SPRINGFIELD — To improve how the state identifies and supports victims of human trafficking, State Senator Julie Morrison joined the director of Illinois State Police, state agency representatives and a trafficking survivor at a press conference Wednesday to outline her bipartisan proposal to streamline services among agencies.

“Human trafficking is a horrific crime that too often goes unrecognized,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “This legislation is the result of years of collaboration aimed at strengthening efforts to identify individuals who are being exploited and enhancing support for survivors in their recovery.”

Senate Bill 2323 works to address human trafficking in Illinois through a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach. Based on recommendations from the Joint Human Trafficking Working Group — formed in 2023 with input from over 60 stakeholders and state agencies — the bill would establish a strategic plan to build a network of services for trafficking survivors, including the creation of standards of care for medical and legal service providers.

Morrison’s measure would expand training for staff in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Human Services, Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Corrections to help identify and assist victims, particularly youth in state care, as well as improve screening procedures for at-risk populations within the justice system.

To facilitate law enforcement’s ability to respond to human trafficking cases, the proposal supports the creation of multidisciplinary task forces to coordinate investigations across jurisdictions. Senate Bill 2323 would also remove the 25-year time limit for victims to bring a lawsuit against their abuser, allowing survivors who were trafficked as minors to seek justice at any point in their healing process.

“Human trafficking is one of the most underreported and under-identified crimes. To combat it, we must bring it out in the open and into the light,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Because human trafficking can come in many forms — from commercial sex acts to forced labor — and can happen almost anywhere, it’s important to have a comprehensive, statewide approach that involves collaboration among law enforcement agencies, child services, case workers, treatment providers and others. The more people who are trained to recognize signs of human trafficking, and how to respond, the more we bring this despicable crime into the open and help those who have been recovered move out of the dark and back into the light.”

Senate Bill 2323 passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee on Tuesday.