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| | HB1073 Engrossed | | LRB097 05786 RLC 45854 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning criminal law.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The Criminal Code of 1961 is amended by adding |
| 5 | | Section 12-7.7
as follows:
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| 6 | | (720 ILCS 5/12-7.7 new)
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| 7 | | Sec. 12-7.7. Perpetual harassment.
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| 8 | | (a) A person commits perpetual harassment when he or she |
| 9 | | purposely and
repeatedly
harasses another person or follows |
| 10 | | another person with the
intent of harassing that person.
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| 11 | | (b) Sentence.
Perpetual harassment is a Class A |
| 12 | | misdemeanor. A second or subsequent
conviction for perpetual |
| 13 | | harassment is a Class 4 felony if the offense was
committed |
| 14 | | against the same victim.
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| 15 | | (c) For the purposes of this Section,
"harass" means to |
| 16 | | engage in a course of conduct directed at a
specific person |
| 17 | | that serves no legitimate purpose, that would cause a
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| 18 | | reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress, |
| 19 | | and that actually
causes substantial emotional distress to that |
| 20 | | person; and "substantial emotional distress" means significant |
| 21 | | mental suffering, anxiety, or alarm.
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| 22 | | (d) Perpetual harassment does not include an exercise of |
| 23 | | the right to free speech or assembly that is otherwise lawful |