102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3278

 

Introduced 2/19/2021, by Rep. Terra Costa Howard

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
720 ILCS 5/12-7.3  from Ch. 38, par. 12-7.3
720 ILCS 5/12-7.4  from Ch. 38, par. 12-7.4
720 ILCS 5/12-7.5

    Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Increases the penalties for stalking, aggravated stalking, and cyberstalking by one class if the victim of the offense is under 18 years of age at the time of the offense.


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CORRECTIONAL BUDGET AND IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning criminal law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Criminal Code of 2012 is amended by
5changing Sections 12-7.3, 12-7.4, and 12-7.5 as follows:
 
6    (720 ILCS 5/12-7.3)  (from Ch. 38, par. 12-7.3)
7    Sec. 12-7.3. Stalking.
8    (a) A person commits stalking when he or she knowingly
9engages in a course of conduct directed at a specific person,
10and he or she knows or should know that this course of conduct
11would cause a reasonable person to:
12        (1) fear for his or her safety or the safety of a third
13    person; or
14        (2) suffer other emotional distress.
15    (a-3) A person commits stalking when he or she, knowingly
16and without lawful justification, on at least 2 separate
17occasions follows another person or places the person under
18surveillance or any combination thereof and:
19        (1) at any time transmits a threat of immediate or
20    future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement or
21    restraint and the threat is directed towards that person
22    or a family member of that person; or
23        (2) places that person in reasonable apprehension of

 

 

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1    immediate or future bodily harm, sexual assault,
2    confinement or restraint to or of that person or a family
3    member of that person.
4    (a-5) A person commits stalking when he or she has
5previously been convicted of stalking another person and
6knowingly and without lawful justification on one occasion:
7        (1) follows that same person or places that same
8    person under surveillance; and
9        (2) transmits a threat of immediate or future bodily
10    harm, sexual assault, confinement or restraint to that
11    person or a family member of that person.
12    (b) Sentence.
13        (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (2) and
14    (3) of this subsection (b), stalking Stalking is a Class 4
15    felony. ; a
16        (2) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (3) of
17    this subsection (b), a second or subsequent conviction for
18    stalking is a Class 3 felony.
19        (3) If the victim of stalking is under 18 years of age
20    at the time of the offense, stalking is a Class 3 felony
21    for a first conviction and a Class 2 felony for a second or
22    subsequent conviction.
23    (c) Definitions. For purposes of this Section:
24        (1) "Course of conduct" means 2 or more acts,
25    including but not limited to acts in which a defendant
26    directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any

 

 

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1    action, method, device, or means follows, monitors,
2    observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or
3    about, a person, engages in other non-consensual contact,
4    or interferes with or damages a person's property or pet.
5    A course of conduct may include contact via electronic
6    communications.
7        (2) "Electronic communication" means any transfer of
8    signs, signals, writings, sounds, data, or intelligence of
9    any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire,
10    radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical
11    system. "Electronic communication" includes transmissions
12    by a computer through the Internet to another computer.
13        (3) "Emotional distress" means significant mental
14    suffering, anxiety or alarm.
15        (4) "Family member" means a parent, grandparent,
16    brother, sister, or child, whether by whole blood,
17    half-blood, or adoption and includes a step-grandparent,
18    step-parent, step-brother, step-sister or step-child.
19    "Family member" also means any other person who regularly
20    resides in the household, or who, within the prior 6
21    months, regularly resided in the household.
22        (5) "Follows another person" means (i) to move in
23    relative proximity to a person as that person moves from
24    place to place or (ii) to remain in relative proximity to a
25    person who is stationary or whose movements are confined
26    to a small area. "Follows another person" does not include

 

 

