NAPERVILLE – Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) and Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) will be hosting a free Mental Wellness Fair on Monday, July 19 to help local residents access important mental health services.

“This past year was tough on many of us,” Holmes said. “It is essential that residents have the information required to address their mental health needs and find tools to make adjustments in their lives.”

AURORA — Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) is pleased to see the state has invested $9 million to boost revitalization among small businesses through the community navigator outreach program. She believes this investment, along with recent news that the state’s fiscal outlook ratings are improving, bode well for the state’s economic recovery.

“The community navigator program helps small businesses navigate billions in available financial assistance from the state and the Small Business Administration through the American Rescue Plan Act,” Holmes said. “The 42^nd District can benefit from economic recovery grants, put employees back to work and continue rebuilding our economy post pandemic.”

SPRINGFIELD – After an unprecedented 14 months for the Illinois Department of Employment Security with thousands of residents out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bipartisan support for major reforms produced House Bill 2643. Sponsored by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (Aurora), the lead Senate Democrat on the Unemployment Insurance Agreed Bill process, the overhaul package was signed into law by the governor Friday.

“Business and labor groups, IDES, and Democratic and Republican members worked in a bipartisan fashion to craft this omnibus approach,” Holmes said. “It targets the weaknesses revealed in a system that wasn’t designed to address the wave of job losses, thousands of people calling with problems who couldn’t get answers, and fraudulent claims all hitting the state at once.”

SPRINGFIELD – The office of State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) welcomes residents to a Mobile Office Hours event in Oswego on Monday, June 28 from 12:00 to 3:00 pm.

“Our goal is to provide representatives from my district office in Aurora in a more convenient spot for those who live or work in the southwest portion of the 42^nd District to seek constituent services,” Holmes said. “Whether someone needs help with unemployment claims, a state agency or program, a FOID card issue, or answers to questions about other local or state issues, we are at your service.”

Mobile Office Hours will be June 28, noon to 3:00 pm in the Community Room of the village of Oswego’s City Hall, 100 Parkers Mill in Oswego.

“As we begin shifting out of pandemic mode, we welcome anyone to join us and have a face-to-face conversation,” Holmes concluded.