SPRINGFIELD – A recent incident in St. Clair County has revived efforts to pass legislation protecting child welfare workers. Last Thursday, a Bellville man disarmed an officer and fired their gun while investigators checked on a child’s well-being; no one was injured. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, who has pushed for tougher penalties since Dixon DCFS worker Pam Knight was fatally beaten in 2017, highlighted her bill, “The Knight-Silas Act,” named for Knight and Deidre Silas, another slain DCFS worker.
“We first started this in 2018 after she passed,” she said, “and it really is a simple bill. We had no idea back then that we would really have this fight.”
Illinois House Democrats have previously opposed the measures as penalty enhancements, but McCombie hopes this is the year they pass.
