DES PLAINES, Ill. – Continuing his advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently backed legislation to make specific no-contact orders permanent, ending the need for survivors to revisit court every two years.
“Survivors of domestic violence should not be forced to relive that trauma again and again, especially in order to keep their family and themselves protected from their perpetrators,” Moylan said. “Domestic and sexual violence are among the most heinous crimes that can be committed, and we should be doing everything in our power to prevent these acts from occurring, but also to provide maximum support and protection to survivors.”
Currently, court issued protective orders can expire after two years which requires survivors to return to court in order to extend the protection order. The Moylan-backed House Bill 734 would allow for no-contact orders to become permanent at the survivor’s request should the defendant be convicted of a sexual offense, protecting sexual and domestic violence survivors from any additional trauma. The measure passed the General Assembly without opposition and awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.
“The survivors of these abhorrent crimes will carry around the memory and trauma of their experiences for the rest of their lives and should not be faced with the choice of repeatedly reliving that trauma in court every few years or allowing protective orders to expire,” Moylan said. “It is only right that survivors can be permanently protected against their offenders if they feel it is necessary. We cannot allow these criminals to hurt survivors any more than they already have which is why I strongly urge Governor Pritzker to join us in defense of sexual and domestic violence survivors and sign this bill into law as soon as possible.”
For questions concerning House Bill 734, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.