One of the most important responsibilities we have as lawmakers is protecting children, especially those who have been victimized by sexual predators. That is why I was proud to help pass legislation this spring that strengthens important legal protections for child victims of sex crimes.
House Bill 3393 makes targeted updates to Illinois law governing the use of closed-circuit television testimony for child victims. These protections allow young victims to testify outside the traditional courtroom setting, helping reduce additional trauma while ensuring their voices can still be heard.
While these safeguards have been available in Illinois for several years, concerns were raised that portions of the law could face constitutional challenges in court. Rather than wait and risk seeing these protections weakened or overturned, we worked proactively to strengthen the statute and ensure it can withstand legal scrutiny.
I was proud to work alongside Representative Adam Niemerg and a broad coalition of stakeholders to advance this legislation after years of work. By reinforcing these protections now, we can help ensure young victims continue to have access to them when they need them most.
