Illinois Rep. Zwiercan’s human trafficking notice bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Nicole La Ha Zwiercan aims to increase public awareness of human trafficking by expanding the posting of resource center notices at state roadside rest areas, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 71 Democrats and 36 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 39 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 HB4654, was passed on May 20, 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 Human Trafficking Resource Center Notice Act. Requires that the Department of Transportation post a notice as required under the Act in all public restrooms of each roadside rest area.”

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 Human Trafficking Resource Center Notice Act to require the Illinois Department of Transportation, once the state’s model notice is available, to post human trafficking resource center notices in all public restrooms at each roadside rest area, as well as in a conspicuous place near each rest area’s public entrance or another clearly visible location where similar notices are usually posted. The measure appears intended to increase public awareness of human trafficking and access to help by expanding where hotline and resource information must be displayed.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Amy Elik (Republican-111th District), Rep. Anna Moeller (Democrat-43rd District), and Rep. Barbara Hernandez (Democrat-50th District), along with 37 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.