In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, State Representative Jackie Haas is highlighting pieces of legislation aimed at reducing domestic violence and supporting survivors in Illinois.

“As we come to the end of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are reminded that domestic violence is an issue that affects every region, district, and community in Illinois,” Haas said in a news release. “Unfortunately, domestic abusers utilize tactics to remain in the shadows while they continue inflicting their abuse. As lawmakers, there are several policy proposals we can discuss to address this problem and demand that abusers are brought to justice.”

During the spring legislative session, Rep. Haas sponsored the unanimous passage of House Bill 2774, which established a uniform statewide domestic violence hotline. She was also the primary House sponsor of Senate Bill 1195, which would require additional training for law enforcement on trauma-informed responses for victims.

“While I am incredibly proud of the wins we’ve accomplished on this issue this year, there is always more work to be done,” Hass said in a news release.

Other bills on this topic introduced by Rep. Haas include:

• House Bill 71: Increases penalties for aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation.
• House Bill 72: Keeps misdemeanor habitual offenders of battery or protection order violations off the street.

“These are hard conversations to have, but we must continue bringing light to this issue. I hope we can have discussions about these and other bills to lower rates of domestic violence in Illinois, while providing more resources and support to survivors,” Hass said in a news release.

If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call or text the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877-863-6338 (877-TO END DV).