Murphy: Vehicle owners deserve to be told if their car will be towed

SPRINGFIELD –In efforts to provide an additional level of protection to renters who pay for parking, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is sponsoring a new measure which would require property seeking to tow their vehicles provide a personal notice to residents before removing their vehicle.

“Towing a resident’s car without their knowledge creates many issues for the car owner—finding the money to get the car back, finding alternative transportation to work, running late for work and many other issues,” Murphy said. “We must ensure that car owners are receiving appropriate notice before their car is towed.”

Under current law, property owners are required to provide written instructions before towing vehicles. However, distributing only physical warnings causes many residents who may not be able to physically receive mail to miss the notice, leaving them to deal with the cost to get their car back. In one such instance, a resident in the district Senator Murphy represents was out of town and could not receive the written notice, and came back to find their vehicles were taken to a storage facility without their knowledge. One of which was sold at auction and demolished. After hearing from this constituent, the Senator wanted to modernize this law to ensure there is clear communication between property and vehicle owners in the event of a vehicle being towed and prevent similar situations from happening.

Murphy’s measure would require property owners to provide notice and ensure the notice was received by the lessor when there is an established agreement for parkings. This means property owners are required to, at a minimum, contact the vehicle owner via a telephone call, text message, or an email to the address or number provided by the vehicle owner at least three hours before the vehicle is towed.

“Having your car towed can be extremely inconvenient, costly and frustrating,” Murphy said. “I know most residents would do anything they can to prevent it from happening. This bill will make sure property owners actually make contact with a vehicle owner before towing their vehicle without their knowledge, so that residents have all the information they need to act if their car is at risk of being towed.”

Senate Bill 3629 passed the Senate on Wednesday with bipartisan support. It now goes to the House for further consideration.

Murphy celebrates the foundation of the Illinois Assyrian Caucus

SPRINGFIELD –State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) was proud to stand with her colleagues to announce the founding of the Illinois Assyrian Caucus at a press conference on Wednesday, as well as her role as a founding member the group.

“The district I represent is strengthened by its diverse population, including a large community of Assyrian immigrants” Murphy said. “Forming this caucus will help us highlight issues that are concerning to the Assyrian-American community and represent them like they deserve.”

Assyrians are a transnational ethnic group indigenous to parts of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. Over 80,000 Assyrian-Americans live in Illinois, and they have formed vibrant cultural communities throughout the state. To ensure this community is represented best in government, Murphy and her colleagues formed the Assyrian caucus.

The group is made up of eighteen founding members with bipartisan support and is committed to learn about the challenges Assyrian-Americans face to better address these issues through their work as Senators. Senator Murphy is hopeful that this caucus will give Assyrian-Americans a greater voice in state government.

“For a community that has been historically oppressed, it is especially important to make sure they are being heard moving forward and that’s being reflected in our initiatives,” Murphy said. “I want to make sure that everyone in my district feels welcome and represented by their government.”

Senator Murphy and the rest of the Assyrian caucus look forward to supporting Assyrian-American interests as the legislative session continues.

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Senator Murphy on Madigan indictment: We must root out corruption in state government

SPRINGFIELD –Following the indictment of former Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) released the following statement:

“These allegations are disheartening. Behavior like this will not be tolerated in the legislature. As a Senator, I take my oath to public service and ethical conduct seriously. Members of the General Assembly are held to a higher standard and we must continue to work together to root out corruption so we can begin to restore the public’s trust in government.”