ILLINOIS
The Journal
For more information on the following bills, and many more, please visit the Illinois General Assembly website at ilga.gov. There you will find details of the bills, where each is at in the procedural process, and information on which state representatives support them.
SB 189
Introduced by State Senator Scott Bennett of Champaign, the bill seeks to eliminate the statute of limitations for felony child abuse and sexual assault crimes.
Many experts agree that this extension would greatly benefit victims, as many are not mentally or emotionally ready to deal with the abuse they suffered as a child until later in adulthood.
The current statute on child abuse and sexual assault crimes is 20 years after the victim turns 18. Compared to most states, this time period is gracious; the standard is usually no more than 10 years.
Murder, arson, treason, forgery, and child pornography have no statutes of limitations in the state of Illinois.
Previously, in 2013, then-Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation that removed the statute of limitations in certain cases, particularly those with corroborating physical evidence or a failure on the part of a mandatory reporter.
SB 189 passed in the state senate on March 29, and has since moved into a house rules committee.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.