(The Center Square) – The Illinois House is considering legislation that would have the state’s Department of Children and Family Services maintain a human trafficking unit.
State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, is the House sponsor of Senate Bill 2323. Williams said the Department of Human Services worked with the Illinois State Police in 2023 to form a working group with more than 60 stakeholders and state agencies.
Williams said the legislation is a comprehensive look at the human trafficking issue, based on the working group’s recommendations.
Williams told state Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, that human trafficking survivors participated with stakeholders in the group.
“Credit really goes to the people who have been working tirelessly on this, and I have to also point out that state police has really prioritized that in terms of their legislative agenda,” Williams said.
The Illinois House Executive Committee passed SB 2323 Wednesday, with all 11 members present voting in favor. Spain asked to be added as a co-sponsor. The Senate previously approved the measure with bipartisan support.
The bill places DCFS in charge of initiating prevention efforts and coordinating services.
The measure also calls for state police to develop a plan to improve victim-centered, trauma-informed law enforcement response to victims.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said training is needed across the board to identify victims and respond properly.
“Juveniles maybe have been charged with a status offense of some type or a misdemeanor, and the reality is, rather than the perpetrator in that case, they are actually the victim. They have been used by someone who is controlling them behind the scenes to traffic them,” Kelly said.
Kelly said a key challenge is recognizing human trafficking when it is happening.
“The reality is, no matter which way you measure it or which metric you’re looking at, there is more human trafficking going on than we are identifying,” Kelly said.
