CRIM CD-TERRORISM-CATASTROPHE

104th Regular Session Introduced by Margaret Croke and 3 co-sponsors

HB 2679 updates Illinois terrorism and catastrophe laws to treat intentional damage to reproductive health care facilities as terrorist acts or catastrophe offenses.

Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Edgar González, Jr.

Purpose / Intent

HB 2679 amends the Illinois Criminal Code of 2012 to expand the scope of the state’s terrorism and “causing a catastrophe” offenses to expressly cover intentional acts that substantially damage or destroy facilities that house providers of reproductive health care (as defined in the Reproductive Health Act). The amendments make such attacks subject to definitions and penalties that apply to terrorist acts and to the “causing a catastrophe” offense.

Key provisions

Amends 720 ILCS 5/29D-10 (definitions) and 29D-15.1 to:

Add facilities housing entities that provide reproductive health care to the list of protected targets covered by the statute’s definition of “terrorist act”/“act of terrorism.” A “terrorist act” now includes any act intended to cause and that does cause substantial damage to or destruction of such a building or facility.
Clarify that a “vital public facility” (for purposes of the causing a catastrophe offense) includes entities providing reproductive health care.
Reinforces that “substantial damage” means monetary damage greater than $100,000 (as used elsewhere in the Article).

Effective immediately upon enactment.

Who or what is affected

Reproductive health care providers and clinics: attacks against these facilities can be charged under the terrorism-related provisions and the causing-a-catastrophe framework.

Perpetrators of such attacks: potential exposure to more serious criminal classifications and sentencing regimes available under terrorism/catastrophe statutes.

Prosecutors and law enforcement: gain explicit statutory basis to pursue terrorism or catastrophe charges for damage to reproductive health facilities.

Members of the public and demonstrators: activities that cross into damaging or destroying covered facilities may be charged under elevated offenses; peaceful protest activities not involving damage remain outside the scope as written.

Legislative status and timeline

Introduced in the General Assembly (LRB filing: Feb 2025). Companion bill: SB 1706.

Legislative activity shows passage by both chambers and the bill was signed by the Governor (signed: 2025-05-13). The enrolled/chaptered text appears as Chapter 207.

The bill’s provisions took effect immediately upon enactment.

Notes / considerations

The bill explicitly codifies reproductive health facilities as protected targets for terrorism and catastrophe statutes; it does not itself alter penalty ranges in those statutes but makes those statutory tools available in prosecutions for qualifying acts.

Readers interested in precise penalties should consult the referenced Criminal Code sections (29D-10; 29D-15.1) and related sentencing provisions.

Bill