Kane County Reporter

Rep. Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora) recently made a plea for a bill amending the Illinois Vehicle Code to provide expecting mothers a temporary parking placard.

Wheeler relayed the bill's sad backstory of House Bill 3027.

“We affectionately refer to this as Henry's Law,” Wheeler told the session. “This bill was brought to my attention when my district office director got the news that he was going to be a father. The baby's mom has a full-time job which is a lengthy walk from the employee parking lot up to the hill. As her pregnancy progressed, she found herself having difficulty carrying a heavy bag from a great distance. So, the office director tried to get her a parking placard and learned upon doing research that she wasn’t eligible under current law, so we brought this bill forward. It only applies to moms in their third trimester for a 90-day temporary pass.”

Wrapping up his speech, Wheeler revealed that his colleague's baby died half an hour after being born.

"This bill is aimed at protecting moms and babies when they need to go to work, need to go shopping for the families, need to go to the doctor. Unfortunately, the inspiration for this bill, baby Henry Marcum was born in November of 2019 and was only with us for about 30 minutes before he passed. Our vote today is a great way to honor his memory and demonstrate that a life that only lasts half an hour can make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of moms and babies across our state. what a wonderful legacy for baby Henry to leave. I’d like to thank Leader Durkin and Speaker Welch for their support and I’d appreciate an Aye vote" Wheeler said in his closing statement.

He believes the bill will benefit most working mothers who find themselves in a similar situation, especially during the winter months when parking lots become icy and harder to access on foot.