Illinois Representative Tony McCombie was appointed to the newly formed Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission, on Wednesday, September8, 2021, by House Republican Leader Jim Durkin.
Rep. McCombie was a co-sponsor of the legislation creating the Commission, enacted as Public Act 102-520, which passed the Illinois House and Senate unanimously. It was signed into law in late-summer by Governor J. B. Pritzker.
The City of Rockford, IL, as well as numerous domestic violence prevention, victim advocacy, and behavioral health organizations, and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police backed the bill, as a needed step to create strong recommendations.
“Domestic violence prevention advocates and Law Enforcement want to coordinate a more comprehensive review of domestic homicides, so recommendations can be compiled, reported, and put forward, with the goal of changing this outcome for victims of domestic violence,” said Rep. McCombie.
No stranger to advocacy for victims of domestic violence, McCombie, a member of the House Judiciary-Criminal Law Committee, led the charge to change State law, to protect State employees responding to reports of domestic violence. Her advocacy kept at forefront the brutal murder of DCFS caseworker Pam Knight. She had been responding to a report of domestic abuse against a child, and beaten herself and ultimately murdered by the child’s abuser, Andrew Sucher.
“The victims are not alone in suffering the negative outcomes created by their abusers,” said McCombie. “Our Law Enforcement, Child Welfare, Public Safety, and Public Health officials understand, these negative outcomes go well beyond the walls of the homes in which victims are abused. I take seriously the task of putting in the hard work to review these cases, to help create recommendations and strategies, to bring about better results for abuse victims and our communities.”
More on this and other Legislative issues can be found at Rep. McCombie’s website, repmccombie.com.