Legislation aimed at making state law less burdensome for people with disabilities recently passed the Illinois Senate with unanimous support. 

Under current rules, disabled individuals (or their parents or guardians) are required to submit a letter from a doctor to the Secretary of State declaring that the individual suffers from a disability before they can be issued disability plates or parking decals.

Senate Bill 1256 is designed to reduce that burden by requiring the certification to be updated only once every 5 years, and it allows licensed physical therapists to be able to sign off on the applications, potentially saving individuals from an additional costly doctor’s visit.

The Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill 1256 on April 9,2025, and it now awaits action in the House.