McClure Leads Push for Stronger Domestic Violence Protections

In a concerted effort to strengthen protections for survivors of domestic violence, State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) joined fellow Illinois Senate Republicans in unveiling a legislative package aimed at holding abusers more accountable and giving law enforcement new tools to enforce protective orders.

The proposals come amid troubling data from the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence showing a significant rise in domestic violence-related deaths, with 137 deaths reported in 2024 — a 14 percent increase from the previous year and a 140 percent surge since 2022.

At the heart of McClure’s contribution to the package is Senate Bill 3140, legislation that would elevate the offense of violating an order of protection from a misdemeanor to a felony, with repeat violations classified as a higher-level felony. McClure stressed that under current law, abusers can repeatedly breach protective orders with minimal legal consequences, leaving victims vulnerable to ongoing harm. His bill is designed to strengthen enforcement and deterrence by increasing penalties and giving law enforcement greater authority to intervene.

Senator McClure’s remarks were delivered alongside Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) and others at a press conference in the Capitol, where local domestic violence survivor Dakota Sebring shared her experiences with repeated violations of protective orders under the current legal framework. Curran, a former Cook County prosecutor, introduced Senate Bill 3139, which seeks to establish a mandatory “cooling-off” period in serious domestic violence cases by requiring suspects to prove they do not pose a real and present danger before being released pretrial. This measure would apply to violations of orders of protection as well as civil no-contact and stalking orders.

Additional proposals from the Republican contingent include Senate Bill 3141, sponsored by Senator Darby Hills (R-Barrington Hills), which would impose minimum holding times for repeat violations of protective orders, and Senate Bill 3142, also from Hills, requiring courts to consider prior convictions across different types of protective orders to ensure repeat offenders face appropriate consequences.

Proponents of the legislative package argue that stronger enforcement mechanisms and increased penalties are essential to protect victims and prevent further tragedies. The lawmakers emphasized that these measures would not only hold offenders accountable but also provide survivors with the necessary space and time to access support services and rebuild their lives free from fear.

As the legislative session progresses, McClure and his colleagues are urging bipartisan support for the bills, saying that meaningful reforms to the state’s approach to domestic violence are both urgently needed and broadly in the public interest.