Chicago City Wire

Kelly M. Cassidy introduced HB1302 in the Illinois House on Jan. 13, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Deletes a provision that timely notice to a retail mercantile establishment that is a victim of retail theft, organized retail crime, financial institution fraud, or looting shall include 7 days' notice of any court proceedings. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a law enforcement officer may not refuse to complete a written report as required by the Protective Orders Article of the Code on any ground. Provides that a law enforcement officer shall not discourage or attempt to discourage a victim from filing a police report concerning an incident of abuse. Provides for the vacation of a conviction (rather than only prostitution convictions) if the defendant was a victim of human trafficking. Provides that the determination of the motion shall be by a preponderance of the evidence. Provides that evidence demonstrating the defendant's status as a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense shall create a rebuttable presumption that the defendant was a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense. Provides that evidence demonstrating the defendant's status as a victim of trafficking at the time of the offense shall create a rebuttable presumption that the defendant was a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense. Provides that, regardless of whether the court grants a motion to vacate the sentence, it may permit the defendant to file an expedited petition for expungement or sealing under the Criminal Identification Act to be heard whenever possible before the same judge to whom the motion to vacate his or her conviction was presented upon 30 days' notice to those entitled to notification of expungement or sealing proceedings. Amends the Sexual Assault Incident Procedure Act. Provides that a law enforcement officer shall not discourage or attempt to discourage a victim from filing a police report concerning sexual assault or sexual abuse. Amends the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 to make conforming changes."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends various sections of Illinois law to enhance the rights of victims, particularly retail establishments and individuals affected by abuse or trafficking. It specifies that retail establishments victimized by certain violations are entitled to timely court notifications, communication with the prosecution, and representation at court proceedings, as well as free access to police reports. Law enforcement must not discourage victims from filing incident reports. It also clarifies procedures for reporting domestic abuse and sexual assault, requiring written police reports and protecting victims' rights to not face discouragement from reporting incidents. Furthermore, it outlines conditions under which convictions can be vacated if they resulted from the defendant being a trafficking victim, allowing for potential expungement of these convictions. These amendments aim to strengthen victim support and legal processes in Illinois.

Kelly M. Cassidy is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 14th House District. She replaced previous state representative Harry Osterman in 2011.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB1302	01/13/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Deletes a provision that timely notice to a retail mercantile establishment that is a victim of retail theft, organized retail crime, financial institution fraud, or looting shall include 7 days' notice of any court proceedings. Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963. Provides that a law enforcement officer may not refuse to complete a written report as required by the Protective Orders Article of the Code on any ground. Provides that a law enforcement officer shall not discourage or attempt to discourage a victim from filing a police report concerning an incident of abuse. Provides for the vacation of a conviction (rather than only prostitution convictions) if the defendant was a victim of human trafficking. Provides that the determination of the motion shall be by a preponderance of the evidence. Provides that evidence demonstrating the defendant's status as a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense shall create a rebuttable presumption that the defendant was a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense. Provides that evidence demonstrating the defendant's status as a victim of trafficking at the time of the offense shall create a rebuttable presumption that the defendant was a victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense. Provides that, regardless of whether the court grants a motion to vacate the sentence, it may permit the defendant to file an expedited petition for expungement or sealing under the Criminal Identification Act to be heard whenever possible before the same judge to whom the motion to vacate his or her conviction was presented upon 30 days' notice to those entitled to notification of expungement or sealing proceedings. Amends the Sexual Assault Incident Procedure Act. Provides that a law enforcement officer shall not discourage or attempt to discourage a victim from filing a police report concerning sexual assault or sexual abuse. Amends the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 to make conforming changes.