SPRINGFIELD – To increase communication between schools and students, State Senator Laura Murphy is leading a measure to include parents in meetings regarding students being transferred to alternative schools.

“When transferred to an alternative school, students and their families are often left in the dark,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “It is essential that students and their parents know the requirements to return to the regular school when it is in their best interests. Transparency is key.”

Alternative schools are designed to educate students who have not been successful in regular schools, due to either behavioral or discipline issues. Both the sending school and the alternative school hold meetings regarding the student and establish an alternative education plan for them. Murphy’s measure would ensure that students and their parents or guardians are invited to participate in the meetings.

Before the effective date of the student’s transfer, the parents or guardians must be provided with the specific nature of the curriculum, number of students in the school, available services, disciplinary policies, typical daily schedule and extracurricular activities, under Murphy’s proposal.

“Transfers to alternative schools are meant to ensure the student is successful –they are meant to aid in educating students who are not flourishing in traditional environments,” Murphy said. “We want them to succeed – that is why it’s best to keep lines of communication open and establish expectations for the student to succeed.”

Senate Bill 183 passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. It now goes to the Senate floor for further deliberation.

SPRINGFIELD – A steadfast champion of Illinois laws to keep harmful tobacco products away from young people, State Senator Julie Morrison expanded upon her work passing a measure to ban e-cigarettes inside public places.

“A tobacco epidemic is continues in our state,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “We have made great progress, but the surge of use of e-cigarettes has threatened that progress and lured more people toward a deadly addiction.”

Passed in 2007, the Smoke Free Illinois Act prohibited smoking in public and within 15 feet of entrances, and required “no smoking” signs to be posted on the prohibited public place. However, this law took effect when people primarily smoked cigarettes and cigars.

In recent years, the use of e-cigarettes – like vapes – has increased tremendously, leading Morrison to work to add such products to the Smoke Free Illinois Act through Senate Bill 1561.

SPRINGFIELD – To end the misleading practice of fake “final notices,” State Senator Rachel Ventura advanced legislation that requires senders to clearly post the intention of their mailing.

“Far too often new home owners and seniors are the victims of fake final notices,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “We must end this dishonest business practice so that no one is tricked into purchasing goods or services they don’t need. People shouldn’t have to deal with anxiety-inducing scam letters like these.”

When someone buys a car or home in Illinois, “final notice” letters regarding warranties, protection plans and insurance are often mailed out by third parties to scam recipients into providing information or buying products under the guise of maintaining their home or vehicle.

SPRINGFIELD – To address the growing need for direct support professionals, State Senator Laura Murphy is leading legislation to provide college students with hands-on training and experience in the field.

“We are facing a crisis amongst providers to our disability community,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “It has been exacerbated post-pandemic, as we face an event greater shortage of disability workers who serve our most vulnerable community members.”

This legislation would require the Illinois Community College Board to create a model program of study for college students to receive class credit that incorporates the training and experience necessary to serve as direct support professionals. If adopted, the program would begin in the 2026-2027 academic year.

This builds upon the Murphy-supported legislation passed in the 102^nd General Assembly, which created a pilot program for high school students to train and become certified to join the existing disability specialist workforce after graduation, which began in the 2022-2023 academic year.

According to a 2022 survey of Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities members, 28% of providers are unable to accept new patients and 72% of providers have delayed service expansion due to staffing shortages.

“Many young people are passionate about disability services, but may be hesitant to start a career in this field because a lack of hands-on training,” Murphy said. “This measure would take the delay away and encourage students to pursue their goals of working as a Direct Support Professional.”

Senate Bill 1558 passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. It now goes to the Senate floor for further deliberation.

SPRINGFIELD – With the intention of expanding the civil liberties of individuals on probation, a measure to establish additional stipulations for court orders towards individuals on probation sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters passed committee on Wednesday.

“Individuals sentenced to probation should be afforded the same liberties as ordinary citizens, as long as the liberties are unrelated to the circumstances that landed them on probation,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “Alleviating restrictions on cannabis drug use under supervision for those on probation is a positive step toward true reform.”

Currently, a court can order a person on probation to refrain from using drugs, including substances such as alcohol and cannabis that are legal in Illinois.

Senate Bill 1886 stipulates a court cannot order that a person on probation, conditional discharge, or supervision refrain from having cannabis or alcohol in his or her body unless the presence of an intoxicating compound is an element of the offense charged or the person is participating in a Problem-Solving Court.

“By definition, probation means a person is released for good behavior under supervision,” said Peters. “A person who has demonstrated good behavior shouldn’t be punished for engaging in legal activities.”

Senate Bill 1886 passed the Senate Executive Committee and will now head to the Senate floor for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – On Wednesday, the House Child Care Access & Early Childhood and Senate Early Childhood Education  Committees held a joint subject matter hearing to discuss public resources that support optimal development for infants and toddlers from the prenatal period to age three. Building on the first subject matter hearing that made the case for investing in the early years, the testimony highlighted the intent of programs and services, demographics of participants, specific considerations for young children with developmental delays and disabilities and multilingual learners, gaps in services, and the expected impact of increased investments.

SPRINGFIELD – In order to protect victims of wrongful foreclosures that occurred during the COVID pandemic, State Senator Laura Murphy has introduced a bill that would seal foreclosure records that were initiated during the foreclosure moratoria.

“Many families struggled with job and income losses due to the pandemic. As a result, they fell behind on rent and mortgage payments,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “Despite the protections put in place at the state and federal level, many families wrongfully lost their homes. We need to do our part to ensure that our hardworking families do not suffer from the negative impacts of foreclosure.”

The measure would allow a mortgagor to request that foreclosure records be sealed if they were meant to be protected under the moratoria enacted by the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Corporation, the Federal Housing Administration, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

According to ATTOM, a property and real estate data platform, nationally nearly 12,000 properties had foreclosure filings in October 2020. In October 2021, one in every 1,923 homes in Illinois faced foreclosure. Chicago ranked fourth among cities with a population of at least 220,000 with one in every 2,284 homes facing foreclosure.

“Foreclosures on an individual’s record can have countless impacts, including their ability to qualify for another mortgage, which will only perpetuate the cycle started by these wrongful foreclosures,” said Murphy. “I want to protect the families of Illinois, and prevent wrongful foreclosures from sabotaging their futures.”

Senate Bill 201 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. It now goes to the Senate floor for further deliberation.

SPRINGFIELD – With the intention to expand upon domestic violence laws, State Senator Robert Peters passed a measure through committee on Wednesday to protect victims of gender-based violence.

“Current domestic violence laws unfortunately have loopholes that can cause incarcerated survivors to get their resentencing request dismissed,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “Expanding upon current domestic violence laws and including protections for victims of gender-based violence helps survivors during their fight for freedom.”

Under current law, relief from judgement following a domestic violence incident is applied when the survivor’s offense was related to having previously having been a victim of domestic violence.