Dupage Policy Journal

An Illinois Senate bill initiated by Attorney General Kwame Raoul and passed by the House and Senate that would expand home address protections for survivors of violent crimes is receiving praise from its co-sponsor.

State Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) said in an April 22 Facebook post that the bill she co-sponsored, Senate Bill 593, would “expand protections for survivors of human trafficking” in that they may keep their home addresses private if they are participating in Illinois' Address Confidentiality Program. The Attorney General’s office administers the Address Confidentiality Program that gives substitute addresses to survivors of violent crimes, the Attorney General’s press release said.

“Currently, the ACP provides survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking with a substitute address to use in place of their actual home, school and work addresses in public records,” Hilton said on Facebook.

Hilton previously sponsored a bill that went into effect on Jan. 1, allowing Illinois survivors of sexual abuse and stalking to keep their home addresses private with the help of the Attorney General’s Office, a press release said.

“The law allows survivors of sexual abuse or stalking to list the attorney general’s office as their contact address instead of revealing their actual address, avoiding any risk that their abuser might locate them,” the press release said.

Under SB 593, participants in the Address Confidentiality Program may use substitute addresses to create or update public records, including state-issued identification cards and driver’s licenses, a press release said.

The measure also benefits participants registering to vote by “clarifying the process,” the Attorney General’s press release said.

The bill has been sent to the governor.