SPRINGFIELD — According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in every five women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. To prevent the re-traumatization of sexual assault and rape survivors, State Senator Mary Edly-Allen led Anna’s Law, or Senate Bill 1195, through the House.

“As a teacher, it is extremely important to me to come from a position of helping people learn and grow. The intent of this bill is to focus attention on how law enforcement handles survivors of sexual assault,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “While we have come a long way, there is still much work to be done to address this issue. And when we know better, we do better.”

Under Senate Bill 1195, trauma-informed response training would be expanded by adding curriculum on identifying potential conflicts of interest in a case, particularly when an officer is familiar with any of the parties involved in a case. The training would also cover the available options for addressing such conflicts appropriately.

“The passage of Anna’s Law is another step in the direction of ensuring our law enforcement responses to sexual and domestic violence are survivor-centered and trauma-informed,” said Maralea Negron, director of policy, advocacy and research at The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. “Addressing conflicts of interest in law enforcement responses will directly support survivors who hesitate to report because of these associated risks.”

Senate Bill 1195 passed the House on Wednesday.