A bipartisan effort to improve how Illinois identifies and supports victims of human trafficking took center stage Wednesday, as State Senator Julie Morrison joined law enforcement, state officials, and a trafficking survivor to outline a comprehensive legislative proposal aimed at streamlining services and improving victim support.

Senate Bill 2323, spearheaded by Morrison (D-Lake Forest), seeks to establish a statewide, trauma-informed strategy for addressing human trafficking. The proposal builds on recommendations from the Joint Human Trafficking Working Group, a coalition formed in 2023 with input from over 60 stakeholders, including state agencies and advocacy groups.

The bill calls for the creation of a strategic plan to connect trafficking survivors with essential services, including the development of standards of care for medical and legal providers. It would also expand training for staff in the Departments of Children and Family Services, Human Services, Juvenile Justice, and Corrections, with a focus on identifying and supporting at-risk youth and other vulnerable populations in state care.

To bolster enforcement efforts, the legislation supports the formation of multidisciplinary task forces that would coordinate human trafficking investigations across different jurisdictions. Additionally, the bill proposes lifting the current 25-year statute of limitations for trafficking victims to file lawsuits, giving survivors trafficked as minors the opportunity to seek justice at any point in their healing process. Director of the Illinois State Police Brendan F Kelly says often these crimes go underreported. 

The legislation cleared its first hurdle late last month, passing out of the Senate Criminal Law Committee.

Senate Bill 2323 now heads to the full Senate for consideration.