Published on April 20, 2026 10:14 am
Last Updated on April 20, 2026 10:17 am
House Bill 3393, a bill sponsored by State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) to strengthen protections for child victims of abuse during court proceedings, has passed the Illinois House. The bill extends the speedy trial process by 30 days, if a judge denies closed circuit testimony, allowing victims additional time to submit evidence before trial.
“This change in the law ensures that if a judge denies the use of closed-circuit testimony, the victim is granted a 30-day extension to gather additional evidence to support the request,” said Niemerg. “This gives much needed time to clarify what the judge needs in order to determine whether closed circuit testimony applies.”
The legislation applies to cases involving criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, aggravated battery, and aggravated domestic battery.
The measure now heads to the Illinois Senate for consideration.
