Illinois Rep. Didech’s sexual assault interview procedure bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Daniel Didech aims to require law enforcement to inform sexual assault victims of their right to request an officer of a particular sex or gender during interviews, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 71 Democrats and 34 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 40 Democrats and 18 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Didech introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Jan. 13, 2026 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB4394, was passed on May 19, 2026 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Sexual Assault Incident Procedure Act. Provides that a law enforcement officer shall inform a victim of sexual assault or sexual abuse of the right to request that any interview or statement be conducted in the presence of a law enforcement officer of a particular sex or gender, if one is reasonably available. Provides that if a law enforcement officer of the requested sex or gender is not reasonably available, the interview or statement shall proceed without unnecessary delay.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Sexual Assault Incident Procedure Act to require law enforcement officers to inform victims of sexual assault or sexual abuse that they may request to be interviewed or give a statement in the presence of an officer of a particular sex or gender, if one is reasonably available. If an officer of the requested sex or gender is not reasonably available, the interview or statement must proceed without unnecessary delay. The bill also clarifies that its use of statutory text does not change when any related provisions take effect.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Aarón M. Ortíz (Democrat-1st District), Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock (Democrat-46th District), and Sen. Erica Harriss (Republican-56th District), along with 21 other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Didech graduated from Roosevelt University in 2010 with a BA and again in 2014 from Valparaiso Universit with a JD.

Didech, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2019 to represent the state’s 59th House District, replacing previous state representative Carol Sente.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.