Murphy urges essential workers, older residents in suburban Cook County to connect with vaccine providers via new website

• Coronavirus

DES PLAINES – To help suburban Cook County residents in Phases 1A and 1B—including health care workers, front-line essential workers and residents age 65 and older—get vaccinated against COVID-19, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is spreading the word about Cook County’s new vaccine distribution website.

“The vaccine is a critical defense against the COVID-19 virus, both for individuals and for our community,” Murphy said. “The more people who get the vaccine, the closer we are to a full recovery.”

The Cook County Department of Public Health launched the COVID-19 Community Vaccination Program to begin vaccinating individuals in Phase 1B of Illinois’ vaccine distribution plan.

Residents of suburban Cook County who think they are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1A or 1B are encouraged to visit https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov/ and enter their information to be connected with a vaccine provider. Those without access to the internet can reach the Call Center 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-833-308-1988.

Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan prioritized health care workers. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Phase 1B comprises residents over age 65 and front-line essential workers who carry a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure because they are unable to work from home or their work does not allow for safe social distancing. This includes:

• First responders
• Teachers, principals, classroom aides and other school staff
• Food and agriculture workers
• Manufacturing workers
• Corrections officers and inmates
• Postal workers
• Public transit workers
• Grocery store workers
• Shelters and day care staff

Given data showing people of color die of COVID-19 at younger ages, Illinois lowered the CDC-recommended age eligibility by 10 years, from age 75 to age 65, to provide more equitable vaccine access to older Illinoisans.

Illinois has 1.3 million people who qualify as front-line essential workers and 1.9 million adults age 65 and over, totaling an estimated 3.2 million Illinoisans eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1B.

Murphy: No plans to slow down in second term as state senator

SPRINGFIELD – Improving the state’s educational resources, restoring the public’s trust in government and fighting for middle-class families remain priorities for State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines), who was sworn in to her second full term Wednesday, Jan. 13 at the Capitol.

“I’m honored to have the confidence of the people of the 28th District, and I pledge to continue representing them faithfully in the Illinois Senate,” Murphy said. “Over the past five years, I’ve made it my mission to push for government transparency and accountability, affordable education for all, and better support for working families in Illinois—and I have no plans to slow down.”

Murphy was appointed to the Illinois State Senate in 2015 and stood for election in 2016 and 2020. The 28th Senate District neighbors O’Hare International Airport and includes all or parts of Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Roselle and Schaumburg.

In 2020, she was appointed Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.

“Working in the General Assembly means engaging in conversations and negotiations with my fellow lawmakers to come up with solutions we can all stand behind,” Murphy said. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue this work and make sure the Illinois government is truly serving the people of this great state.”

Murphy spearheads COVID-19 relief extension package

• Local government
• Coronavirus
• Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure Illinoisans experience no gap in support during the continued COVID-19 crisis, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is sponsoring a bill to extend a number of state pandemic relief provisions put in place by the General Assembly last May.

“With the vaccine distribution process now underway, there is a light at the end of the tunnel—but the pandemic is by no means behind us, and many Illinoisans are still struggling,” Murphy said. “This bill allows Illinoisans to continue to depend on the relief measures already in place for as long as they are needed.”

The bill allows the secretary of state to delay expiration dates on driver’s licenses and other permits, and gives the Illinois State Police the authority to keep FOID and CCL cards active and valid during the renewal process. Under the legislation, minors under age 16 can also apply for and be issued work permits via a remote application process.

Additionally, the bill contains a provision to ensure state government remains functioning during times of emergency by enabling the General Assembly, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability and the Legislative Audit Commission to convene remotely during a pandemic or threat of attack.

The bill also extends operation of 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 has made significant progress in ensuring the public has access to state economic relief programs,” said Murphy, the Senate co-chair of the commission. “Over the next few weeks and months, I look forward to working with the executive branch to make sure the people of Illinois are heard when decisions are being made.”

The bill also looks ahead to life after COVID-19. To ensure Illinoisans are prepared to reenter the post-pandemic workforce, the legislation creates a 27-member task force to identify and assess the future of employment in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to recommend programs and supports to help workers adapt to predicted changes in the job market.

Other provisions automatically extend property tax exemptions for people with disabilities, veterans with disabilities and older adults; give local governments more time to complete grant projects; and extend the deadline for local governments to submit pandemic-related expenditures for reimbursement under the Local CURE program.

House Bill 3469 passed the Senate and now heads to the House.

Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission looks ahead to 2021

• Transparency
• Government accountability
• Coronavirus
• Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission

SPRINGFIELD – Members of the bipartisan, bicameral Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission met Tuesday to discuss the commission’s accomplishments and future goals during its final meeting of 2020.

“The RICC was created to help shape the state’s economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 crisis,” said State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines), the Senate co-chair of the commission. “We’ve made progress in adapting our recovery strategy to the needs of people, businesses and communities across the state, but there’s much more work to be done."

Representatives from Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Preparedness and Response joined Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the state’s vaccine distribution plan. The commission has met with IDPH several times this year to assess the state’s public health decisions and monitor testing and contact tracing efforts.

Since July, the commission has been joined by representatives from a variety of state agencies to ask questions and offer feedback to help advance the state’s recovery.

Following an August meeting with a panel of school superintendents from across the state, the commission helped procure more concrete public health guidance and metrics for schools as they prepared to begin a new school year during the pandemic. The commission then checked in with the Illinois State Board of Education in October to ensure teachers and students had the support they needed to overcome remote learning challenges.

Representatives from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, as well as local government, labor and business leaders, have also joined the commission over the past five months to provide updates on their agencies’ parts in the state’s recovery.

The commission is set to dissolve at the end of the year, but members are optimistic that the operation of the commission will be extended when the General Assembly reconvenes for the spring legislative session.

“I’m proud of everything the commission has been able to accomplish this year, but to truly put our state on track to recovery, the executive and legislative branches must work together,” Murphy said. “In 2021, I look forward to offering more than just feedback on the governor’s decisions regarding our recovery—it’s time lawmakers are at the table when those decisions are being made.”