivors come forward or evidence is discovered.

Mussman’s efforts are necessary as survivors of rape and sexual abuse are often reluctant or unable to report the crime. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nine out of 10 child sexual abuse victims are abused by someone close to them, and may be hesitant to report them. Disclosure of sexual abuse is often delayed; children often avoid telling because they are either afraid of a negative reaction from their parents or of being harmed by the abuser. This causes them to often delay disclosure until adulthood.

Hastert pled guilty to illegal bank withdrawals and lying to federal law enforcement agents in 2016. The illegal withdrawals were made to an individual as hush money payments to keep past sexual misconduct from going public, but Hastert could not be charged for the sex crimes themselves because the statute of limitations had expired.

“The reality is that because of a loophole in current law, sexual predators are not held accountable for their actions,” Mussman said. “If there was ever any issue that should dissolve party lines, it has to be this one. I urge Governor Rauner to do the right thing to help protect our kids from dangerous predators.”

The measure received bipartisan support in the House and Senate, and now awaits the governor’s signature before becoming law.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In response to a tragic local drug overdose case that took the life of a local, state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, introduced legislation that would give authorities the ability to prosecute out-of-state drug dealers for providing drugs to someone who died from them in Illinois.

“Senate Bill 639, the Evan Rushing Law, fixes a legal loophole that blocks law enforcement from prosecuting a drug dealer for a drug-induced homicide simply because the dealer was located across the river in St. Louis,” Stuart said. “I want to give our law enforcement all the tools they need to prosecute criminals that hurt our children, and families the relief of knowing a criminal will not get away with their crime.”

Stuart’s legislation, which passed committee Thursday, would expand the offense of drug-induced homicide to include delivery of a controlled substance in another state which resulted in the death that occurred in Illinois. In a recent case Evan Rushing, a young man from Glen Carbon, was killed when he overdosed from drugs bought from a dealer in St. Louis. The district attorney was not able to charge the drug dealer with drug-induced homicide because

“We must protect our community and keep drug dealers away from our homes and our children’s schools,” Stuart said. “This bill closes a loophole so criminals cannot get off the hook simply because they committed a crime across a state border.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, is backing legislation that would provide greater protections to local park districts from dangerous child predators by prohibiting districts from knowingly using volunteers with a history of committing sexual abuse against children.

“This measure is a common sense step in making sure that our children are protected,” said Willis.  “When children visit the park, we need to make sure they are in a safe place where they can have fun with their friends.”

House Bill 786 is a measure that would forbid local park districts from utilizing the services of volunteers when the district knows the person is a child sex offender.  Currently, the law requires the same action for people employed with a park district.  The new law would extend the same rules to volunteers.  Volunteers at a park district would be required to fill out an application and disclose if they are a child sex offender.  Failure to disclose this information would be considered a Class A misdemeanor, and a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent violation.  If a person lies about their status, they could face up to a week in jail.

“Our children deserve a safe place to have fun,” said Willis.  “This bill will help to give children a place to play and peace of mind to parents.”

Willis is serving her third term in the Illinois General Assembly as State Representative of the 77th District, which includes O’Hare Airport and portions of Addison, Bellwood, Bensenville, Franklin Park, Maywood, Melrose Park, Northlake, Stone Park, and Wood Dale.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to crack down on criminals that promote the human trafficking of minors, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, is sponsoring legislation that will increase penalties and extend the statute of limitations for such crimes.

“We need to have serious penalties in place for the perpetrators of these heinous acts,” Hoffman said. “The trauma and suffering felt by the victims of these crimes will last a lifetime, and the fact that a criminal can get off because of a technicality in the law is unconscionable.”

Hoffman’s proposal, House Bill 3629, requires stricter penalties for criminals involved in the human trafficking of minors, creating a mandatory sentence of 25 years. Additionally, the measure being pushed by Hoffman drastically increases the statute of limitations that a charge may be made. Under current law, a minor only has one year after they turn 18 to file charges, Hoffman’s legislation increases that to 25 years.

“Victims of human trafficking are living in unstable environments and do not have the support structures intact to bring charges within a year of turning 18,” said Patricia McKnight, child trafficking survivor and advocate with the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse. “We should be doing everything we can to ensure that we are bringing individuals involved with the human trafficking of children to justice, and the way the law is currently written places victims at a disadvantage.”

JOLIET, Ill. – Responding to concerns from constituents, state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, recently filed legislation to make a person convicted of battery to register as a sex offender if the attack was sexually motivated.

“The state requires people to register as sex offenders when past actions indicate that they pose a danger to members of our community,” Manley said. “If someone is found guilty of a crime and prosecutors proved that the crime was sexually motivated, that person should be required to register as a sex offender. This legislation simply closes a loophole in the law to protect victims and our neighbors.”

The legislation was brought to Manley from a local family whose daughter was the victim of a violent crime that was sexually motivated. House Bill 816, known as “Stephanie’s Law” after the victim, will require any person convicted of battery in such a case to register with the state as a sex offender. Prosecutors will be responsible for proving that the crime was sexually motivated during the trial.

“After the family talked to me, other lawmakers and state’s attorneys, we all came together to address this issue in Springfield,” Manley said. “At a time when it seems like no one in Springfield can work together to get something accomplished, this is a good example of what we can try to accomplish if we work together.”

For more information, please contact Manley’s constituent service office at 815-725-2741 or RepManley@gmail.com.