Morrison works to further protect children who take school buses from reckless drivers

SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) led a law signed Friday that includes community service as a possible punishment if a person speeds in a school zone or illegally passes a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended.

“Children taking the bus to school should be worried about their schoolwork, not worried about reckless drivers,” Morrison said. “This measure will further deter folks from speeding or passing school buses and really reflect on how their actions could harm members of their community.”

Currently, people who speed in school zones or pass stopped school busses must pay fines ranging from $150 to $1,000, depending on the frequency of their violations. Under Morrison’s law, community service would be added to the penalties. Morrison believes this initiative will further deter people from violating these regulations.  

Morrison has long been advocate of transportation safety. She previously added community service as a possible punishment for violations of Scott’s Law, which requires that drivers reduce speeds and change lanes for emergency vehicles.

Senate Bill 3793 was signed Friday.  

Morrison brings more equality of access to the ballot box

SPRINGFIELD – Following through on her commitment to provide greater accessibility for all Illinois voters, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) championed a newly signed law to allow people with certain disabilities to electronically mark their ballots using their own assistive technology.

“While we have expanded vote by mail in many ways, we have yet to provide the same opportunities to voters who cannot read print because of a visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive or learning disability,” Morrison said. “Equal access at the voting box is a keystone to our democracy. The inclusion of this process into state law will provide safe, private and equal voting opportunities for voters.”

The law will allow voters with a print disability to receive and mark their ballot electronically on an assistive device. It will be printed, sealed and signed before being returned through the mail. The voting procedure will be in place for the November 2022 General Election, and all subsequent elections.

“For years, Illinois law required voters with print disabilities who chose to vote by mail to fill out a paper ballot, necessitating assistance by a person without a disability.” said Cheryl Jansen, Public Policy Director of Equip for Equality.  “As a result, unlike voters without disabilities, they were denied the right to vote privately and independently.  SB 829 is a very important step towards addressing this disparity.  We highly commend Senator Morrison for her leadership and support of this legislation and look forward to working with her on additional steps to ensure that voters with print disabilities have full privacy and independence when voting by mail.”

Senate Bill 829 was signed into law Friday.

Senator Morrison on DCFS audit: It’s time to take decisive action

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) released the following statement after an audit of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services found the agency failed to implement multiple reforms.

“The Performance Audit of the DCFS Child Safety and Well-Being findings released yesterday are, once again, disheartening. I continue to stand ready to assist the governor in his commitment to protect the most vulnerable children in Illinois. The time has passed for more legislative hearings where we hear the same thing on ‘rinse and repeat.’ It's time to take decisive action and I am ready to assist in any way I can.”

Senator Morrison secures budget allocation to bring pedestrian bridge to Lake Bluff

LAKE BLUFF – State Senator Julie Morrison secured $1.25 million in the Fiscal Year 23 budget to bring a pedestrian bridge to Lake Bluff – building on her commitment to make her district a safer, more accessible community.

“Safety of the community is – and always has been – my top priority,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “We must do all we can to make our communities safer – and that starts with ensuring people can travel safely through the area.”

Morrison led efforts to allocate $1.25 million from the upcoming state budget to bring a pedestrian bridge to Lake Bluff after local residents expressed safety concerns to the Senator. The bridge will be over the train tracks located on Green Bay Road, south of Buckley Road and north of Rockland Road.

Green Bay Road – a main thoroughfare in the area – is highly trafficked by both drivers and pedestrians. However, a pedestrian bridge doesn’t currently exist – leaving people to commute by foot on a busy road.

"We applaud Senator Morrison for securing this funding," said Gavin Farry, executive vice president for finance and administration at Rosalind Franklin University, which sits just north of the bridge. "This pedestrian bridge will have multiple benefits to the residents of Lake Bluff and North Chicago. Our students and campus community can utilize this bridge to safely commute, walk, bike, and enjoy the trail systems between the Village of Lake Bluff and City of North Chicago."

By building a bridge, residents will be able to walk or bike to Lake Bluff Elementary School, Lovell Federal Health Care Center, Rosalind Franklin University, trail system, Metra Station, and other areas safely.

“I am extremely grateful to Senator Morrison and her team who have worked exceptionally hard in collaboration with the Village of Lake Bluff to garner the funding to complete this project,” said Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart. “The pedestrian bridge will solve very real safety issues not only for students going back and forth for school, but also for walkers and bicyclists. It will increase safe access for residents and visitors to the community to enjoy nature and partake in living a healthier lifestyle.”

The $1.25 million allocation championed by Senator Morrison is part of the Fiscal Year 23 budget, which takes effect July 1.