FAMILY JUSTICE CENTERS ACT

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB5121

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5121

Introduced 2/10/2026, by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Family Justice Centers Act. Authorizes cities, counties,
the State, and community-based nonprofits to establish multiagency,
multidisciplinary Family Justice Centers to serve survivors of domestic
violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking. Sets
requirements for center operations, including survivor consent and
confidentiality policies, privacy protections, collaboration with law
enforcement and community providers, operating agreements, survivor
feedback processes, and annual training standards. Provides a framework
for coordinated service delivery among participating agencies. Declares
findings. Defines terms.
LRB104 17661 BDA 34052 b

A BILL FOR

HB5121
LRB104 17661 BDA 34052 b
1

AN ACT concerning government.

2

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3
represented in the General Assembly:

4

Section 1.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the
Family
5
Justice Centers Act.

6

Section 5.
Findings.
The General Assembly finds and
7
declares that:
8

(1) Underreporting of domestic violence, sexual
9

violence, stalking, and human trafficking to service
10

providers, law enforcement, and protective agencies is
11

detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of the
12

State of Illinois. Survivors have stressed the need for
13

collaborative implementation of resources and interagency
14

communication and assessment of policies and procedures to
15

allow for intentional process improvement in the delivery
16

of and response to survivors.
17

(2) To support survivors and their children and
18

encourage the development of partnerships to close gaps
19

and implement best practices, entities must work
20

collaboratively and actively to build a trauma-informed,
21

survivor-centered community response to prevent domestic
22

violence, child abuse, sexual violence, stalking, and
23

human trafficking.

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(3) The enactment of the Family Justice Centers Act
2

promotes the health and safety of survivors of domestic
3

violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking
4

and provides alternative ways for survivors to seek
5

services in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered,
6

coordinated manner.
7

(4) In recent years, Illinois has experienced an
8

upward trend in domestic violence incidents, including
9

increased contacts to the Illinois Domestic Violence
10

Hotline and higher rates of domestic-related homicides.
11

Contacts to the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline rose 26
12

percent from 2023 to 2024 to a total of 59,704 contacts,
13

which is 140 percent higher than in 2019 (Measuring Safety
14

2024, Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline Report - The
15

Network). This rising rate of reports, coupled with the
16

reality that many incidents go unreported, demonstrates
17

the need for a State response.
18

(5) Given the intimate and personal nature of sexual
19

violence, advocacy services are necessary to support
20

survivors of sexual assault by providing comprehensive
21

assistance that addresses immediate and long-term needs.
22

The State of Illinois should continue to support these
23

programs, which have faced declining funds in recent
24

years.
25

(6) In 2025, the Illinois General Assembly enacted
26

Public Act 104-159, the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed

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Response to Human Trafficking Act, recognizing the need
2

for a comprehensive response to human trafficking in the
3

State. Public Act 104-159 requires agencies to investigate
4

and respond in a survivor-centered, trauma-informed manner
5

to increase the detection of survivors and provide a
6

survivor-centered, trauma-informed response when
7

survivors present for services.
8

(7) The Family Justice Center framework offers a
9

comprehensive and collaborative approach to addressing
10

domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human
11

trafficking. Family Justice Centers bring together
12

professionals and services under one roof, providing a
13

safe and supportive environment for survivors and ensuring
14

a coordinated and effective response.
15

(8) Children's Advocacy Centers were established in
16

Illinois by Public Act 86-276 and are governed by the
17

Children's Advocacy Center Act. In response to the need
18

for a formal, comprehensive, integrated, and
19

multidisciplinary approach to child maltreatment,
20

Children's Advocacy Centers provide subject-matter
21

expertise that complements Family Justice Centers. This
22

Act is intended to enhance collaboration and sharing of
23

expertise and is not meant to supersede the expertise of
24

Children's Advocacy Centers. Domestic violence, sexual
25

violence, and child abuse are forms of community violence
26

that require coordinated responses. Family Justice Centers

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and Children's Advocacy Centers should work
2

collaboratively.
3

(9) Family Justice Centers minimize the need for
4

survivors to navigate multiple agencies, to travel to
5

multiple locations, and to repeat their stories. They
6

offer services shown to improve access to services,
7

increase hope and well-being, reduce recantation, reduce
8

homicides, and increase successful prosecution of
9

offenders.
10

(10) Creating Family Justice Centers is essential to
11

provide multiagency, multidisciplinary support and
12

services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual
13

violence, stalking, and human trafficking; to ensure
14

survivors can access all needed services; to enhance
15

survivor safety; to increase offender accountability; and
16

to reduce the number of times survivors are questioned and
17

examined and the number of places survivors must go to
18

receive assistance.

