I’ve spent my career in the courtroom as an attorney and a court-appointed guardian ad litem, standing up for vulnerable individuals. As your representative in Springfield, I am passing new laws to protect children and vulnerable adults.

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Last year, my colleagues unanimously supported my bill to make sure that every Illinois child who has been abused or neglected will be assured their own volunteer advocate in DCFS court cases. 

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Because many survivors of sexual assault and stalking never come forward for fear of retaliation by their assailants, I sponsored and passed a new law that makes sure survivors’ addresses and other personal information is kept confidential in court proceedings. This law means that survivors can stand up and seek justice without fear that their attackers will use court records to hunt them down.

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I was deeply honored to receive an award from the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IHLA) for my sponsorship of a new law that imposes harsher penalties on traffickers and others who profit from the exploitation of vulnerable women and children. The law also makes sure Illinois law enforcement officers have the training they need to identify and investigate human trafficking and involuntary servitude.