DES PLAINES – Residents will be able to learn more about the property tax appeal process and how to lower their property tax bill at an upcoming workshop co-hosted by State Senator Laura Murphy.

Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas will lead the seminar, which will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Township of Schaumburg Gymnasium, located at 1 Illinois Blvd. in Hoffman Estates.

"Property taxes can be a source of stress for many, but residents don’t need to handle the appeals process alone,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “This event will ensure residents of Schaumburg have access to the resources they need to address their property tax concerns."

Analysts will be available to answer questions after a brief presentation. Interested residents will need to bring either their second installment property tax bill or property tax index number.

SPRINGFIELD – Accountability, transparency, restoring public trust, and fighting for middle-class families remain top priorities for State Senator Laura Murphy, who was sworn in to her third full term Wednesday at the Old State Capitol.

“It has been my mission during the last seven years to champion government transparency and accountability, affordable education for all, and better support for working families in Illinois,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “I am honored to have the continued support of the people of the 28th District—I pledge to diligently represent them faithfully in the Illinois Senate.”

Murphy was appointed to the Illinois State Senate in 2015 and stood for election in 2016, 2020 and 2022. 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.

“I will continue to do the best I can to work with my colleagues in the General Assembly to develop solutions for the issues that are most important to my community,” Murphy said. “I am proud to continue to serve the people of Illinois, and to have the opportunity to ensure the Illinois government is serving the people of this great state.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy supported a measure Monday that protects the fundamental right in Illinois for people to make their own health care choices, and provide privacy and protections for individuals who seek reproductive health care in Illinois.

“Everyone deserves to have access to safe and legal reproductive health care,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “We must preserve the right of women and the professionals who perform these services.”

Through House Bill 4664 many avenues of protecting choice are enshrined, including in vitro fertilization, creating grants to provide abortion training, clarifying advance practice nurses can perform abortions, and more.

Illinois residents and health care providers will not be penalized for providing or utilizing care that is illegal in other states but legal in Illinois.

“This blanket protection for reproductive health care ensures that Illinois remains a step ahead of states trying to outlaw such care,” said Murphy. “Women have the fundamental right to make their own health care decisions, and should not be punished due to restrictive, overarching laws.”

House Bill 4664 passed the Senate Monday and will head to the House for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – Just six months after a gunman opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in nearby Highland Park – killing seven and injuring dozens more – State Senator Laura Murphy voted in support of banning assault weapons in Illinois.

“I have always supported commonsense gun laws aimed at keeping dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “By banning the future sale of assault weapons, Illinois takes a step forward in preventing further gun-related violence which threatens our most fundamental human right, the right to life.”

In response to the Highland Park shooting and other mass shootings across the nation, Murphy supported Senate Bill 5471. The measure bans assault weapons and high-capacity magazines from being sold in Illinois.
The 4th of July shooting punctuated a six-week period in which mass shooters using semi-automatic weapons killed more than 40 people in Buffalo, Uvalde, Texas, Tulsa and Highland Park combined.

Studies show that approximately one-third of public mass shooting events include the use of an assault weapon, and nearly 40% involve a high-capacity magazine. When an assault weapon and/or a high-capacity magazine is used in a public mass shooting, nearly 14 times as many people are injured, and twice as many people are killed. Not only are there more injuries when assault weapons are used, but the types of injuries are far worse.

“We know that no amount of regulation can ensure we prevent these senseless killings, but each time we limit the ability for a dangerous person to access a firearm, we potentially save a life,” said Murphy. “In addition, the measure protects the rights of every law-abiding gun owner.”

House Bill 5471passed the Senate Monday and will head to the House for further consideration.