Stories Related to Gop Lawmakers Push For Tougher Penalties In Attacks On Dcfs Workers

SPRINGFIELD – A group of Republican lawmakers on Thursday urged the Senate to take up a bill that increases the penalties for attacks on state social workers employed by the Department of Children and Family Services. The bill, in response to the death of DCFS case worker Pam Knight early last year in Whiteside County, makes it a Class 1 felony to batter a DCFS worker in the performance of official duties – the same protections against battery are given to police, firefighters and peace officers.  As with similar legislation introduced last year, the bill has garnered dozens of sponsorships from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle but has struggled to move through the legislative process to become law.