SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — A new bill in the Illinois legislature would abolish life sentences for criminals who were under the age of 21 when they were sentenced.

Last year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law that takes effect on January 1st, 2024, that would make it impossible for young offenders to be given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The new measure, Senate Bill 2073, would retroactively extend that protection to anyone currently incarcerated who was sentenced before they turned 21 years old.

Sen. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett) introduced the bill, saying, “The 3,251 current inmates who were sentenced prior to June 1, 2019, or Jan. 1, 2024, should have the [same] opportunity. That is the essence of this bill.”

The new law allows for anyone sentenced to life in prison to be eligible for parole after they have served 40 years.

Jennifer Bishop-Jenkin, who advocates with Marsy’s Law of Illinois, testified that the bill doesn’t ensure that victims or their families will be notified when the person convicted of the crime becomes eligible for parole.

“You have to make sure that everybody that’s going to be affected is found and notified and heard from,” she said, according to the Bellview News-Democrat.

The bill passed out of committee and awaits action from the full House.