The Illinois legislature has sent the governor legislation restricting the use of automated license plate readers by law enforcement for the purpose of extraditing citizens of other states seeking abortions in Illinois.
Illinois House Bill 3326, which amends the Illinois Vehicle Code, was sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) to sign Wednesday.
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"Under this bill, information from automated license plate readers can’t be used to track individuals seeking abortion care," Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias tweeted.
????NEWS: #HB3326 passed the Senate today and will be sent to the governor! Under this bill, information from automated license plate readers can’t be used to track individuals seeking abortion care or criminalizing a person’s immigration status. #ILSOS pic.twitter.com/zQB6S4rAqc
— Secretary Alexi Giannoulias (@ILSecOfState) May 24, 2023
The legislation prohibits the use of automated license plate readers for accessing or sharing information “to any state for the purpose of investigating or enforcing a law” that either “denies or interferes with a person's right to choose or obtain reproductive health care services” or “permits the detention or investigation of a person based on the person's immigration status.”
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Privacy advocates have warned that the proliferation of automated license plate readers and other surveillance equipment in recent years could be weaponized by law enforcement to target those seeking abortions by means of monitoring vehicles near abortion clinics and other similar activities.
Democratic state Rep. Ann Williams, the lead House sponsor of the bill, thanked Giannoulias on Wednesday for his “hard work and commitment to reproductive health.”