OAK PARK – A new law sponsored by State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) 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 raped them.

“Rape is a terrible, traumatic experience. When a victim of rape conceives a child and is brave enough to carry the baby to term, she shouldn’t have to worry about the man who attacked her seeking parental rights,” Harmon said.

The new law, originally 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 – A new law co-sponsored by State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) will crack down on pawnshops that break the law that regulates pawnshops.

“Given all the controversy we’ve seen over the new pawnshop on North Avenue in Austin, I want to make sure that neighborhood concerns are addressed by ensuring that pawnshops operate within the letter of law,” Harmon said. “We need to make sure that no pawnshops in Illinois take advantage of people or attract unwanted traffic.”

The law will increase the maximum civil penalty on pawnshop owners who break the law that regulates pawnshops from $1,000 per day to $10,000 per day. The new law is supported by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which oversees pawnshop licenses.

CHICAGO – Thanks to State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), Illinois citizens will soon be able to register to vote and request absentee ballots online.

"We can strengthen our democracy by making it easier to vote," Harmon said. "We can pay our bills online, shop online, even control your home air conditioner over the Internet. In the 21^st Century, you should 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."

Harmon’s plan, House Bill 2418, not only allows voters to register online, but it also allows election authorities to send notices using email, establishes more voter-friendly early voting hours, allows voters to request absentee ballots online and more.

Each measure has careful safeguards to prevent voter fraud and electoral abuses.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement in response to the General Assembly’s vote to override Governor Quinn’s veto of a law to allow Illinois residents to carry concealed weapons that passed earlier this year.

In May, the General Assembly passed House Bill 183 after a federal court mandated the implementation of a concealed carry law. Senator Harmon voted against this legislation in May, as he felt it contained inadeqaute provisions to protect public safety.

Harmon supported the changes contained in the governor’s veto and opposed the underlying law.

Senator Don Harmon (D - Oak Park) released the following statement following today's action by the Supreme Court:

“I’m proud to live in a country that no longer denies federally protected rights to a whole class of people. The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act is a cause for celebration and a call to action for Illinois. The Senate already passed marriage equality. Now it’s more important than ever for the House to act.”