SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Environmental Council recognized State Sen. Linda Holmes as one of the General Assembly’s staunchest advocates for the environment in an announcement Thursday.

“Linda Holmes is a leader for the environment in Springfield,” said IEC Executive Director Jen Walling. “Senator Linda Holmes voted 100% of the time with the environmental community on seven pieces of key legislation. The IEC is honored by Linda Holmes’s dedication to Illinois’ environment and we look forward to working together in the future.”

In addition to sponsoring legislation that would have banned ivory sales in Illinois, Holmes also supported legislation to combat invasive plant species, protect an underground water source that feeds 15 Illinois counties and encourage better recycling of electronics by lowering local governments’ expenses in such efforts. Holmes also opposed legislation allowing the hunting of bobcats in Illinois.

“I appreciate the Illinois Environmental Council’s thanks, but I am even more thankful for their continued dedication to preserving the natural beauty and quality of life in our state for future generations,” Holmes said. “Being good stewards of the environment is a duty we cannot afford to ignore.”

SPRINGFIELD — State Sen. Linda Holmes issued the following statement following a Wednesday vote in the Senate to restore funding and original entry requirements to the Child Care Assistance Program.

“Governor Rauner’s decision to roll back accessibility to the Child Care Assistance Program is harmful to families who are doing all they can to work and ensure their children are cared for,” Holmes said. “Delays in funding have already caused the closure of a day care center in my district earlier this year. We can’t tell our working families that it’s better to just stay home. That’s why I support this measure and call on the House to pass it.”

The legislation is Senate Bill 570. It proceeds to the House for consideration.

New regulations ensure safe disposal of syringes and other sharp waste

SPRINGFIELD — The governor signed today a law to improve waste disposal worker safety and prevent the potential spread of disease, enacting a plan put forth by State Senator Linda Holmes.

“‘Sharps,’ like syringes, are a fact of life for one out of 12 Illinoisans, and that means one out of 12 Illinoisans is disposing of them somehow,” Holmes said. “I applaud the governor’s decision to affirm a law that ensures our sanitation workers are not being exposed to potential biohazards as they do their jobs.”

For proper disposal, syringes and other “sharps” should be collected in an appropriate sharps disposal container and can be disposed of in your regular trash. Even when placed in the appropriate plastic container, sharps should never be disposed of with recyclables.

Under the new law, disposing of sharp waste like syringes in recycling would be prohibited. It would also permit local governments to establish sharps collection points at medical centers and police or fire stations and to create a U.S. Postal Service-approved sharp waste mail-back program.

The legislation was Senate Bill 793. It becomes effective Jan. 1, 2016.

SPRINGFIELD — In an effort to curb the spread of invasive species and protect the environment, State Sen. Linda Holmes supported legislation signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner this week that adds more plants to the state's list of exotic weeds.

The Exotic Weeds Act prohibits the sale of invasive flora that threaten the ecosystem in Illinois.

“One of our most important duties as a government is the protection and preservation of our environment for future generations,” said Holmes, D-Aurora. “I'm pleased the governor has affirmed the expansion of this list.”

The updated Exotic Weeds Act adds a variety of new plant species to the list, including varieties of exotic bush honeysuckles, olives, salt cedar, poison hemlock, giant hogweed, Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), Japanese, giant and Bohemian knotweed, among numerous others.

The legislation was Senate Bill 681. It becomes effective Jan. 1.