19

Section 10.
Definitions.
As used in this Act:
20

"Domestic violence" means any act of abuse as defined in
21
the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
22

"Human trafficking" means an act as set forth in Section
23
10-9 of the Criminal Code of 2012, including recruiting,
24
harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for
25
labor or services through force, fraud, or coercion.

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"Sexual violence" means physical sexual acts attempted or
2
perpetrated against a person's will or when a person is
3
incapable of giving consent, including, without limitation,
4
rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual abuse, and sexual
5
coercion.
6

"Stalking" has the meaning given to that term in the
7
Stalking No Contact Order Act.
8

"Stalking" includes, without limitation, the following
9
conduct:
10

(1) following a person;
11

(2) conducting surveillance of the person;
12

(3) appearing at the person's home, work, or school
13

without a reasonable purpose under the circumstances;
14

(4) making unwanted phone calls;
15

(5) sending unwanted mail;
16

(6) sending unwanted messages via social media;
17

(7) sending unwanted text messages;
18

(8) leaving objects for the person;
19

(9) vandalizing the person's property;
20

(10) injuring a pet; or
21

(11) using any electronic tracking system or acquiring
22

tracking information to determine the person's location,
23

movements, or travel patterns.

24

Section 15.
Family Justice Centers.
25

(a) A city, county, State, community-based nonprofit

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organization, or a combination of these entities may establish
2
a multiagency, multidisciplinary Family Justice Center to
3
assist survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence,
4
stalking, and human trafficking, to ensure that survivors are
5
able to access needed services in one location, to enhance
6
survivor safety, to increase offender accountability, and to
7
improve access to services.
8

(b) A Family Justice Center is a multiagency,
9
multidisciplinary service center where public and private
10
agencies assign staff members on a full-time or part-time
11
basis to provide services to survivors of domestic violence,
12
sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking from one
13
location, to reduce the number of times survivors must repeat
14
their accounts, to reduce the number of places survivors must
15
go for help, and to increase access to services and support for
16
survivors and their children. A Family Justice Center shall,
17
as appropriate, partner with other agencies to provide
18
services.
19

(c) Staff members at a Family Justice Center may include,
20
but are not limited to:
21

(1) domestic violence providers recognized by the
22

Department of Human Services;
23

(2) rape crisis organizations as defined in Section
24

8-802.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure;
25

(3) civil legal service providers, in accordance with
26

memoranda of understanding developed by the Family Justice

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Center;
2

(4) legal advocacy providers, in accordance with
3

memoranda of understanding developed by the Family Justice
4

Center;
5

(5) mental health care providers, in accordance with
6

memoranda of understanding developed by the Family Justice
7

Center;
8

(6) housing providers, in accordance with memoranda of
9

understanding developed by the Family Justice Center;
10

(7) substance-use counselors, in accordance with
11

memoranda of understanding developed by the Family Justice
12

Center;
13

(8) Family Justice Center administrative personnel;
14

(9) medical personnel;
15

(10) local Children's Advocacy Centers;
16

(11) law enforcement;
17

(12) the State's Attorney's office and victim-witness
18

personnel;
19

(13) supervised volunteers of partner agencies; and
20

(14) other professional agencies serving survivors of
21

domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual assault,
22

stalking, or human trafficking, in accordance with
23

memoranda of understanding developed by the Family Justice
24

Center.
25

(d) This Section does not abrogate existing laws regarding
26
privacy or information sharing. Family Justice Center staff

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members shall comply with the laws governing their respective
2
professions.
3