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1    a following within the residence of the defendant.
2        (6) "Non-consensual contact" means any contact with
3    the victim that is initiated or continued without the
4    victim's consent, including but not limited to being in
5    the physical presence of the victim; appearing within the
6    sight of the victim; approaching or confronting the victim
7    in a public place or on private property; appearing at the
8    workplace or residence of the victim; entering onto or
9    remaining on property owned, leased, or occupied by the
10    victim; or placing an object on, or delivering an object
11    to, property owned, leased, or occupied by the victim.
12        (7) "Places a person under surveillance" means: (1)
13    remaining present outside the person's school, place of
14    employment, vehicle, other place occupied by the person,
15    or residence other than the residence of the defendant; or
16    (2) placing an electronic tracking device on the person or
17    the person's property.
18        (8) "Reasonable person" means a person in the victim's
19    situation.
20        (9) "Transmits a threat" means a verbal or written
21    threat or a threat implied by a pattern of conduct or a
22    combination of verbal or written statements or conduct.
23    (d) Exemptions.
24        (1) This Section does not apply to any individual or
25    organization (i) monitoring or attentive to compliance
26    with public or worker safety laws, wage and hour

 

 

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1    requirements, or other statutory requirements, or (ii)
2    picketing occurring at the workplace that is otherwise
3    lawful and arises out of a bona fide labor dispute,
4    including any controversy concerning wages, salaries,
5    hours, working conditions or benefits, including health
6    and welfare, sick leave, insurance, and pension or
7    retirement provisions, the making or maintaining of
8    collective bargaining agreements, and the terms to be
9    included in those agreements.
10        (2) This Section does not apply to an exercise of the
11    right to free speech or assembly that is otherwise lawful.
12        (3) Telecommunications carriers, commercial mobile
13    service providers, and providers of information services,
14    including, but not limited to, Internet service providers
15    and hosting service providers, are not liable under this
16    Section, except for willful and wanton misconduct, by
17    virtue of the transmission, storage, or caching of
18    electronic communications or messages of others or by
19    virtue of the provision of other related
20    telecommunications, commercial mobile services, or
21    information services used by others in violation of this
22    Section.
23    (d-5) The incarceration of a person in a penal institution
24who commits the course of conduct or transmits a threat is not
25a bar to prosecution under this Section.
26    (d-10) A defendant who directed the actions of a third

 

 

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1party to violate this Section, under the principles of
2accountability set forth in Article 5 of this Code, is guilty
3of violating this Section as if the same had been personally
4done by the defendant, without regard to the mental state of
5the third party acting at the direction of the defendant.
6(Source: P.A. 96-686, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1551, eff. 7-1-11;
797-311, eff. 8-11-11; 97-1109, eff. 1-1-13.)
 
8    (720 ILCS 5/12-7.4)  (from Ch. 38, par. 12-7.4)
9    Sec. 12-7.4. Aggravated stalking.
10    (a) A person commits aggravated stalking when he or she
11commits stalking and:
12        (1) causes bodily harm to the victim;
13        (2) confines or restrains the victim; or
14        (3) violates a temporary restraining order, an order
15    of protection, a stalking no contact order, a civil no
16    contact order, or an injunction prohibiting the behavior
17    described in subsection (b)(1) of Section 214 of the
18    Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
19    (a-1) A person commits aggravated stalking when he or she
20is required to register under the Sex Offender Registration
21Act or has been previously required to register under that Act
22and commits the offense of stalking when the victim of the
23stalking is also the victim of the offense for which the sex
24offender is required to register under the Sex Offender
25Registration Act or a family member of the victim.

 

 

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1    (b) Sentence.
2        (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (2) and
3    (3) of this subsection (b), aggravated Aggravated stalking
4    is a Class 3 felony. ;
5        (2) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (3) of
6    this subsection (b), a second or subsequent conviction for
7    aggravated stalking is a Class 2 felony.
8        (3) If the victim of aggravated stalking is under 18
9    years of age at the time of the offense, aggravated
10    stalking is a Class 2 felony for a first conviction and a
11    Class 1 felony for a second or subsequent conviction.
12    (c) Exemptions.
13        (1) This Section does not apply to any individual or
14    organization (i) monitoring or attentive to compliance
15    with public or worker safety laws, wage and hour
16    requirements, or other statutory requirements, or (ii)
17    picketing occurring at the workplace that is otherwise
18    lawful and arises out of a bona fide labor dispute
19    including any controversy concerning wages, salaries,
20    hours, working conditions or benefits, including health
21    and welfare, sick leave, insurance, and pension or
22    retirement provisions, the managing or maintenance of
23    collective bargaining agreements, and the terms to be
24    included in those agreements.
25        (2) This Section does not apply to an exercise of the
26    right of free speech or assembly that is otherwise lawful.

