Johnson champions legislation to strengthen safety and privacy protections for public officials

SPRINGFIELD - To better protect the safety and privacy of public officials and their families, Senator Adriane Johnson championed legislation to remove personal information from the public domain and prevent online targeting.

"Public service should never come with threats to personal safety," said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). "We've seen far too many examples of harassment and intimidation directed at officials for simply doing their jobs. This measure provides common-sense protections that keep our public servants and their families safe, without compromising government transparency."

Under the legislation, certain public officials - including members of the General Assembly, constitutional officers, State's Attorneys, Public Defenders, county clerks, and election commissioners - will have the ability to request that their personal information - such as home addresses and phone numbers - be removed from public websites.

The measure mirrors protections already in place for judicial personnel, creating a clear process for removing personal information when a written request is made to a government agency, business or association.

The bill also:

• Makes it unlawful to knowingly post personal information online when doing so could pose a serious threat to the safety of an official or their family, punishable as a Class 3 felony if it leads to injury or death.
• Expands the State Board of Elections' authority to develop standardized procedures for redacting home addresses of political committee officers upon written request.
• Clarifies that political committees can use campaign funds for security services, home security enhancements, and cybersecurity tools to protect officials' personal and professional devices.
• Amends the Freedom of Information Act to exempt from disclosure any information protected under the Public Official Safety and Privacy Act, as well as the home addresses of political committee officers.

"This legislation is about ensuring that those who serve their communities can do so without fear," said Johnson. "Public officials deserve the same basic safety protections as judges and others in sensitive public roles. We can preserve transparency while also protecting the people who keep our democracy functioning."

House Bill 576 passed the Senate.