SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy joined the rally to Fight for Illinois Families on Friday to speak about the importance of the SAFER Communities Act.

“This bill gives individuals reentering society the opportunity to secure a stable job so they can take care of their families,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “It’s possible to decrease the rate of recidivism by providing incentives to businesses to hire formerly incarcerated individuals.”

Murphy’s measure – the SAFER Communities Act – would task the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity with creating a program that would help formerly incarcerated individuals gain reliable employment. Additionally the program would provide tax credits to employers who hire program participants, with a greater amount offered to small businesses.

Grants would be provided to help reduce barriers including, but not limited to, transportation, housing and childcare for participants, as often times they can serve as an insurmountable obstacle for many.

“The small businesses of Illinois are in need of workers, and we have the employees ready to work,” Murphy said. “It's a great partnership!”

House Bill 3418 is set to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

New Illinois program would place a refundable deposit on beverage containers at the point of sale

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate Executive Committee held a hearing today on Sen. Laura Murphy’s (D-Des Plaines) bill to create a beverage container recycling refund program in Illinois that would place a refundable deposit on beverage containers at the point of sale. The refundable deposit would be 10 cents for containers 24 ounces or less, and 15 cents for containers more than 24 ounces. Once consumers are done with the beverage, they return the container to get their refund.

Currently, 10 states have beverage container recycling refund programs, and those states consistently see higher beverage container recycling rates than states without such programs. This bill would make Illinois the first state in decades to create a new recycling refund program, giving the state the benefit of incorporating lessons learned from programs in other states and around the world.

“Beverage container recycling refund programs have a proven track record of success and creating these incentives for consumers to recycle is effective,” said Sen. Murphy, a member of the Executive Committee. “The system proposed in my bill would be fiscally self-sustaining, while immediately reducing litter, cutting carbon emissions, and saving costs on trash cleanup in communities across the state. Today’s hearing is a major step toward getting this bill passed by the legislature.”

SPRINGFIELD – In order to protect the freedom of allowing people to read, State Senator Laura Murphy championed legislation to prevent the banning of books.

“The First Amendment protects more than just our right to speak, it includes the right to access resources from libraries that are free from censorship driven by partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “These coordinated campaigns to censor books stand as a direct affront to the principles our country was founded upon.”

Under this measure, a library or library system must adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights or develop a written statement prohibiting the practice of banning books or materials in order to be eligible for state grants.

Nationally, the number of attempts to ban books has been rising, with 681 attempts involving more than 1,600 titles throughout the U.S. in 2021, according to the ALA. Seven states have passed laws to impose restrictions on libraries, including Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida and Utah. If passed, Illinois would become the first state in the nation to ensure intellectual freedom for all across the state.

“Our libraries are an invaluable resource for our communities. They offer so much more than just books, including community services, classes, and resources,” Murphy said. “Attacks on libraries start with banning books, but it can escalate into something so much worse.”

House Bill 2789 passed the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday. It now goes to the Senate floor for further deliberation.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy passed a measure through the Senate that would ensure that Illinoisans in need of insulin have affordable access to the life-saving medicine by capping the price at $35.

“Too many lives have been lost because they could not afford the rising costs of insulin,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “No family should need to choose between purchasing medication or putting food on their table.”

In addition to capping the price of insulin, Murphy’s measure would require the Department of Public Health to establish an insulin discount program. The program would allow participants to purchase insulin at a discounted rate.

Approximately 1.3 million Illinoisans have insulin-dependent diabetes. Insulin prices have continued to increase since the early 2000s, leaving many people to forgo the life-saving medication.

“Life-saving maintenance medications like insulin are taken for a lifetime, and they should be affordable to everyone who needs them,” said Murphy.

Senate Bill 1559 passed the Senate and now heads to the House for further deliberation.