Morrison requires law enforcement crisis response plans for schools

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.

Morrison passes measure to bring justice to victims of doxing

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.

Morrison measure to ban e-cigarettes indoors heads to the governor

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.

Morrison condemns issue at Lincolnshire nursing home that led to critical shortage of staff

LINCOLNSHIRE – State Senator Julie Morrison is calling on the Warren Barr Lincolnshire nursing facility to ensure residents have 24/7 access to critical care staff, following reports that staff numbers were at dangerously low levels Monday morning.

“There is absolutely no excuse for medical staff to be at dangerously low levels,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Nursing home management has a duty to provide around the clock care. A delay in care could be the difference between life and death.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health opened an investigation into the Lincolnshire Nursing Home after reports that there was a lack of clinical care staff to help the facility’s 104 residents Monday. The agency quickly worked to develop a plan for continuing coverage and is launching a full investigation into the matter.

Morrison thanks IDPH for taking swift action, but is calling upon Warren Barr Lincolnshire to improve its operations so a future tragedy doesn’t occur.

“Our state’s most vulnerable residents are often in nursing homes for access to 24/7 care and assistance,” Morrison said. “The issue at Lincolnshire should have never happened in the first place – and we must ensure it never happens again.”

Morrison will continue to monitor the situation and work with IDPH to ensure residents are cared for.