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Sheriff's office says Sonya Massey law not yet in effect; staff report existing background checks largely comply
Summary
At the Oct. 21 DuPage County Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting Chief Bilodeau said the Sonya Massey law does not take effect until Jan. 1, 2026, and that the sheriff's office’s current background investigation practices already meet or exceed the law’s requirements, though out-of-state employer cooperation may be limited.
During old-business on Oct. 21 the DuPage County Judicial and Public Safety Committee received an update on implementation of the Sonya Massey law.
Chief Bilodeau, Sheriff's Office, told the committee the law “does not take effect until 01/01/2026. The law is not in effect as of yet.” He said the sheriff's office’s background investigations are already “incredibly robust” and that many current practices “far exceeded all of the requirements of this law.”
Bilodeau said the sheriff’s office regularly requests records from prior employers and that, under the new law, those employers are required to respond, but he warned there are practical limits when prior employers are outside Illinois. “The board needs to be aware that there's no real strength for any outside state employers,” he said, explaining that the county could not compel an employer in Wisconsin to provide information.
He described training from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board indicating that, if an employer does not comply after the statutory waiting periods, compelling compliance could require court action and would become a matter for the state's attorney. “The really only solid way to gain compliance from any employer who doesn't comply after 14 days and then another 14 day waiting period would be to compel them through the courts,” Bilodeau said.
No changes to sheriff’s office policy were proposed at the meeting; Bilodeau told the committee he did not anticipate immediate issues with compliance when the law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
