Bill Text: IL SB2741 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Deletes the amendatory changes to the hate crime statute. Restores the crime of harassment through electronic communications. In the crime of harassment by telephone, provides that a person commits the crime when he or she uses telephone communication for: (1) making any comment, request, suggestion, or proposal which is known or intended to cause another person significant emotional distress and would cause a reasonable person to experience significant emotional distress; or (2) making a telephone call, whether or not conversation ensues, with intent to threaten injury to, or the property of, any person at the called number or to any of his or her family or household members. In the harassment through electronic communications statute, provides that a person commits the crime when he or she uses electronic communication for: (1) making any comment, request, suggestion, or proposal which is known or intended to cause another person significant emotional distress and would cause a reasonable person to experience significant emotional distress; and (2) making repeated electronic communications, during which conversation or text or email messages ensue, solely to harass the person to whom the electronic communication is directed.

Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-4)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2026-06-30 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mary Edly-Allen [SB2741 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB2741-Engrossed.html

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SB2741 Engrossed LRB104 16302 RLC 29688 b
AN ACT concerning criminal law.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Criminal Code of 2012 is amended by
changing Sections 26.5-2 and 26.5-3 as follows:
(720 ILCS 5/26.5-2)
Sec. 26.5-2. Harassment by telephone.
(a) A person commits harassment by telephone when he or
she uses telephone communication for any of the following
purposes:
(1) Making any comment, request, suggestion or
proposal which is obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy or
indecent with an intent to offend;
(1.1) Making any comment, request, suggestion, or
proposal which is known or intended to cause another
person significant emotional distress and would cause a
reasonable person to experience significant emotional
distress;
(2) Making a telephone call, whether or not
conversation ensues, with intent to abuse, threaten injury
to, or the property of, any person at the called number or
to any of his or her family or household members or harass
any person at the called number;

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(3) Making or causing the telephone of another
repeatedly to ring, with intent to harass any person at
the called number;
(4) Making repeated telephone calls, during which
conversation ensues, solely to harass any person at the
called number;
(5) Making a telephone call or knowingly inducing a
person to make a telephone call for the purpose of
harassing another person who is under 13 years of age,
regardless of whether the person under 13 years of age
consents to the harassment, if the defendant is at least
16 years of age at the time of the commission of the
offense; or
(6) Knowingly permitting any telephone under one's
control to be used for any of the purposes mentioned
herein.
(b) Every telephone directory published for distribution
to members of the general public shall contain a notice
setting forth a summary of the provisions of this Section. The
notice shall be printed in type which is no smaller than any
other type on the same page and shall be preceded by the word
"WARNING". All telephone companies in this State shall
cooperate with law enforcement agencies in using their
facilities and personnel to detect and prevent violations of
this Article.
(Source: P.A. 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13.)

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(720 ILCS 5/26.5-3)
Sec. 26.5-3. Harassment through electronic communications.
(a) A person commits harassment through electronic
communications when he or she uses electronic communication
for any of the following purposes:
(1) Making any comment, request, suggestion or
proposal which is obscene with an intent to offend;
(1.1) Making any comment, request, suggestion, or
proposal which is known or intended to cause another
person significant emotional distress and would cause a
reasonable person to experience significant emotional
distress;
(2) Interrupting, with the intent to harass, the
telephone service or the electronic communication service
of any person, including transmitting any file, document,
or other communication which prevents that person from
using his or her telephone service or electronic
communications device;
(3) Transmitting to any person, with the intent to
harass, abuse, or threaten injury to, or the property of,
the person to whom an electronic communication is
directed, or to any of his or her family or household
members, and regardless of whether the communication is
read in its entirety or at all, any file, document, or
other communication which prevents that person from using

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his or her telephone service or electronic communications
device;
(4) Transmitting an electronic communication or
knowingly inducing a person to transmit an electronic
communication for the purpose of harassing another person
who is under 13 years of age, regardless of whether the
person under 13 years of age consents to the harassment,
if the defendant is at least 16 years of age at the time of
the commission of the offense;
(5) Making repeated electronic communications, during
which conversation or text or email messages ensue, solely
to harass the person to whom the electronic communication
is directed Threatening injury to the person or to the
property of the person to whom an electronic communication
is directed or to any of his or her family or household
members; or
(6) Knowingly permitting any electronic communications
device to be used for any of the purposes mentioned in this
subsection (a).
(b) Telecommunications carriers, commercial mobile service
providers, and providers of information services, including,
but not limited to, Internet service providers and hosting
service providers, are not liable under this Section, except
for willful and wanton misconduct, by virtue of the
transmission, storage, or caching of electronic communications
or messages of others or by virtue of the provision of other

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related telecommunications, commercial mobile services, or
information services used by others in violation of this
Section.
(Source: P.A. 97-1108, eff. 1-1-13.)