SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) won Senate approval of a measure to allow voters to register online, a move that has helped other states register more people to vote and cut costs. It also makes changes to state law to make it easier to vote early and with absentee ballots and to fix several problems with Illinois’ electoral system.

“Our democracy is strengthened when more people participate,” Harmon said. “We can buy plane tickets, research stock options and even open our garage doors and start our cars online. There’s no reason in this day and age that a person shouldn’t be able to register to vote online.

“We also keep trying to find ways to save our cash-strapped state money. This is an easy way. Processing a paper registration costs 83 cents. Processing an online application costs 3 cents.”

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) won Senate approval of legislation that will ensure that victims of rape who choose to carry a child to term don’t have to share parental rights with the men who violated them.

“When a woman is raped, becomes pregnant and chooses to carry the child to term, she shouldn’t have to worry about her rapist or his family pushing for parental rights,” Harmon said.

The proposal, House Bill 3128, establishes that rapists and their families are not entitled to visitation, custody or inheritance rights. It also gives the mother the right to refuse child support.

SPRINGFIELD – As parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy looked on, Illinois Senator Don Harmon used his position as chair of the Senate Executive Committee to help a measure that would limit the number of bullets in a gun magazine make it to the Senate floor.

“Our hearts go out to the victims of this tragedy," Harmon said. "And this legislation is one step we can take to avoid such tragedies in the future. Every time a gunman stops to reload, it gives his victims a chance to get away and gives law enforcement a chance to disarm him.”

The legislation, Senate Bill 1002, limits the sale of gun ammunition feeding devices to units that can hold 10 bullets or less. While it does not prohibit owning a large ammunition magazine, it does increase the criminal penalties for using a high capacity magazine while committing a violent crime. The Sandy Hook murderer used large capacity magazines to commit his crime.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) voted in support of the union-backed pension reform measure that passed the Illinois Senate today.

“We need real pension reform, pension reform that can survive a court challenge and actually become law,” Harmon said. “If we don’t find a solution to this problem now, we’re going to keep seeing cuts to education, human services and public safety.”

Though he has voted for other potential solutions to the problem, Harmon and other supporters of the legislation believe this plan is the most likely to survive a court challenge. The state’s major public employee unions have promised not to put their financial resources behind any lawsuit targeting the plan, which greatly increase its chances of being declared constitutional.

SPRINGFIELD – If legislation sponsored by State Senator Don Harmon becomes law, it will be even easier for college students to vote. The Oak Park Democrat’s plan, which cleared a key Senate committee earlier today, requires public universities and community colleges to send all students an email telling them where and how to register to vote.

“We should try to get young people involved in democracy at an early age,” Harmon said. “The easier we make it for them to register to vote, the more likely they are to stay involved in the process.”

Harmon is also trying to convince his colleagues that Illinois should move to accept online voter registration. The states that have already adopted online registration have significantly cut costs, registered more voters and seen no increase in voter fraud. Because his legislation to allow online registration did not advance from committee earlier this year, Harmon is now encouraging supporters to sign an online petition available on his website, www.DonHarmon.org.