SPRINGFIELD – In response to recent allegations of sexual misconduct in state government, the Illinois Senate has passed several legislative measures to combat the problem. These measures would clarify the complaint process, improve training, extend the statute of limitations on complaints that have not been investigated, improve oversight investigations and establish a task force to investigate future legislative fixes.

State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, has signed on as a co-sponsor of measures to address this problem. He released the following statement:

“Sexual harassment has been impacting our society for a long time. The brave women and men who have recently come forward to share their stories have brought light to this dark issue that needs to be addressed.

“These allegations reveal a toxic atmosphere that must be fixed as soon as possible. The speed and bipartisanship of the legislature in addressing this problem gives me hope that a culture change is possible. The package of legislative measures represents a good first step, and the sexual harassment task prevention task force will investigate what can be done to support these efforts in the future.

“My hope is that the swift action that we’re taking here in the Senate allows for victims to speak out.”