Chambana Sun

In a Jan. 18 Facebook post, Rep. Dan Caulkins shared The Accident and Crisis Victims Privacy Protection Act.

“Victims of crime, accidents, and other crises deserve privacy and respect,” he wrote on Facebook. “Violating the privacy of the victims involved in these types of incidents causes them and their loved ones undue trauma.”

Many law-abiding Texans also feel their state’s government is overreaching as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he wanted data from the Texas Department of Public Safety to identify transgender individuals in the state, Rolling Stone reported.

Caulkins was first elected to the Illinois House in 2018. A Republican, their legislative experience includes serving on the Public Utilities and Prescription Drug Affordability. Caulkins is a state representative who resides in Decatur, according to the Illinois House.

“Today’s story out of Texas is chilling,” Human Rights Campaign Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone. “Weaponizing state agencies and their public records to pinpoint and single out transgender Texans is terrifying, albeit not shocking. Throughout 2022, Attorney General Paxton, along with Governor Abbott, has stopped at nothing to attack the very existence of transgender youth and adults. This development shows how far they’re willing to go in discriminating against transgender people.”  

Also known as House Bill 1136, The Accident and Crisis Victims Privacy Protection Act makes sharing information about victims of crimes, crashes, or accidents before members of the victims' immediate families are notified of the incident. This means that if law enforcement or first responders disseminate information about a crash or crime or accident before all victims' families are notified, they could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. Exempt the dissemination of information that does not include images or names of victims to alert the public to avoid a crime, crash, or accident scene. Provides that a violation is a Class A misdemeanor. Defines terms. Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Accident and Crisis Victims Privacy Protection Act

The American Academy of Family Physicians noted that gun violence should be considered a public health epidemic. Stanford University wrote that studies showed states with tighter policies save lives.

Caulkins expanded his statement in a press release on his official State Representative web page. “This proposal is about affording victims and their families the same considerations we would want if it were us involved in a tragedy. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this necessary change," Caulkins explained.

Pew Research reported that approximately 48% of Americans feel that gun violence is a major issue.

When law enforcement or first responders share information that doesn't include images or names of victims before all family members are notified, especially for the purpose of notifying the public that an accident happened or to avoid a crash scene, that is not a Class A Misdemeanor, according to the text of the bill as submitted by Caulkins.