State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) championed legislation to support the United States’ priority to bring every fallen service member home.

“I believe that returning fallen soldiers to their families is incredibly important,” Murphy said. “These men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and should be returned to their families if possible.”

An estimated 83,000 American service members are currently considered missing in action. Soldiers that do not return home are classified as Prisoners of War, Missing in Action or Died in Captivity.

The legislation also urges Congress to reestablish the select committee on POW/MIA affairs to investigate the process of recovering fallen United States service members.
“I hope that by urging Congress to prioritize bringing our troops home, more families who have lost loved ones will find closure,” said Murphy.

Murphy also co-sponsored a Senate resolution to encourage Illinois communities to participate in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundations’ “Wall of Faces” project. This project seeks to locate photos of service members who died in action or went missing during the Vietnam War. The photos for 479 Illinois soldiers have not yet been recovered.

Senate overrides governor’s veto of Debt Transparency Act 

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) issued the following statement on the Senate’s motion to override the governor’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act, HB 3649:

“The governor’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act is illogical and irresponsible. This is commonsense legislation to provide the Comptroller with more accurate information on State agencies’ liabilities and estimated interest penalties. Coming out of a two-year budget impasse, the Comptroller’s office needs this information to better manage state payments.”

Murphy cosponsored HB 3649.

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State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of a suite of legislation to address sexual harassment in Illinois politics:

“Requiring sexual harassment awareness training and empowering the Legislative Ethics Commission are great first steps, but they do not go nearly far enough. We should have voted on a comprehensive solution instead of rushing this legislation through.

“The issue of sexual harassment in Illinois politics is serious and requires careful consideration. That’s why I urged the leaders to slow the process down so that we could hold hearings and holistically address the issue. I look forward to working with my colleagues on additional legislation to address this issue.”

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Senate overrides governor’s veto of SB 1351

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) issued the following statement on the Senate’s override of the governor’s veto of legislation barring loan servicers from participating in any unfair or deceptive practices toward borrowers or cosigners:

“This is an important step to protect students and student loan cosigners from the predatory practices of loan service providers. There is undoubtedly more work to be done to address the issue of student loans and student loan debt. I will continue to work with my colleagues to address these issues which are crippling students and families across the state.”

Senate Bill 1351, co-sponsored by Murphy, passed the Senate with a vote of 37-19. It now moves to the House for further consideration.

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