McHenry Times

State Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) said legislation he and Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich) pushed will close a legal loophole for accused sexual predators.

"Working with state Rep. Chris Bos, I helped pass HB 4593 which will ensure sexual predators cannot escape justice in Illinois," McConchie posted on Facebook.

HB4593 amends the Criminal Code of 2012 to prevent sexual predator suspects from claiming that they were unaware the person from whom they tried to solicit sexual acts was under the age of 18 or had a severe intellectual disability. It was back in February that the legislation passed the House and then passed the Senate in April. Gov. Pritzker signed the bill into law at the end of May.

"The unanimous passage of House Bill 4593 in both the House and Senate says to victims in a unified voice that we see you, we hear you, and we will not let your abusers off the hook for their depraved actions," Bos said after the bill passed the General Assembly, according to Patch.

Soliciting sexual acts from a minor, whether in person, over the phone, or over the internet, is considered an indecent solicitation of a child under Illinois state law, according to the law office of Glenn Sowa. This crime can be considered a Class 1 felony, Class 2 felony, Class 3 felony, or Class 4 felony. A Class 1 felony indecent solicitation of a child is punishable by up to 15 years in jail and a fine of up to $25,000.