Dupage Policy Journal

The following action was taken on May 10 in the House on Senate bill SB1588 ("sexual harassment no contact"): "Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee."

The Rules Committees is a powerful standing committee in the House controlled by the majority. All legislation is assigned to the Rules Committee as a kind of legislative filter that sorts the more-than-6,000 bills introduced each year. The committee considers the legislation and often assigns it to other committees in order to be heard by other lawmakers. Sometimes, legislation dies in the Rules Committee if the committee decides it does not merit further consideration.

In the event that a committee fails to report to the House on a bill by applicable deadlines, it is automatically re-referred to the Rules Committee according to House rule 19(a). This is what happened with this bill.

The bill, as it was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Melinda Bush (D-31) on Feb. 15, "creates the Sexual Harassment No Contact Order Act," according to the General Assembly website.

The following senators also co-sponsored the bill: Omar Aquino (D-2), Cristina Castro (D-22), Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16), Laura Ellman (D-21), Linda Holmes (D-42), Mattie Hunter (D-3), Toi W. Hutchinson (D-40), Kimberly A. Lightford (D-4), Iris Y. Martinez (D-20), Julie A. Morrison (D-29), Antonio Muñoz (D-1), Laura M. Murphy (D-28) and Heather A. Steans (D-7).

The following house representatives co-sponsored the bill: Terra Costa Howard (D-48), Diane Pappas (D-45) and Kathleen Willis (D-77).

The table below shows a history of actions for this bill through May 10.