Murphy fights to lower costs for college students

• Higher education
• Schools
• students

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure Illinois college students can afford the tools they need to learn, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) has advanced legislation to create a task force dedicated to making textbooks and other course materials more affordable.

“The school year is over, and many recent high school grads are preparing for college—and the financial stresses that often come with it,” Murphy said. “It’s time to examine ways our schools can lift some of that burden for students and their families.”

The legislation would create the Course Materials Equitable Access and Affordability Study Task Force, which would research ways to save students money on course materials, examine digital learning materials in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and publish its findings online.

Using these findings, the task force would identify best practices for colleges and universities with an eye toward improving affordability, ensuring access to required course materials by the first day of class, and securing better outcomes for students—especially minority, low-income and first-generation students.

“No student should have to skip buying a textbook because they can’t afford it,” Murphy said. “This task force will ensure every college kid in Illinois can get the most out of their courses.”

House Bill 332 advanced out of the House in April and passed the Senate Tuesday without opposition.

Murphy: Transparency is the first step toward combating violence at Illinois schools

• Education
• Schools
• students

SPRINGFIELD – Following a federal report indicating bullying and violence remain significant issues at schools across the country, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is taking action to address the problem in Illinois by strengthening incident reporting requirements.

“Students deserve to feel safe at school,” Murphy said. “To root out the cause of violence between students and work against it, we need to know what we’re dealing with—stronger reporting requirements will help us understand the depth of the problem in our schools.”

Murphy’s proposal would require the Illinois State Board of Education to collect data on incidents of violence that occurred on school grounds or during school-related activities that resulted in a student’s out-of-school suspension, expulsion or removal to an alternative setting.

ISBE would be required to post the number of incidents recorded in each district on its public Illinois School Report Card website.

During the 2017-18 school year, an estimated 962,300 violent incidents occurred in U.S. public schools nationwide, according to the most recent School Survey on Crime and Safety administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Seventy-one percent of schools reported having at least one violent incident.

“Transparency is the first step toward finding a solution to violence in our classrooms,” Murphy said. “To keep our students safe, we need all available information at our disposal.”

Senate Bill 633 passed the Senate Wednesday without opposition.

Northwest Suburban communities to receive over $11 million for infrastructure

• Public safety
• Rebuild Illinois
• Capital
• Grants

DES PLAINES – Municipalities across the Northwest Suburbs will receive more than $11 million in combined Rebuild Illinois infrastructure grants in the latest round of program funding, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) announced Monday.

“Sound infrastructure is critical to our communities’ safety and success,” Murphy said. “These funds will allow our local governments to make much-needed upgrades to sidewalks, roads and bridges, making travel smoother and easier for all our residents.”

The funding is being distributed in an effort to ensure that local governments have the necessary resources to repair and maintain infrastructure, as well as create jobs and boost the economy on a local level. Cities and municipalities may choose to use the grant for road and bridge improvements, traffic signal upgrades, new storm sewers and bike paths, sidewalk replacements and other long-term maintenance needs, with financial oversight from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“Rebuild Illinois doesn’t just revitalize our infrastructure—it creates high-quality jobs right here in the community,” Murphy said. “This plan is critical to the long-term economic health of our region and of Illinois as a whole.”

This funding comes as the fourth of six rounds of grants totaling $1.5 billion through the Rebuild Illinois program. A complete list of awards is available here.

Murphy invites public airports to apply for state funding

• Rebuild Illinois
• Capital
• Coronavirus

SPRINGFIELD – The state is investing $94 million in public airports across the state through the Rebuild Illinois construction program, and State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is encouraging airports in the Northwest Suburbs to apply for a portion of the funding.

“With a post-pandemic travel boom on the horizon, it’s important that our local airports are prepared to make the most of it,” Murphy said. “These funds will allow the smaller airports in our community to make much-needed repairs, modernize their facilities and attract more passengers.”

Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the Rebuild Illinois program will provide $94 million in funding to improve public airports throughout the state. Through a competitive grant process, airports may submit project proposals for updates, improvements, and extensions of their facilities.

Airports must be for public use and included in the Illinois Aviation System Plan to be eligible for the funding. Applications are due June 14 to be eligible for grants of up to $25 million.

Two airports in the district Murphy represents are eligible to apply for funding: Schaumburg Regional Airport and Schaumburg Municipal Helistop.

Application information and a full list of eligible airports are available on IDOT’s Airport Improvement Program page. Awards are anticipated to be announced later this year.