SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, ended the 2026 spring legislative session by helping craft a responsible budget that makes life more affordable for working families and passing legislation that aims to increase public safety and provide flexibility to local governments.

“In my conversations with residents from all parts of the district, some of the most mentioned topics are affordability and the cost of living,” Deuter said. “Our budget makes strategic investments that will provide stability to some of our most vulnerable communities, even in the face of federal cuts.”

Deuter worked to pass a budget that cuts the cost of government bureaucracy, gives local governments tools for property tax relief, fully funds community-based approaches to public safety and provides funding for social services amid federal cuts. 

In addition to her work in passing a balanced budget, Deuter advanced a number of key measures through the General Assembly, including:

• House Bill 4676, which strengthens protections against caregiver abuse by applying the same standards for long-term care facilities to individuals receiving care at home.

• House Bill 4948, a bipartisan effort to make our streets safer by utilizing new technology to provide an alternative to license suspension for repeat offenders of excessive speeding.

• House Bill 4571, which aims to make homeownership more affordable for middle-class families by giving communities the tools they need to build new housing options for the “missing middle.” 

• House Bill 3811, which aligns the appointment of private professional guardians with the requirements of State Guardians, protecting seniors and their estates from abuse or exploitation.

Other items in Deuter’s legislative agenda included efforts to update the state’s newborn screening process, expand epinephrine delivery options for schools and protect access to health insurance.

“As legislators, it’s important that we’re listening to the feedback we receive from our constituents and stakeholders,” Deuter said. “Good ideas can come from anywhere, and our work this spring has proven just that. I’m immensely grateful to all of our partners who’ve come forward with bold ideas or gave us their honest input as we worked to craft our legislation.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Seniors will be better protected against potential abuse from caregivers under a measure by state Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst.

House Bill 4676 would update the felony charge of criminal abuse or neglect by a caregiver to include acts that create a substantial likelihood of harm to the individual being cared for.

“When we entrust people with the care of our loved ones, we expect a certain amount of accountability,” Deuter said. “This legislation provides that accountability and empowers our state’s attorney’s office to deliver it.”

The bill creates penalties for those who create a substantial likelihood of endangerment or harm to an individual’s life, and enables the State’s Attorney to charge caregivers who perform or fail to perform acts with abuse or neglect.

The measure standardizes protections for seniors receiving at-home care with those that already exist for those in long-term care facilities.

“Our seniors are some of the most vulnerable residents of our communities,” Deuter said. “It’s important that we enable our judiciary to hold bad actors accountable and ensure families have peace of mind knowing their loved ones are being properly cared for.”

House Bill 4676 passed the Senate on Thursday, May 21, with broad bipartisan support, and now heads to the governor’s desk.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Fighting to restore affordability for Illinois households, Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, is advancing a package of bills to cut costs on everyday purchases and utilities and ban gimmicks that raise prices.

“Families shouldn’t be nickel-and-dimed every time they go to the store, shop online or pay their bills,” said Deuter. “These common sense measures will improve transparency for consumers and represent a major win for families across our state.”

While the cost of living continues to increase across the board, Deuter is taking charge of what Illinois can control, and championing policy to provide some immediate relief. 

Deuter worked to pass the following cost-cutting measures:

• House Bill 45: Expands access to savings by requiring retailers to honor all advertised sales or coupons, even if customers cannot access an app or operate digital coupons.
• House Bill 228: Cracks down on junk fees and hidden costs by requiring businesses to disclose all mandatory fees and charges added on top of an advertised purchase price.
• House Bill 4248: Bans apps and online retailers from using a shopper’s personal data or demographic profile to raise prices in a practice known as surveillance pricing.

All three measures successfully advanced through the House. House Bills 45 and 228 previously passed the Senate and now await governor consideration before being signed into law.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A bipartisan measure by state Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, to increase roadway safety has passed the Senate and is headed to the governor’s desk.

Deuter’s House Bill 4948 would create the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program, which aims to make our streets safer and offer a more equitable and responsive solution to excessive speeding. 

“Driving at high speeds is dangerous, plain and simple,” Deuter said. “What we’re doing is creating an option for those who have been convicted of driving at these dangerously high speeds that allows them to continue contributing to their communities while keeping our streets safer.”

