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HB 376

CRIMINAL LAW-TECH

104th Regular Session Introduced by Chris Welch

Illinois HB 376 advances criminal penalties and definitions for technology-related offenses, pending final rules committee approval and legislative passage.

Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 376

Legislative bill overview

HB 376 is an Illinois criminal law bill focused on technology-related offenses, introduced by Rep. Chris Welch. The bill has advanced through committee with a "Do Pass" recommendation but remains in the rules process as of May 2025. Specific legislative language detailing the exact provisions is not publicly available in the provided action history.

Why is this important

Technology-related criminal statutes are increasingly important as cybercrime, digital fraud, and technology-enabled offenses evolve faster than existing legal frameworks. Illinois legislation in this area could establish new criminal penalties, definitions, or enforcement mechanisms that affect both digital crime prosecution and technology users' legal liability.

Potential points of contention

  • Definition scope: Questions about how broadly or narrowly "technology" crimes are defined, which could impact prosecutions ranging from hacking to social media harassment
  • Penalty severity: Disagreement over appropriate criminal penalties for tech-related offenses and whether sentences align with comparable crimes
  • Privacy vs. enforcement tradeoff: Tension between expanding law enforcement tools to combat tech crime and protecting citizens' digital privacy rights

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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