 

 

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1        (3) Telecommunications carriers, commercial mobile
2    service providers, and providers of information services,
3    including, but not limited to, Internet service providers
4    and hosting service providers, are not liable under this
5    Section, except for willful and wanton misconduct, by
6    virtue of the transmission, storage, or caching of
7    electronic communications or messages of others or by
8    virtue of the provision of other related
9    telecommunications, commercial mobile services, or
10    information services used by others in violation of this
11    Section.
12    (d) A defendant who directed the actions of a third party
13to violate this Section, under the principles of
14accountability set forth in Article 5 of this Code, is guilty
15of violating this Section as if the same had been personally
16done by the defendant, without regard to the mental state of
17the third party acting at the direction of the defendant.
18(Source: P.A. 96-686, eff. 1-1-10; 96-1551, eff. 7-1-11;
1997-311, eff. 8-11-11; 97-468, eff. 1-1-12; 97-1109, eff.
201-1-13.)
 
21    (720 ILCS 5/12-7.5)
22    Sec. 12-7.5. Cyberstalking.
23    (a) A person commits cyberstalking when he or she engages
24in a course of conduct using electronic communication directed
25at a specific person, and he or she knows or should know that

 

 

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1would cause a reasonable person to:
2        (1) fear for his or her safety or the safety of a third
3    person; or
4        (2) suffer other emotional distress.
5    (a-3) A person commits cyberstalking when he or she,
6knowingly and without lawful justification, on at least 2
7separate occasions, harasses another person through the use of
8electronic communication and:
9        (1) at any time transmits a threat of immediate or
10    future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or
11    restraint and the threat is directed towards that person
12    or a family member of that person; or
13        (2) places that person or a family member of that
14    person in reasonable apprehension of immediate or future
15    bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or restraint; or
16        (3) at any time knowingly solicits the commission of
17    an act by any person which would be a violation of this
18    Code directed towards that person or a family member of
19    that person.
20    (a-4) A person commits cyberstalking when he or she
21knowingly, surreptitiously, and without lawful justification,
22installs or otherwise places electronic monitoring software or
23spyware on an electronic communication device as a means to
24harass another person and:
25        (1) at any time transmits a threat of immediate or
26    future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or

 

 

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1    restraint and the threat is directed towards that person
2    or a family member of that person;
3        (2) places that person or a family member of that
4    person in reasonable apprehension of immediate or future
5    bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or restraint; or
6        (3) at any time knowingly solicits the commission of
7    an act by any person which would be a violation of this
8    Code directed towards that person or a family member of
9    that person.
10    For purposes of this Section, an installation or placement
11is not surreptitious if:
12        (1) with respect to electronic software, hardware, or
13    computer applications, clear notice regarding the use of
14    the specific type of tracking software or spyware is
15    provided by the installer in advance to the owners and
16    primary users of the electronic software, hardware, or
17    computer application; or
18        (2) written or electronic consent of all owners and
19    primary users of the electronic software, hardware, or
20    computer application on which the tracking software or
21    spyware will be installed has been sought and obtained
22    through a mechanism that does not seek to obtain any other
23    approvals or acknowledgement from the owners and primary
24    users.
25    (a-5) A person commits cyberstalking when he or she,
26knowingly and without lawful justification, creates and

 

 

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1maintains an Internet website or webpage which is accessible
2to one or more third parties for a period of at least 24 hours,
3and which contains statements harassing another person and:
4        (1) which communicates a threat of immediate or future
5    bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or restraint,
6    where the threat is directed towards that person or a
7    family member of that person, or
8        (2) which places that person or a family member of
9    that person in reasonable apprehension of immediate or
10    future bodily harm, sexual assault, confinement, or
11    restraint, or
12        (3) which knowingly solicits the commission of an act
13    by any person which would be a violation of this Code
14    directed towards that person or a family member of that
15    person.
16    (b) Sentence.
17         (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (2)
18    and (3) of this subsection (b), cyberstalking
19    Cyberstalking is a Class 4 felony. ;
20        (2) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (3) of
21    this subsection (b), a second or subsequent conviction for
22    cyberstalking is a Class 3 felony.
23        (3) If the victim of cyberstalking is under 18 years
24    of age at the time of the offense, cyberstalking is a Class
25    3 felony for a first conviction and a Class 2 felony for a
26    second or subsequent conviction.

