Murphy commends support for working families in new state budget

• Budget
• Education
• School funding
• Higher education
• Coronavirus
• Small businesses
• Unemployment

SPRINGFIELD – As the state begins a staggered reopening process during the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) was glad to see funding set aside for businesses affected by closures in this year’s state budget, signed into law today.

“Our small businesses not only create jobs and stimulate the local economy—they make our communities unique,” said Murphy. “It’s important that we support them as they reopen after weeks of pandemic-related closures and begin the tough recovery process.”

The state budget for the 2021 fiscal year sets aside more than $600 million in funding for businesses impacted by COVID-19. Specific funds have been allocated for daycare providers and businesses in underserved communities.

To help workers get back on their feet until businesses can reopen, the Department of Employment Security will receive nearly $60 million in additional funding to help address challenges with the unemployment system.

Murphy also highlighted features of the budget that aim to support middle class Illinoisans more broadly, like the preservation of funding for K-12 and higher education, as well as an $871.8 million increase in funding to human services agencies providing aid to seniors, children and families across the state.

“Illinois unemployment is at a record high, but I hope these funds will give business owners, workers and their families the support they need to recover from pandemic-related losses as our state begins to reopen,” said Murphy.

The budget is contained in Senate Bill 264. The governor signed it into law Wednesday, and it takes effect July 1.

Murphy urges Illinoisans to apply for IT career training programs

• apply now
• Unemployment

DES PLAINES – With millions of Illinoisans out of work due to the COVID-19 outbreak, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) encourages residents to take advantage of a new online career training program for jobs in the information technology industry.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit our workforce particularly hard,” said Murphy. “As the state begins to recover, the Workforce Recovery Initiative could help Illinoisans return to the job market with new, in-demand skills and find a great career.”

Partnering with Coursera, an online learning platform, Illinois is one of the first states to make online job training courses free to residents through their Workforce Recovery Initiative. Now through September residents can apply online to enroll in over 3,800 industry-certified courses offered by accredited institutions. To receive credit, all courses must be completed by Dec. 31.

If you are interested in career opportunities outside the information technology industry, Get Hired Illinois is an online job portal that has over 60,000 listings available in a variety of industries.

Murphy law gives local governments the tools to begin COVID-19 recovery

• Local government
• Coronavirus

SPRINGFIELD – As communities across the state begin to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, local governments will have help addressing pandemic-related challenges under a new law sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines).

“For the past few months, local governments have been at the forefront of our COVID-19 containment efforts, managing regional health departments and providing financial, housing and meal assistance to their struggling communities,” said Murphy. “As the state begins to recover, they will need guidance and flexibility to continue that important work.”

House Bill 2096 is a package of legislation which:

• Grants townships the option to postpone their annual meetings during a disaster declaration enacted by the governor;
• Clarifies that townships should not count federal stimulus payments toward earned income in determining individuals’ eligibility for General Assistance programs;
• Exempts low-income students from non-resident library card fees to give all students access to library resources, including e-books and online periodicals;
• Allows school construction bids to be conducted electronically to enable bid discussions to continue during the COVID-19 emergency; and
• Authorizes the Housing Authority of Cook County to enter business arrangements with developers to provide safe and stable housing for low- and middle-income suburban families.

Murphy worked with a bipartisan group of Illinois senators to find solutions to the problems facing local governments as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, with input from the Township Officials of Illinois, the Illinois Municipal League and other stakeholders.

“These measures lend a hand to local governments as they guide our communities through these challenging times,” said Murphy. “I hope this legislation helps address the most pressing issues facing our towns and cities during the pandemic.”

House Bill 2096 was signed into law Friday.

High school students inspire legislation to waive library card fees for students in unincorporated areas

• Library
• students
• Local government
• Coronavirus

DES PLAINES – When Daniel Salgado-Alvarez tried to visit his local library to find new reading material during summer break, he was told he’d have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees to check out a book. Stories like Daniel’s motivated State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) to sponsor the Cards 4 Kids Act, which allows low-income students in unincorporated areas to access the resources at their local library without paying nonresident fees.

“During summer break, I couldn’t go to my school’s library, and I couldn’t go to the public one either, because I couldn’t check anything out,” said Daniel. “I wanted to fix that.”

Currently, students living in unincorporated areas are required to pay a fee for a library card from their closest public library. However, students from unincorporated areas tend to come from low-income backgrounds and often can't afford them.

“Especially with schools closed, kids deserve access to the e-books, periodicals and other online resources our libraries have to offer,” said Murphy. “Our students shouldn’t have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees to stay engaged in education while they’re outside the classroom.”

As an upperclassman at Elk Grove High School, Daniel joined classmates Robert Demonte and Linda Puentes to advocate for the Cards 4 Kids Act. Daniel, a resident of Oasis Mobile Home Park in unincorporated Des Plaines, became interested in the project after having been involved in efforts to bring books to mobile home parks in his area over the summer, when school libraries are closed.

Daniel, Robert and Linda approached Murphy with the idea for the Cards 4 Kids Act as part of a project for Robert and Linda’s Sophomore Leadership Class program. Robert says instructor Jim Arey taught the class about inequity in their community, which inspired him to come up with the Cards 4 Kids Act.

“There are kids at our very own school that aren’t getting the same access as the rest of our students. That really just irritated me,” Robert said. “I feel that all students should have equal access and opportunities.”

Arey said the students presented their initiative to the District 214 Executive Board, but administrators were unable to get traction with the local library board. That’s when Arey connected them with Murphy, who brought their idea to the General Assembly.

Murphy’s bill aims to extend library privileges to children residing outside of the municipality in which their local library is located. Students in these areas who meet the poverty income guideline would no longer have to pay a non-resident fee for a library card.

Daniel, who plans to attend Harvard University in the fall, says he hopes the Cards 4 Kids Act will help more kids take advantage of the many helpful services public libraries have to offer.

“Right now, a lot of students have to pay fees that are pretty expensive, especially if you’re living in a mobile home or are living under the poverty line,” said Daniel. “I think it will allow kids to actually have those options and opportunities.”

With schools closed to the COVID-19 outbreak, Murphy says the Cards 4 Kids Act has taken on special urgency.

“Daniel, Robert and Linda showed me that our public libraries provide so many important services—not just books, but also job and college application tools—which could be particularly useful to kids when teachers and guidance counselors are harder to reach,” said Murphy. “But these services have been inaccessible to many kids in Illinois. After speaking to these brilliant and hardworking students, I knew that needed to change.”

House Bill 2096, a local government package which contains the Cards 4 Kids Act, passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support and now awaits the governor’s signature.