Illinois Valley Times

State Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) spoke about the importance of House Bill 3317 in protecting victims of domestic violence and recalled the tragic event that prompted the need for a stronger law to combat domestic violence.

The bill creates a Domestic Violence Task Force that establishes a consistent, uniform statewide system to protect victims and survivors of domestic violence while holding offenders accountable.

“A young Colton Miller, if you recall was an 18-month-old child who back in 2019 was murdered by his father," Welter said. “Domestic violence knows no race, no ethnicity, no income level. It doesn't matter if you're in rural Illinois or the inner cities, domestic violence plagues our community. We have to do more in this body, in this state, in our communities to address it.”

The representative also recounted that Colton’s mother, Cassandra — who survived the attack — told him about the loopholes “that she felt existed in our system today around domestic violence and how we treat different situations.” He was made aware that prior to the tragedy, she pleaded for help from different organizations, including the local court system but she was not able to get support. Welter and Cassandra discussed what changes can be made to protect people from domestic violence.

Calling his bill, Colton's Law, Welter's bill enhances existing domestic violence laws by adding an option to put violent offenders such as Colton's father on a GPS alert system. among other amendments making the law tougher on domestic violence offenders.

During the third House Reading, the bill passed unanimously by the 108 members who attended the debate.