(e) Survivors shall not be required to participate with
4
law enforcement or the criminal justice system to receive
5
services at a Family Justice Center. A Family Justice Center
6
shall establish memoranda of understanding with law
7
enforcement and State's Attorney's offices to facilitate
8
collaboration, improved processes, and systems change for the
9
benefit of survivors and the health, safety, and well-being of
10
the community.
11

(f) Each Family Justice Center shall consult with
12
community-based domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking,
13
and human trafficking agencies, in partnership with survivors
14
and their advocates, in the operation of the Family Justice
15
Center. Each Family Justice Center shall establish procedures
16
for ongoing input, feedback, and evaluation by survivors and
17
community-based survivor service providers and advocates.
18

(g) Each Family Justice Center shall develop operating
19
agreements, policies, and procedures, in collaboration with
20
local community-based survivor service providers and local
21
survivors, to ensure coordinated services and to enhance the
22
safety of survivors and professionals at the Family Justice
23
Center, including participants in affiliated survivor-centered
24
support or advocacy groups. Each Family Justice Center shall
25
maintain a formal survivor feedback, complaint, and input
26
process to address concerns about services or the conduct of

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any Family Justice Center professionals, agency partners, or
2
volunteers.
3

(h) Each Family Justice Center shall provide survivors
4
with educational materials relating to rights available under
5
Illinois law.
6

(i) Each Family Justice Center shall maintain a survivor
7
consent policy and shall follow all State and federal laws
8
protecting the confidentiality of information and documents in
9
a survivor's file, including, but not limited to, medical,
10
legal, and survivor counselor records. Each Family Justice
11
Center shall develop privacy policies and procedures
12
consistent with State and federal privacy and confidentiality
13
laws and the Fair Information Practice Principles promulgated
14
by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
15

(j) A Family Justice Center shall obtain informed,
16
written, time-limited consent from a survivor before sharing
17
information obtained from the survivor with any staff member
18
or agency partner, except as provided in paragraphs (1) and
19
(2) of this subsection.
20

(1) A Family Justice Center is not required to obtain
21

consent before sharing information obtained from the
22

survivor with a mandated reporter, a peace officer, or a
23

member of the prosecution team if that person is required
24

by law to report or disclose specific information or
25

incidents. Such persons shall inform the survivor that
26

they may share information without the survivor's consent.

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(2) A Family Justice Center shall inform the survivor
2

that information shared with staff members or partner
3

agencies may be shared with law enforcement without the
4

survivor's consent if there is a mandatory duty to report
5

or if the survivor is a danger to itself or others. A
6

Family Justice Center shall obtain written acknowledgment
7

that the survivor has been informed of this policy.
8

(k) Consent by a survivor to share information within a
9
Family Justice Center under this Section shall not be
10
construed as a universal waiver of any evidentiary privilege
11
that makes confidential communications or documents between
12
the survivor and a service provider, including, without
13
limitation, any lawyer, advocate, rape crisis counselor, or
14
domestic violence counselor, and including protections under
15
applicable State and federal law, such as the Address
16
Confidentiality for Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual
17
Assault, Human Trafficking, or Stalking Act; and Sections
18
8-802, 8-802.1, and 8-802.2 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
19
Any oral or written communication or document authorized by
20
the survivor to be shared for the purposes of enhancing safety
21
and providing more effective and efficient services shall not
22
be disclosed to any third party, unless authorized by the
23
survivor or required by State or federal law or court order.
24

(l) An individual staff member, volunteer, or agency that
25
has survivor information governed by this Section shall not be
26
required to disclose that information unless the survivor has

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consented to the disclosure or the disclosure is consistent
2
with applicable State law regarding crime victims' rights.
3

(m) A disclosure of information consented to by the
4
survivor in a Family Justice Center, made for the purposes of
5
clinical assessment, risk assessment, safety planning, or
6
service delivery, shall not be deemed a waiver of any
7
privilege or confidentiality provision contained in any other
8
law of this State.
9

(n) In addition to any other required training, each
10
Family Justice Center shall maintain a training program with
11
mandatory training of not less than 16 hours per year for all
12
persons providing services at the Family Justice Center,
13
including, but not limited to, training on evidentiary
14
privileges, confidentiality provisions, information sharing,
15
risk assessment, safety planning, survivor advocacy, and
16
high-risk case response.

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