SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison is helping more people enjoy the great outdoors by lowering the price of fishing licenses.

“Growing up near a river in Illinois, one of my favorite memories is fishing with my family in the summer,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Over the past few years, we have grown a greater appreciation for the outdoors, and I want to make sure people have easy access to grow that appreciation and love even more.”

To encourage more people to take up the hobby of fishing, Morrison’s measure would lower the annual fee for fishing licenses to $5 for Illinois residents who have not purchased a license in 10 or more years. Non-residents would pay $10.

“There’s nothing better than the bond families can make grabbing a rod and reel and enjoying quality time together,” said Morrison. “From young children to grandparents, fishing is an activity all can grow to love.”

House Bill 2317 passed the Senate Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD – A steadfast champion of Illinois laws to keep harmful tobacco products away from young people, State Senator Julie Morrison is expanding upon her work by leading a measure to ban e-cigarettes inside public places.

“A tobacco epidemic continues in our state,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “We have made great progress, but the surge of use of e-cigarettes has threatened that progress and lured more people toward a deadly addiction.”

Passed in 2007, the Smoke Free Illinois Act prohibited smoking in public and within 15 feet of entrances, and required “no smoking” signs to be posted on the prohibited public place. However, this law took effect when people primarily smoked cigarettes and cigars.

In recent years, the use of e-cigarettes – like vapes – has increased tremendously, leading Morrison to work to add such products to the Smoke Free Illinois Act through Senate Bill 1561.

“By including e-cigarettes and vaping in Illinois’ comprehensive smoke-free law, the State is taking an important step to keeping our workplaces free from the toxins and carcinogens in secondhand smoke,” said Joel Africk, president and CEO of Respiratory Health Association.

Morrison has been an advocate for putting an end to tobacco use by teens since entering the General Assembly. In 2019, she successfully passed a law that increases the age to legally purchase tobacco to 21 and last year passed a measure to place a number of restrictions on marketing e-cigarettes to children.

“We applaud Senator Morrison for her leadership in strengthening our state’s smoke-free law by passing SB1561 to protect people from harmful secondhand exposure to e-cigarettes in virtually all indoor public places,” said Kristina Hamilton, Illinois advocacy director, American Lung Association. “On behalf of patient advocacy organizations across the state, we look forward to our continued work together to pass this measure in the full Senate and ultimately in the Illinois General Assembly.”

Senate Bill 1561 passed the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday. It now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. – To provide a fun way for the community to beat the heat while learning about what’s going on in Springfield, State Senators Julie Morrison and Adriane Johnson are hosting an ice cream social Sunday, July 25.

“One of my favorite parts of my job as a state senator has always been meeting people in the community and sharing the strides we made in Springfield while hearing their feedback,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “After more than a year of not being able to host face-to-face events, I’m excited to get back out into Lake County and talk with the people who make the district such a great place to live.”

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SPRINGFIELD – To help protect the lives of young children with food allergies, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) championed a measure in the Senate that would create an anaphylactic policy for schools and day cares.

“Children spend most of their day at school, and both they and their parents deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing that schools are well-equipped to assist when a student is having an allergic reaction,” Morrison said. “Creating a plan and training more employees on what to do if a student is having a reaction will save lives.” 

The measure would require an anaphylactic policy for daycares and schools to be created and include training course requirements, food allergy-specific guidelines, a communication plan, and exposure to allergen reduction strategies. It would be based on guidance and recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and would be shared with parents upon enrollment.

Additionally, under the measure, each daycare should have at least one staff member present at all times who has taken a training course in recognizing anaphylaxis.

“All children should be able to enjoy the same simple joys of school, safe in the knowledge that we’re ready to protect them in an emergency – and that starts with the help of the school community,” Morrison said.

Morrison has continuously been an advocate for helping children with allergies. In 2019, Morrison passed legislation to require insurers to cover medically necessary epinephrine injectors for minors. She is currently working to take that law one step further by removing the age limitation.

House Bill 102 has passed both chambers.