 

 

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1    (c) For purposes of this Section:
2        (1) "Course of conduct" means 2 or more acts,
3    including but not limited to acts in which a defendant
4    directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any
5    action, method, device, or means follows, monitors,
6    observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or
7    about, a person, engages in other non-consensual contact,
8    or interferes with or damages a person's property or pet.
9    The incarceration in a penal institution of a person who
10    commits the course of conduct is not a bar to prosecution
11    under this Section.
12        (2) "Electronic communication" means any transfer of
13    signs, signals, writings, sounds, data, or intelligence of
14    any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire,
15    radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical
16    system. "Electronic communication" includes transmissions
17    through an electronic device including, but not limited
18    to, a telephone, cellular phone, computer, or pager, which
19    communication includes, but is not limited to, e-mail,
20    instant message, text message, or voice mail.
21        (2.1) "Electronic communication device" means an
22    electronic device, including, but not limited to, a
23    wireless telephone, personal digital assistant, or a
24    portable or mobile computer.
25        (2.2) "Electronic monitoring software or spyware"
26    means software or an application that surreptitiously

 

 

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1    tracks computer activity on a device and records and
2    transmits the information to third parties with the intent
3    to cause injury or harm. For the purposes of this
4    paragraph (2.2), "intent to cause injury or harm" does not
5    include activities carried out in furtherance of the
6    prevention of fraud or crime or of protecting the security
7    of networks, online services, applications, software,
8    other computer programs, users, or electronic
9    communication devices or similar devices.
10        (3) "Emotional distress" means significant mental
11    suffering, anxiety or alarm.
12        (4) "Harass" means to engage in a knowing and willful
13    course of conduct directed at a specific person that
14    alarms, torments, or terrorizes that person.
15        (5) "Non-consensual contact" means any contact with
16    the victim that is initiated or continued without the
17    victim's consent, including but not limited to being in
18    the physical presence of the victim; appearing within the
19    sight of the victim; approaching or confronting the victim
20    in a public place or on private property; appearing at the
21    workplace or residence of the victim; entering onto or
22    remaining on property owned, leased, or occupied by the
23    victim; or placing an object on, or delivering an object
24    to, property owned, leased, or occupied by the victim.
25        (6) "Reasonable person" means a person in the victim's
26    circumstances, with the victim's knowledge of the

 

 

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1    defendant and the defendant's prior acts.
2        (7) "Third party" means any person other than the
3    person violating these provisions and the person or
4    persons towards whom the violator's actions are directed.
5    (d) Telecommunications carriers, commercial mobile service
6providers, and providers of information services, including,
7but not limited to, Internet service providers and hosting
8service providers, are not liable under this Section, except
9for willful and wanton misconduct, by virtue of the
10transmission, storage, or caching of electronic communications
11or messages of others or by virtue of the provision of other
12related telecommunications, commercial mobile services, or
13information services used by others in violation of this
14Section.
15    (e) A defendant who directed the actions of a third party
16to violate this Section, under the principles of
17accountability set forth in Article 5 of this Code, is guilty
18of violating this Section as if the same had been personally
19done by the defendant, without regard to the mental state of
20the third party acting at the direction of the defendant.
21    (f) It is not a violation of this Section to:
22        (1) provide, protect, maintain, update, or upgrade
23    networks, online services, applications, software, other
24    computer programs, electronic communication devices, or
25    similar devices under the terms of use applicable to those
26    networks, services, applications, software, programs, or

 

 

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1    devices;
2        (2) interfere with or prohibit terms or conditions in
3    a contract or license related to networks, online
4    services, applications, software, other computer programs,
5    electronic communication devices, or similar devices; or
6        (3) create any liability by reason of terms or
7    conditions adopted, or technical measures implemented, to
8    prevent the transmission of unsolicited electronic mail or
9    communications.
10(Source: P.A. 100-166, eff. 1-1-18.)