SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KMOX) — The Illinois House approved a bill Wednesday that would lower the age at which children may be left home alone without adult supervision.
If passed by the Illinois Senate and governor, the amendment to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 will lower the ‘home-alone’ age from 14 to 12.
Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) introduced HB 2334 in February and received bipartisan support for the change. The bill was passed in the House by a 111 to 1 vote.
"This empowers parents and really allows parents not to be caught in a situation where maybe their child left school, is home by themselves for 45 minutes before mom and dad get home, and they could potentially be charged under current state if their child is 13 years of age," Sosnowski told KMOX.
The bill also redefines child abandonment as leaving a child under the age of 13 without supervision by a responsible person over the age of 14 for a period of 24 hours or longer.
"We're the only state in the nation that sets a home alone, or babysitting age at 14 and over. So this would seek to bring us more in line with what other states allow in regards to a child being home alone, again at the parents’ discretion,” Sosnowski said.
Five states in the nation lack laws on this topic, however, the ones with statutes vary greatly. In Kansas, a child may be 6 years old and left home alone, although the average age across the nation is 10, according to a release from Sosnowski’s office.