SPRINGFIELD – To increase transparency and cut red tape for doctors trying to restore their medical licenses, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is leading a proposal that would require the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to publish detailed instructions on its website.
“If a physician has served their punishment and wants to have their license restored, they have the right to know how to go about it,” Murphy said. “This initiative would ensure specific steps and requirements are laid out in one easily accessible location.”
Read more: Murphy plan would improve transparency for doctors returning to the field
SPRINGFIELD – To provide support to local park districts as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, a measure sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) that passed the Senate Wednesday would give park districts more time to complete projects funded through the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant program.
“Every community was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic differently, and as a result, they are all recovering at a different pace,” Murphy said. “This initiative would give park districts the authority to set the timeline for their own community’s projects.”
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which administers the OSLAD grant program, provides an advance payment of 50% of the grant up front. State law requires grantees to complete projects within two years of receiving grant funds, meaning that park districts have just two years after this advance payment to complete projects.
Read more: Murphy advances plan to give park districts more time for COVID-19 recovery
SPRINGFIELD – To give parents the peace of mind that videos of their students at school won’t be shared with unauthorized parties, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) advanced legislation out of the Senate Thursday to remove the video recording requirement from the Illinois edTPA teacher licensing assessment.
“Uploading videos of children to a third-party vendor poses a cybersecurity risk, threatening kids’ privacy, and in some cases, their safety,” Murphy said. “It’s time to explore more secure ways to assess our student teachers’ performance.”
The legislation would establish student teachers cannot be required to videotape themselves or their students in order to earn a license.
Currently, student teachers in Illinois must record themselves and their students on video to pass the edTPA, an assessment required for their teaching license. The video is then uploaded and sent to a third-party vendor for evaluation. The edTPA requires just two short segments of video, but student teachers are encouraged to record hours of footage to choose from.
The legislation would still allow teacher education programs to videotape for in-house teaching purposes, and licensed teachers and administrators could still film students in order to gain National Board Certification or for training, sporting events or promotional purposes.
“Aspiring educators shouldn’t have to put their students at risk to gain a license,” Murphy said. “This legislation takes an important step in protecting children’s privacy.”
Senate Bill 808 passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to the House.
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SPRINGFIELD – To provide targeted support to college students and staff in Illinois, an initiative sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) to create an online resource hub geared toward campus mental health passed the Senate Wednesday.
“The challenges of higher education can take a toll on the entire campus community,” Murphy said. “This initiative would provide students and professors alike an easy-to-access website listing all available resources to help manage stress, anxiety and depression.”
The legislation would require the Department of Human Services to maintain a page on its website with mental health resources specifically tailored to post-secondary education institutions, their staff, students and families.
Currently, DHS provides digital brochures and links on its website of helpful tools for those who may be dealing with a mental health concern. However, the website does not contain provisions directly targeted to post-secondary education and its communities.
Read more: Murphy advances initiative promoting campus mental health
SPRINGFIELD – With the vaccine effort underway but COVID-19 cases still alarmingly high, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) advanced a measure out of the Senate Wednesday to give the legislature a voice in the reopening process by reinstating the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission.
“When the state was first grappling with the pandemic, the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission gave lawmakers the chance to offer input and communicate feedback from their constituents,” Murphy said. “Our work isn’t over yet. It’s time to reinstate the commission so we can help guide Illinois to a full recovery.”
Murphy’s proposal would reenact the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission, a bipartisan, bicameral commission created last May to monitor and help shape the state’s economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 crisis.
Read more: Murphy: Reinstated commission would help guide Illinois to a full recovery
SPRINGFIELD – As college-bound seniors receive their acceptance letters and prepare for the fall semester, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) is seeking to create a task force dedicated to making textbooks and other course materials more affordable.
“After a year of remote learning and working, we have all become more familiar with the advantages of digital resources like e-books,” Murphy said. “As we look ahead to recovery, it’s important that we find out how these resources can supplement current initiatives like subscription and rental programs to help reduce the financial burden on college students and their families.”
Read more: Murphy plan would help schools offer more affordable textbooks
SPRINGFIELD – In a victory for Illinois student athletes of all personal, cultural and religious backgrounds, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) has advanced legislation to give student athletes more flexibility in the design of their athletic uniforms.
“Some team uniforms prevent athletes from feeling confident and accepted on the field, or even from being able to compete at all,” Murphy said. “Allowing athletes to adjust their uniforms according to their needs can give more students the chance to have fun, stay active and be part of a team.”
Read more: Murphy advances legislation to broaden student athletes’ uniform options
SPRINGFIELD – To clarify and streamline the annexation process for Elk Grove Village and other local governments across Illinois, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) sponsored legislation to protect and strengthen municipalities’ rights to annex surrounding properties.
“Current laws and recent rulings surrounding annexation have complicated the process and opened local governments up to lawsuits,” Murphy said. “This legislation more clearly outlines the requirements municipalities must follow to annex property legally.”
In 2018, an appellate court in Will County rendered an annexation invalid, even though the annexation appeared to meet all statutory requirements. The ambiguity of this decision has caused problems for municipalities in other areas of the state, including Elk Grove Village in the district Murphy represents, where some property owners have attempted to legally challenge previous annexations meeting all statutory requirements in order to block future annexations.
To resolve this confusion and more clearly define the factors that determine an annexation’s validity, Murphy’s legislation would create clear statutory requirements for municipalities seeking annexation.
“The statutory requirements in place are meant to ensure an annexation decision is in the best interests of the community,” Murphy said. “It’s important that they are clear and concrete, so municipalities can follow them as intended.”
Senate Bill 658 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday and now heads to the full Senate.
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