Drivers who repeatedly exceed the speed limit at dangerously high speeds, known as ‘super speeders,’ make up a disproportionate number of fatal crashes. However, research shows that standard enforcement measures, such as the revocation of a driver’s license, do not stop people from driving or from speeding at dangerous levels.

Drivers with two or more convictions of excessive speeding within a 12-month period — such as driving 60 miles per hour on a residential street with a 30 mile per hour limit, or driving more than 100 miles per hour on an interstate with a 70 mile per hour limit — would have the option of participating in the program as an alternative to traditional license suspension.

Intelligent Speed Assistance is a dynamic system that limits a driver’s speed relative to the posted limits, with the system automatically adjusting the limit as the posted limit changes.

By utilizing ISA in lieu of license revocation, individuals with excessive speeding convictions are able to continue going to work, travel to see friends and family and remain part of their communities, while improving roadway safety for all users. 

“We’ve all seen the kind of speeding this program aims to address, be it someone going 100 miles per hour down the interstate or watching as a car speeds through a residential neighborhood,” Deuter said. “These super speeders threaten everyone else on the road, and that’s not okay. Whether you drive, take the bus, ride your bike or walk, you deserve to feel safe on the road.”

House Bill 4948 passed the Senate with bipartisan support on Wednesday, May 20, and now heads to the governor’s desk.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Middle-income families will have an easier time finding housing in their communities, under legislation sponsored by state Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst.

House Bill 4571 builds upon local efforts to boost housing options for ‘missing middle’ earners, referring to earners who may not qualify for existing programs or low-income housing opportunities, but still find themselves unable to find housing that fits their budget. Examples include first responders, teachers, nurses, and other essential workers often who fail to qualify for traditional housing programs yet remain priced out of the current local market.

“Robust communities start with a healthy housing supply,” Deuter said. “When we give local governments more flexibility to face the issues they’re seeing on the ground, we’re providing working families a realistic path to planting roots in the communities they love.”

This bill provides local leaders the flexibility to strengthen their middle-market housing inventory by enabling them to:

• Acquire and transfer properties for the purpose of building new middle-income housing developments.
• Offer developers incentives to develop new middle-income housing, including grants and infrastructure upgrades.
• Create, develop or preserve affordable housing units, as well as the ability to negotiate environmental remediation for sites.

The bill comes after other states, such as California, Florida and New York have passed similar legislation, aiming to boost their own supply of middle-income housing.

“When the people who teach our children and protect our neighborhoods can’t find housing they can afford, they are forced to look further away,” Deuter said. “This adds time to commutes, increases traffic on our roadways, and ultimately makes our communities feel less connected. We must ensure that DuPage remains a place where professional families can afford to live, work, and stay.”

The legislation recently passed the House of Representatives and heads to the Senate for consideration.

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ELMHURST, Ill. – State Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, is preparing to launch the District Advisory Council (DAC) for Illinois House District 45, and invites community members to apply for volunteer positions on the council.

The DAC will advise Deuter on state-level issues, providing insight that will inform her legislative priorities. The council is strictly advisory: members do not create or direct policy, but instead contribute perspectives that allow for more holistic evaluation of issues and legislation.

“Our job as legislators is to represent our communities,” Deuter said. “Having quality conversations about what’s happening in people’s daily lives provides a direct connection between our work in the district and our work in Springfield.”

Members of the council will be expected to:

• Attend 6–10 meetings per year, in addition to three speaker series events featuring policy experts and Q&A sessions.
• Come to meetings prepared to discuss state-level issues.
• Contribute to consensus-building while being respectful of differing opinions.

Meetings may include educational briefings, guided discussions and structured feedback sessions. Members must be willing to review materials in advance when needed to ensure conversations are informed and productive. When appropriate, the Council provides written recommendations or guiding principles to help inform legislative decisions.

“Some of the most impactful policy decisions are made at the state-level,” Deuter said. “This is a great opportunity for community members to share their opinion and ensure that their unique perspectives are heard.”

Interested applicants can apply at this link from now until April 30. For more information, please email us at Office@RepMartiDeuter.com or call us at (630) 413-1080.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, is working to make roadways across the state safer by changing how law enforcement responds to extreme cases of reckless driving.

