Illinois Rep. Zwiercan’s domestic violence coercive control bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Nicole La Ha Zwiercan aims to recognize coercive control as domestic abuse and expand protections under Illinois domestic violence laws, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 75 Democrats and 37 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 40 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Zwiercan introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Jan. 28, 2026 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB4659, was passed on May 28, 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 Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that a person commits domestic battery if he or she knowingly without legal justification by any means engages in coercive control over a family or household member. Defines “coercive control”. Amends the Protective Orders Article of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Includes coercive control in the definition of “abuse”. Defines “coercive control”.”

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

In essence, this bill expands Illinois domestic violence laws to recognize coercive control as a form of domestic battery and abuse. It defines coercive control as a pattern of behavior that unreasonably interferes with a person’s free will and liberty, including isolation from support, deprivation of necessities, monitoring communications and finances, degrading name-calling, threats of harm or exposure, compelled conduct, and reproductive coercion, while excluding conduct taken under court orders or to protect a child. The bill makes engaging in coercive control against a family or household member a basis for criminal domestic battery and adds coercive control to the definition of abuse in provisions governing protective orders and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Brandun Schweizer (Republican-104th District), Rep. Dave Severin (Republican-116th District), and Rep. Jackie Haas (Republican-79th District), along with seven 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.

La Ha graduated from School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004 with a BA.

La Ha, a Republican, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 82nd House District, replacing previous state representative John Egofske.

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.

While the final vote determined the bill’s passage, lawmakers in both chambers held an additional vote related to a concurrence. This earlier vote is included below for context.