SPRINGFIELD – People with disabilities can often face barriers when looking for employment. However, Illinois continues to lead by example to break down those barriers.

Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) passed legislation that will require the state to facilitate the hiring of individuals with disabilities.

"Having a job means having dignity, independence and purpose, regardless of whether an individual has a disability," Morrison said. "The state of Illinois should be a leader in showing that individuals with disabilities are just as capable in the workplace and have a valued role in contributing to our state and our economy."

The measure – which passed without opposition in the spring – aims to make state jobs more accessible for individuals with disabilities. The Department of Central Management Services will be required to send the Successful Disability Opportunities List to any agency that is hiring.

The Success Disability Opportunities Program helps guide people with disabilities through the Illinois hiring process. Once a person qualifies for the program and successfully passes a test, they will be on the SDO list for a year. The list will now be distributed to hiring agencies when a list of potential hires is requested.

Senate Bill 190 takes effect Jan. 1, 2020.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Police Trooper Christopher Lambert, a Highland Park resident, was killed in January when he was struck by a speeding motorist while assisting with a traffic stop. As his family mourned the loss, they endured additional stress due to the burdensome cost of burial.

That led State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) to spearhead a measure to increase burial benefits for fallen first responders from $10,000 to $20,000.

"Law enforcement and first responders put their lives on the line every day to protect us," Sen. Morrison said. "The least we can do for those fallen officers or firefighters is ensure their families aren’t left worrying how they’ll afford to bury their loved one."

Currently, the state burial benefit for firefighters, state police officers or local law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty is $10,000. The senator’s new law will increase that benefit to $20,000, acknowledging the ever-increasing costs associated with burials. Neither the benefit for state police officers nor the benefit for local law enforcement officers and firefighters has been raised since its creation in the late 1990s.

House Bill 2028, which passed the General Assembly without opposition, takes effect Jan. 1, 2020.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) passed a number of bills prioritizing the health of children that take effect Jan. 1, 2020.

“From preparing schools to be able to properly handle children who have epilepsy, to ensuring people under 18 can receive EpiPens that could save their lives, these commonsense laws that will better the health and wellbeing of children,” Sen. Morrison said.

The laws below will take effect Jan. 1.

• Riding in a car with someone who is smoking can amplify the dangerous effects of tobacco use on children. However, under House Bill 2276, it will now be illegal to smoke with a minor in the vehicle.
• Too many families with children who have allergies cannot afford a lifesaving epinephrine injector. Certain private insurance policies will be required to cover medically necessary epinephrine injectors for people under 18 years of age starting Jan. 1, 2020.
• Children spend a large part of their day at school, so it is imperative for teachers and staff to understand what to do if their students have epilepsy. That led Sen. Morrison to pass House Bill 1475, which creates the Seizure Smart School Act.

SPRINGFIELD – The sale of tobacco products to people under the age of 21 could soon be prohibited nationwide, less than a year after State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) passed the same law in Illinois.

“Illinois led by example by being one of the first 10 states to ban the sale of tobacco for young people under 21,” Senator Morrison said. “The state is a leader in protecting the health of teenagers and reducing both health-care complications and premature death.”

The law would make it illegal for people under 21 to purchase traditional tobacco products, vape products and e-cigarettes. Raising the legal age to buy tobacco would make it more difficult for high school students to access nicotine, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

“Most smokers start when they’re teenagers, so it is imperative to cut off the supply of the harmful and deadly substance as early as possible,” Senator Morrison said. “I am pleased the federal government is taking a step toward reducing access to tobacco to the country’s youngest population, and in turn working to bring smoking rates down and saving the nation millions in health care.”

The bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), is part of the massive government funding bill expected to pass by the end of the week.