House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) has filed two bills that would increase protections for Department of Children and Family Services workers and those working to protect the state’s most vulnerable. This legislation comes at a time when front line workers throughout the state continue to face violence, something Leader McCombie has prioritized fixing through her bills.
The two bills are in direct response to the murder of two female DCFS workers: Pamela Knight, who was killed in 2017 in Dixon, Illinois, when attempting to take a child into protective custody and Deirdre Silas, who was murdered last year in Sangamon County during a home-visit. Leader McCombie has filed these pieces of legislation, the Knight-Silas Acts, to help prevent any future harm to employees at DCFS:
· HB1460 – Makes harming a DCFS worker or a Department on Aging Adult Protective Services or Ombudsman worker a Class 2 felony, except if the battery causes great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to an individual, then a violation is a Class 1 felony.
· HB1461 – Makes harming a DCFS worker a Class 2 felony, except if the battery causes great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to an individual, then a violation is a Class 1 felony.
These bills have been a priority for McCombie, who has been vocal about the necessary changes needed at the troubled state agency under Governor JB Pritzker’s lead—and has recently unveiled a Republican led working group to find viable solutions.
“There are no shortage of issues we must address at DCFS, but ensuring the safety of the employees who work day and night to protect our most vulnerable is the top priority—and my legislation will help make that a reality,” said Leader Tony McCombie. “Pam Knight and Deidre Silas were killed in the line of duty, and more must be done so that tragedies like this don’t continue to happen.”
McCombie’s bills have been filed in the Illinois House and can be tracked here as they move through the legislative process in the coming weeks.