Drivers who repeatedly exceed the speed limit at dangerously high speeds, known as ‘super speeders,’ make up a disproportionate number of fatal crashes. However, research shows that standard enforcement measures, such as the revocation of a driver’s license, does not stop people from driving or from speeding at dangerous levels.

Deuter’s House Bill 4948 would create the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program, which aims to offer a more equitable and responsive solution to excessive speeding. Drivers with two or more convictions of excessive speeding within a 12-month period—such as driving 60 miles per hour on a residential street with a 30 mile per hour limit, or driving more than 100 miles per hour on an interstate with a 70 mile per hour limit—would be required to install Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) in their vehicles as part of the program.

Intelligent Speed Assistance is a dynamic system similar to a speed governor that limits a driver’s speed relative to the posted limits, with the system automatically adjusting the limit as the posted limit changes.

“In the United States, a car isn’t just a way to get around, it’s the key to economic mobility,” Deuter said. “By switching our enforcement mechanisms to be proactive rather than reactive, we’re able to build a more equitable system that holds super speeders accountable while still allowing them to go to work, visit their families and be part of their communities.”

Similar programs have been implemented across the country, including in New York City’s municipal fleet, where officials have seen speeding rates drop by 64%.

“Driving at high speeds is dangerous, plain and simple,” Deuter said. “By cracking down on the worst offenders, those who frequently speed at dangerous levels, we’re making roads safer for everyone. Whether you drive, take the bus, ride your bike or walk, you deserve to feel safe on the road.”

ELMHURST, Ill. – Schools will be more productive under new legislation backed by state Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst which cuts down on modern classroom interruptions that challenge students’ focus.

Senate Bill 2427 would restrict the use of personal electronic devices, including cell phones, to a limited number of cases during the school day. The bill comes after rising concerns of the role cell phones play in creating distractions in the classroom.

“Our world is finding itself increasingly online, now more than ever it seems,” said Deuter. “Cell phones connect our world like never before and grant access to knowledge from all kinds of fields and interests. But in the classroom, they divide students’ attention and cause unnecessary distractions.”

Accepted use of personal electronic devices during the school day would include:

• To fulfill an individualized education program (IEP), a Section 504 plan or another written accommodation plan.
• To assist in a student managing their healthcare or if a student is routinely responsible for the care and well-being of a family member.
• If school personnel authorize the use for educational purposes or for English language learners to access educational materials.

Additionally, school districts would be permitted to allow the use of personal electronic devices during high school students’ lunch periods.

School boards would be required to adopt and implement a wireless communication device policy by the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year. Policies would not be permitted to be enforced through fees, suspensions, expulsions or the deployment of a school resource officer.

At least 30 states have passed similar legislation banning the use of cell phones in schools as concerns increase around the role they play in distracting students from their education.

“Schools are places where kids come together and learn. Not just about math or science, but about who they are as individuals,” Deuter said. “They are places of growth and development, and it’s important that we do all we can to build a learning environment that supports that.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, issued the following statement after Governor Pritzker’s annual budget address on Wednesday:

“This year’s budget process is an opportunity to reaffirm Illinois’ commitment to working families by tackling the affordability crisis head on. By making smart, fiscally responsible decisions, we can invest our finite resources into the services that help people make ends meet.

“Over the coming months, I will be reviewing the state’s ledger line-by-line to ensure we are taking a forward-thinking, restrained, responsible, and compassionate approach during a time when external factors are placing more and more pressure on our state’s resources.

“I’m particularly excited to continue to discuss how we can unlock the full potential of our state by finding new ways to fund our state pensions in a way that protects taxpayers, civil servants and retirees.” 

For more information, please contact Office@RepMartiDeuter.com.

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ELMHURST, Ill. – State Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, is hosting a summer internship program for students looking to learn more about state government, constituent engagement and the legislative process.

Internship responsibilities focus on constituent engagement and canvassing, as well as event production, policy research, and social media content creation.

Pay is $15/hour for an anticipated 15-20 hours per week. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Deuter’s district office is located in Westmont.

Those interested in applying should email a cover letter and resume to office@repmartideuter.com.