Metro East Sun

In a press conference held today in Springfield, Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) and Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) called on the Senate to take action on House Bill 4241. The bill, aimed at protecting high school students aged 18 and older from sexual abuse by an educator, passed unanimously in the House last month and is currently awaiting action in the Senate. Sen. Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon), who also attended the press conference, is a chief co-sponsor of the bill.

Rep. Elik stated, “We carefully crafted this legislation to anticipate any possible concerns by both the House and Senate.” She further emphasized that this bipartisan bill has no vocal opposition and must be prioritized in this session to provide students with necessary protections. "Today it is in the Senate’s hands to push this across the finish line and deliver that promise.”

House Bill 4241 seeks to protect students aged 18 and older by establishing abuse of power by an educator or authority figure as an offense. The bill defines any sexual contact between an educator or staff member and a student, regardless of whether they are 18 or older, as an abuse of authority. It stipulates that criminal charges must be brought against offenders to prevent them from moving on to other opportunities where they could potentially exploit children.

The proposed legislation specifies that abuse involving sexual conduct by an educator or authority figure will be treated as a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class 4 felony for subsequent offenses or if there are multiple victims. For acts involving sexual penetration, Class 3 and 4 felony charges would apply.

Sen. Bryant expressed urgency regarding the issue stating, “Our kids can’t afford to wait any longer for this issue to be addressed.” She added that with the passage of House Bill 4241, lawmakers can reassure every individual within their state who has suffered such abuse that their pleas for help have been heard and acted upon.

Rep. Elik also advocated for the passage of another bill she filed last spring, HB 1275, which states that no contributory fault may be attributed to a child sexual abuse victim. She pledged to continue working with fellow lawmakers to get this bill through the General Assembly.

For further updates on news and legislative action in the Illinois House of Representatives, visit RepElik.com or contact Rep. Amy Elik’s district office in Alton at 618-433-8046.