SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill 1, an education funding reform measure:

“Today, Governor Rauner allowed partisan extremism and political grudges to get in the way of doing the right thing when he vetoed Senate Bill 1. If passed, this bill would increase state funding for every school in Illinois by sending funding to districts where it is needed most according to a data-driven formula. A month ago, the Rauner administration claimed to be in support of 90 percent of this bill, which is more than most parties to any compromise get.

“Schools in my district will be forced to close as soon as the end of October if Senate Bill 1 does not become law. It is time for the General Assembly to come together and get this passed so that schools can open this fall and remain open all year.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Linda Holmes, D- Aurora, made the following statement following the passage of a full-year, balanced state budget:

“After more than two years, the state of Illinois finally has a balanced budget. The budget that we approved and sent to the governor’s desk today includes over $2.5 billion in responsible cuts. It also provides funding that will restore stability, which has been absent for more than two chaotic years, to state government. A full-year budget will allow social service providers, institutions of higher learning and government agencies to operate with more certainty. I call on Governor Rauner to stop the political games and sign the budget that we have approved.”

SPRINGFIELD – Aurora Democrat State Sen. Linda Holmes was recently appointed to serve on the Illinois General Assembly’s Human Trafficking Task force. The legislators, activists and law enforcement professionals that make up the task force will present suggestions to mitigate human trafficking in Illinois.

“I am honored and humbled by this opportunity to address this heinous crime in Illinois, the Midwest and the United States as a whole,” Holmes said. “We’ll be holding meetings across the state to help us understand how this crime affects the different regions of Illinois and what can be done to stop it.”

While often associated with prostitution, it is also common for victims of human trafficking to be forced to work against their will. According to a Global Slavery Index study released in 2016, there are 45.8 million people enslaved around the world.

Chicagoland, with its ample transportation infrastructure, has long been a port of entry used by traffickers. In 2003, The New York Times called the area one of the country’s major human trafficking hubs.

“Human trafficking is a serious and complex problem that will require cooperation from a diverse group of stakeholders to fix,” Holmes said. “I look forward to evaluating our current prevention measures and finding new and better ways to advocate for victims.”

SPRINGFIELD – In response to President Donald Trump’s recent actions on climate change, State Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, joined dozens of state elected officials in signing a letter to Gov. Bruce Rauner inviting him to stand with them in support the Paris Climate Agreement.

“We are calling on Governor Rauner to stand with us against global warming, rising sea levels and other preventable catastrophes,” Holmes said. “Illinois can and should continue to lead the way on environmental protection by working toward the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.”

President Trump withdrew support for the international agreement last week. The Paris Climate Agreement is a United Nations initiative that aims to manage the global average temperature, improve ability to adapt to climate change and increase investment in green technology. So far 148 of the 197 parties to the convention that drew up the agreement have ratified it.

Those who signed the letter to Gov. Rauner call on him to join the governors of 12 other states including Washington, California and New York in continuing to work to limit carbon emissions.

“Fighting climate change is especially important in a state like Illinois, where agriculture is so important to our economy and our communities. We should join states like Washington, California and New York in protecting the environment, as the president refuses to do so,” Holmes said.