Murphy advances initiative promoting campus mental health

• Education
• Human Services
• Higher education
• Mental Health
• Schools
• students

SPRINGFIELD – To provide targeted support to college students and staff in Illinois, an initiative sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) to create an online resource hub geared toward campus mental health passed the Senate Wednesday.

“The challenges of higher education can take a toll on the entire campus community,” Murphy said. “This initiative would provide students and professors alike an easy-to-access website listing all available resources to help manage stress, anxiety and depression.”

The legislation would require the Department of Human Services to maintain a page on its website with mental health resources specifically tailored to post-secondary education institutions, their staff, students and families.

Currently, DHS provides digital brochures and links on its website of helpful tools for those who may be dealing with a mental health concern. However, the website does not contain provisions directly targeted to post-secondary education and its communities.

“Balancing classes, exams, extracurricular activities and home life can sometimes feel overwhelming,” Murphy said. “It’s critical that our campus communities know there are resources available to help support them through these hardships and come out stronger.”

Senate Bill 1786 passed the Senate and now heads to the House.

Murphy: Reinstated commission would help guide Illinois to a full recovery

• Transparency
• Government accountability
• Small businesses
• Unemployment
• Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission

SPRINGFIELD – With the vaccine effort underway but COVID-19 cases still on the rise, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) advanced a measure out of the Senate Wednesday to give the legislature a voice in the reopening process by reinstating the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission.

“When the state was first grappling with the pandemic, the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission gave lawmakers the chance to offer input and communicate feedback from their constituents,” Murphy said. “Our work isn’t over yet. It’s time to reinstate the commission so we can help guide Illinois to a full recovery.”

Murphy’s proposal would reenact the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission, a bipartisan, bicameral commission created last May to monitor and help shape the state’s economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 crisis.

The commission met from July through December 2020, joined by representatives from a variety of state agencies to ask questions and offer feedback to help advance the state’s recovery.

The commission originally sunset on Dec. 31, 2020, but in light of the continuing challenges of the pandemic, Murphy’s initiative would extend the operation of the commission by two years to Jan. 1, 2023.

“Over a quarter of Illinoisans are fully vaccinated, but the recent rise in positivity rates is a reminder that we aren’t out of the woods yet,” Murphy said. “It’s critical that legislators have a say in all decisions being made as our state moves forward.”

Senate Bill 632 passed the Senate and now heads to the House.

More Illinoisans would qualify for property tax relief under Murphy plan

• Seniors
• Property tax
• Taxes

SPRINGFIELD – To reduce property tax burdens for more Illinois homeowners, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) advanced a measure out of the Senate Wednesday to raise the maximum income limitations for the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral and the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption.

“The past year was particularly hard on older Illinoisans, and as a result, many are struggling to make ends meet,” Murphy said. “Expanding eligibility for the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral and the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption can help lift some of that burden.”

Starting this year, Murphy’s measure would raise the maximum income limitation for the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption from $65,000 to $75,000 for Illinoisans 65 and older living outside Cook County. Starting next year, the new, higher limit would apply statewide.

The legislation would also raise the income limit for the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Act, bringing it in line with the homestead exemption to simplify the process for low- and moderate-income older residents seeking relief.

“Homeowners shouldn’t have to wade through complicated income tables and eligibility requirements to find out if they qualify for relief. This legislation brings the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral and the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption in line with each other to simplify the process,” Murphy said.

Senate Bill 2244 passed the Senate and now heads to the House.

Murphy plan would help schools offer more affordable textbooks

• Education
• Student loans
• Higher education
• Schools
• students

SPRINGFIELD – As college-bound seniors receive their acceptance letters and prepare for the fall semester, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is seeking to create a task force dedicated to making textbooks and other course materials more affordable.

“After a year of remote learning and working, we have all become more familiar with the advantages of digital resources like e-books,” Murphy said. “As we look ahead to recovery, it’s important that we find out how these resources can supplement current initiatives like subscription and rental programs to help reduce the financial burden on college 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.

“For working families, the cost of course materials—on top of tuition and other fees—can be a barrier to higher education,” Murphy said. “This task force can help schools make sure they are offering convenient, accessible and affordable ways for students to get the supplies they need to learn.”

Senate Bill 101 passed the Senate Wednesday and now heads to the House.