South West Illinois News

State Representative David Friess urged the Senate to take up a bill that would criminalize sexual relationships between teachers and students over the age of 18, saying, "all students deserve to learn in a safe environment, regardless of age." Friess made the statement in a June 18 Facebook post.

"All students deserve to learn in a safe environment, regardless of age," said Friess, according to Facebook. "The Senate should take up HB 4241 as soon as possible to protect Illinois students from sexual abuse."

In his Facebook post, Rep. Friess shared a link to a WANDTV report on House Bill 4241, which would expand protections for students against teacher and staff sexual conduct for youths 17 years of age and younger to cover youths aged 18 to 23 years old as well. According to WANDTV, the bill passed the Illinois State House of Representatives in a unanimous vote on April 19.

Screenshot of Rep. David Friess' June 18 Facebook post | Rep. David Friess' Facebook page

According to the Illinois General Assembly’s website focused on the bill, House Bill 4241 has been referred to the Assignments committee as of April 24. In that chamber, Sen. Erica Harriss is the chief senate sponsor, with Sen. Terri Bryant named as alternate chief sponsor. The bill would apply to students 18 and over and a person of authority who is at least four years older than the student if that person of authority commits an act of sexual conduct with the student.

The bill states that the first offense is a Class A misdemeanor, while the second offense is a Class 4 felony for a second or subsequent event or if there is more than one victim. If the incident includes sexual penetration, it is classified as a Class 4 felony for the first offense and a Class 3 felony for a second offense or if there is more than one victim.

David Friess was born and raised in Illinois. He enlisted in the US Air Force after graduating from high school and served as an aircraft mechanic during his active duty time. Later, he joined the Air Force Reserve as a flight engineer, deploying during Desert Storm. He returned to college and earned a degree in criminal justice from Mercer University, then obtained a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School, according to his official biography. Friess and his wife live in Red Bud.