Illinois lawmakers seek to waive records fees for domestic violence survivors
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Proposed legislation in Illinois would make sure domestic violence survivors won't have to pay for all those documents they need to get away from their abusers.
Survivors often need to get birth, death, or fetal death certificates to dissolve marriages and civil unions. Searching vital records costs $10 per application.
A proposal co-sponsored by Illinois State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) would waive those fees for domestic violence survivors.
"Domestic violence survivors are already dealing with immense trauma," Koehler said in a statement. "Why are we taking money out of their pockets, adding more burdens to the reporting process?"
The measure cleared the Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday, and now goes to the full Senate.
The House unanimously passed it in March, so if the Senate follows suit, it would go to Gov. JB Pritzker for consideration.