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SB 1991

VICTIM CENTERED APPROACH ACT

104th Regular Session Introduced by Mary Edly-Allen and 1 co-sponsor

Creates a 5-year Lake County pilot to provide free immigration counsel to noncitizen victims of violent crime pursuing remedies before USCIS.

Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Adriane Johnson
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Bill Summary · SB 1991

Summary of SB 1991 — Victim Centered Approach Act

Overview

SB 1991 introduces the Victim Centered Approach Pilot Program Act, a targeted pilot program in Lake County designed to provide free immigration counsel to noncitizen victims of violent crimes. The program is funded for a 5-year period and aims to remove barriers to pursuing immigration remedies before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administrative processes.

Purpose and Intent

  • Address significant barriers faced by noncitizen victims who experience violence, particularly the lack of affordable, qualified legal representation for immigration remedies.
  • Empower survivors by supplying immediate legal services to pursue remedies that may affect their safety, stability, and long-term well-being.
  • Establish a reproducible model for county-level support that could inform broader policy if successful.

Key Provisions

Establishment and Scope

  • Creates the Victim Centered Approach Pilot Program Act.
  • The Lake County State's Attorney (SA) shall develop a program to represent noncitizen victims of violent crimes in filing victim remedies before the USCIS administrative body.

Funding and Caseload

  • The program may use funding provided to the pilot to represent or counsel 50 noncitizen victims annually.
  • Duration: funding and services provided for 5 years (a 5-year pilot).

Eligibility

To receive assistance under the pilot program, an individual must meet all of the following:
1. Be a noncitizen victim who has never been placed in removal proceedings.
2. Have suffered a violent crime in Lake County.
3. Not be barred from the immigration remedies before the USCIS administrative body.

Services Provided

  • The assistance includes immigration representation before the USCIS administrative body for a victim remedy.

Geographic and County Scope

  • The pilot focuses on Lake County (the county where the SA’s office operates).
  • In counties with a population over 500,000, a State’s Attorney may act, without fee or appointment, as an attorney to a noncitizen victim in an immigration case only if the victim was victimized within the county served by that SA and is located within the county’s geographic boundaries.

Legislative Changes

  • The Counties Code (55 ILCS 5/3-9005) would be amended to reflect duties of the State’s Attorney and to incorporate the authority and activities related to this pilot program.

Who is Affected

  • Primary: Noncitizen victims of violent crimes in Lake County who have not been placed in removal proceedings and who seek immigration remedies before USCIS.
  • Secondary: Counties with populations over 500,000 may see a similar framework invoked if and when relevant pilots or expansions occur; Lake County SA would act as the representative for eligible victims under the pilot.
  • Government: Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, which would administer the pilot and allocate funding for representation.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • Introduced: February 6, 2025 (SB1991), with Mary Edly-Allen as primary sponsor.
  • Co-sponsor: Adriane Johnson (later added as Chief Co-Sponsor).
  • Status updates indicate: filed and referred for consideration; first reading in Senate on March 17, 2025; referred to State Affairs (as of that date).
  • The bill would become law only as part of the new Act and associated amendments to the Counties Code, subject to passage by the General Assembly and signature by the Governor.

Sponsors

  • Primary: Sen. Mary Edly-Allen
  • Cosponsor / Chief Co-Sponsor: Sen. Adriane Johnson

Potential Impacts and Considerations

  • Improves access to legal representation for noncitizen victims, potentially increasing successful immigration remedies and safety outcomes.
  • Establishes a finite, monitorable 5-year pilot, enabling evaluation before broader replication.
  • Requires county-level funding and administrative capacity in Lake County.
  • May influence subsequent policy discussions on expanding similar victim-centered immigration support in other counties.

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

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