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Curran, R-Downers Grove, said the bills do not contradict the
SAFE-T Act.
“There have been at least three, maybe four amendments to the
SAFE-T Act already. This is hyper-focused on domestic violence,”
Curran said.
Curran cited an Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence
report stating that domestic violence deaths are up 140% since
2022.
Domestic violence survivor Dakota Sebring said the legislative
package is about prevention and stopping escalation, not
punishment.
“It’s about giving orders of protection real weight so they can
actually protect victims of domestic violence and help them feel
safe, like our laws are meant to do,” Sebring said.
Sebring said, in her case, the cycle of violation, arrest,
release and another violation kept repeating from March 2025 to
December 2025.
“I called the police over 15 times because of these repeated
violations,” Sebring said.
Curran said Senate Bill 3139 would shift the burden from victims
to offenders to prove they are not an imminent threat to the
victim or the general public.
State Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, introduced Senate Bill
3140, increasing penalties for those who violate orders of
protection.
“This would deter people from violating orders of protection,
and the felony charge would allow for more intervention and
long-term rehabilitation,” McClure said.
State Sen. Darby Hills, R-Barrington Hills, introduced Senate
Bill 3141 to double minimum imprisonment times for violations of
no-contact orders.
Hills said Senate Bill 3142 provides for felony charges against
repeat offenders.
“Orders of protection do not work unless they are enforced. When
they are ignored or repeatedly violated without real
consequences, they fail the very people they were there to
protect in the first place,” Hills said.
Curran said he has discussed the package of bills with a
Democratic committee chair.
“My hope is that these will all be heard in committee,” the
Senate GOP leader said.
Curran said he would be fine with lawmakers passing stand-alone
bills or including the package as part of a larger omnibus to
amend the SAFE-T Act.
In the Illinois House, state Rep. David Friess, R-Red Bud,
introduced legislation that would require a defendant’s pretrial
release to be revoked if they are charged with any new offense
while already on pretrial release.
Friess filed House Bill 4907 last Tuesday.
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