SPRINGFIELD – In response to the rise of car thefts across the state, State Senator Laura Murphy supported a legislative package to give law enforcement more tools to reduce carjackings that was signed into law Thursday.

“The rising rates of car theft need to be addressed to protect motorists and families on the roadways,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “These new laws make it easier for law enforcement to effectively respond to car theft, and ensure victims of these crimes aren’t responsible for associated fines and fees.”

In Illinois, there has been a 13% increase in car thefts from 2019-2020 alone—with new technology being a major factor. House Bill 601 expands the legal definition of “burglary tools” to include modern technologies used to steal cars, such as devices that unlock or start vehicles without a key and devices that duplicate a signal from a key fob. This makes the process of bringing car thieves who utilize this technology to justice more straightforward for police and prosecutors.

House Bill 3699 provides grants to offer financial support to federal and state agencies, local governments, and neighborhood organizations for law enforcement to identify and prosecute vehicle hijackers. In addition, House Bill 3699 helps ensure victims of carjacking do not have to pay any red-light camera or speed camera violations when their car is stolen and being used by someone else, as well as any towing fees, parking tickets, or toll payments. Murphy hopes these measures will bring residents more peace of mind following the rise of reported carjackings.

“Having your car stolen is a massive financial and emotional burden for people to face—and can be even more frustrating if the victims are being charged for speeding tickets from the stolen car,” Murphy said. “With these laws, victims will not have to pay for a thief’s ticket, and are more likely to have their car returned with more investment into tools for law enforcement to identify vehicle hijackers. I am in strong support of these laws.”

HB 601, HB 3699, and HB 3772 were signed into law May 26, 2022. All three take effect Jan. 1, 2023.

SPRINGFIELD –First responders will have more access to overnight child care, allowing them to go to work without having to worry about finding someone to watch their children thanks to a new law supported by State Senator Laura Murphy.

“Our first responders often work through the night to keep our community safe,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “Like all parents, first responders struggle with child care concerns. I’m glad this legislation begins to address child care access for those men & women who sacrifice personally and physically for this job.”

Many first responders have struggled to find child care coverage for later shifts. The new law requires the Department of Human Services to establish an off-hours child care program to help first responders access child care for night or overnight shifts so they can work without worrying about their child’s safety. It also creates an Off-hours Child Care Program fund to finance the program through the state treasury.

“It can be difficult for first responders to find child care when working essential overnight shifts,” Murphy said. “This law addresses this oversight, and may even encourage people to become first responders without worry that they would not have access to child care.”

HB 1571 was signed into law Friday, May 27. It goes into effect January 1, 2023.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy’s (D—Des Plaines) initiative to allow more health care workers to administer flu and COVID-19 vaccines was signed into law Friday.

“Vaccines protect us from illnesses, like the flu and COVID-19, and are essential to maintaining public health,” Murphy said. “This law will allow more types of health care providers to administer vaccines—making sure more people can get vaccinated sooner if they choose.”

To ensure more people can get vaccinated at a timely rate, Murphy’s law authorizes optometrists—doctors specializing in eye care—to administer vaccines to patients 17 years or older. Optometrists who wish to distribute these vaccines will be required to complete four hours of approved education and be certified in basic life support.

“Many health care providers are certified to give vaccines already,” Murphy said. “With additional training, these providers should be able to administer vaccines to make sure people can get vaccinated for the flu as soon as possible and make sure everyone in our community remains healthy.”

HB 4929 was signed into law Friday, May 13. It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2023.

SPRINGFIELD –Thanks to State Senator Laura Murphy (D—Des Plaines), vehicle owners will now be granted more communication from property owners seeking to tow their vehicles.

“Car owners will have more protections to move their vehicle if a property owner needs it removed from their property,” Murphy said. “This law will ensure vehicle owners are promptly notified so they can move their car—saving both vehicle owners and property managers time and money.”

Before this law, property owners were required to provide written instructions before towing vehicles. However, distributing only physical warnings causes many residents who may not be able to physically receive mail to miss the notice, leaving them to deal with the cost to get their car back. In one such instance, a resident in the district Murphy represents was out of town and could not receive the written notice, and came back to find their vehicles were taken to a storage facility without their knowledge—one of which was sold at auction. After hearing from this community member, Murphy wanted to modernize the law to ensure there is clear communication between property and vehicle owners in the event of a vehicle being towed and prevent similar situations from happening.

Murphy’s law will require property owners to provide a more direct notice to people that have established agreements to park with the owners. This means property owners are required to, at a minimum, contact the vehicle owner via a telephone call, text message, or an email to the address or number provided by the vehicle owner at least three hours before the vehicle is towed.

“Most residents would try to prevent their car from being towed—it is extremely inconvenient, expensive and they risk completely losing their vehicle,” Murphy said. “With this law, I hope that communication between property managers and residents will improve, and unnecessary car removals can be avoided.”

Senate Bill 3629 was signed into law last Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2023.