SPRINGFIELD – Less than a year after State Senator Julie Morrison and her family ran for their lives as a man opened fire from a rooftop in Highland Park, she passed a measure to enhance public safety through the use of drones.

“Drones provide an invaluable resource that can be used to monitor large crowds for suspicious activity,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “This technology exists – there’s no reason we shouldn’t put it in the hands of law enforcement.”

The Morrison-led measure allows law enforcement to use drones to monitor special events, like parades and festivals, to detect breaches and identify public safety issues. Under House Bill 3902, law enforcement could use drones at parades, walks, concerts or other events that are outdoors and open to the public.

“The devastating July day in Highland Park underscored the need for increased public safety initiatives for large events,” said Morrison. “I can’t help but wonder what the outcome of that July day would’ve been had this law been in place.”

It comes in response to the Fourth of July mass shooting that killed seven and wounded dozens more in Highland Park. The shooter fired a rifle on parade crowd from the rooftop of a downtown building.

“The City of Highland Park appreciates the work of Senators Morrison and Holmes leading on legislation that will broaden the use of drones by public safety in certain situations, specifically for preventative use against public safety threats towards public gatherings,” said Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering. “Allowing our public safety personnel the use of drones to monitor large scale public events will increase their ability to secure an area, and save time while improving the delivery of life-saving services.”

House Bill 3902 passed the Senate Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD – Violent threats against schools are becoming all-too-common, leading State Senator Julie Morrison to pass a measure to require rapid entry protocol for law enforcement and first responders, including the threat of firearms.

“Our first responders must be equipped and trained to handle any emergency situation – especially within schools,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “School shootings are sadly happening at record rates – we must be prepared in case tragedy strikes.”

Morrison’s House Bill 3559 would require schools’ emergency and crisis response plans to include procedures for local law enforcement to rapidly enter the school building in the event of an emergency.

House Bill 3559 passed the Senate just a month after five students at Highland Park High School were taken into custody following a report of a student with a handgun. The threat left the community shaken, as it came less than a year after the 4th of July mass shooting that took the lives of seven innocent community members.

“Law enforcement officers near Highland Park High School acted swiftly to keep the children safe,” said Morrison. “Standing up to help our kids in emergencies should be the norm.”

House Bill 3559 passed the Senate Thursday.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison passed a measure to fill a significant gap in current Illinois law by giving victims of doxing a voice in deterring bad actors looking to take advantage of the evolving cyber landscape.

“It is absolutely critical for our laws to evolve with the changing nature of the cyber world,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “This legislation provides a necessary solution to the dangerous practice of doxing, by both helping victims and deterring future bad actors.”

To give victims of doxing the justice they deserve, Morrison passed House Bill 2954. The measure would allow people a civil private right of action against the individual who committed the offense. The victim could recover damages and any other appropriate relief, including attorney’s fees.

Doxing is the act of sharing an individual’s personal information without that person’s consent and with the intent to cause harm to the individual whose personal information is shared.

“This is a very promising next step in our efforts to give doxing victims a voice and hold people accountable for online hate and harassment,” said Anti-Defamation League Midwest Regional Director David Goldenberg.  “The General Assembly’s unanimous support for this bill sends a strong signal that Illinois will be no place for hate. We thank Representative Gong-Gershowitz and Senator Morrison for their leadership and look forward to the Civil Liability for Doxing Act becoming law.”

House Bill 2954 passed the Senate Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD – Taking another step toward making Illinois smoke free, State Senator Julie Morrison passed a measure to ban vaping inside public buildings.

“There’s absolutely no reason a person – from a pregnant woman to a young child – should be exposed to harmful e-cigarette products while in public,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “It’s about time we set a clear standard that protects non-smokers and further de-normalizes tobacco use.”

In recent years, the use of e-cigarettes – like vapes – has increased tremendously, leading Morrison to pass House Bill 1540 to ban the use of e-cigarettes indoors. Her measure – which now heads to the governor – expands upon the Smoke Free Illinois Act, putting Illinois in line with 17 other states that have banned the use of e-cigarettes indoors.

The Smoke Free Illinois Act – which was passed in 2017 – 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.

“We applaud Senator Morrison for her leadership in strengthening our state’s smoke-free law 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.

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.

House Bill 1540 passed the Senate Wednesday.