SPRINGFIELD – As a steadfast advocate for better, safer and less abusive practices with animals, State Senator Linda Holmes passed legislation on Thursday to address concerns around abusive testing methods on animals in medical experiments.

“In the past, it was standard procedure for testing facilities to use cats and dogs for experiments, causing suffering, excessive confinement and death for thousands of animals,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “In recent years, a variety of new testing methods have been developed and proven effective that don’t require the use of animals.”

SPRINGFIELD – Many homeowners have something lurking in their basement or garage that could be disposed of, but there hasn’t been a means to get rid of it safely: unused household paint. A new initiative sponsored by State Senator Linda Holmes would establish a program to dispose of household paint, and the legislation passed Thursday in the Senate.

The Paint Stewardship Act in Senate Bill 836 creates a means for consumers to dispose of household paint in Illinois. No state resources are in place today to deal with this waste. Under this law, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will use PaintCare, a nonprofit organization that operates the post-consumer program with paint manufacturers to run the process and provide convenient, free dropoff sites statewide.

“It is exciting to offer this prospective service to Illinoisans with old paint taking up space in their homes,” Holmes (D-Aurora) said. “To get rid of it in an environmentally safe manner will give us an opportunity to make our state’s soil and water cleaner for our children and to safely produce our crops to feed the state and nation.”

SPRINGFIELD – Longtime animal welfare backer State Senator Linda Holmes passed a law in 2017 to prohibit the use of an elephant in a traveling animal act. On Friday, she moved legislation to further address public safety concerns with “roadside zoos” by creating a Class B misdemeanor for allowing a member of the public to come into contact with a bear or nonhuman primate.

“The public handling and show of these animals continues a cycle of endless breeding where they are born into captivity to be used as props and business commodities,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “They also may result in harm to the person or animal in such a situation — a risk that could create a terrible tragedy.”

SPRINGFIELD – After Illinois enacted a law in 2021 to stop pet stores from selling pets from unscrupulous breeders, some of those establishments chose to skirt that law with a loophole. State Senator Linda Holmes passed a new piece of legislation on Thursday to close the loophole and protect pet lovers from overpriced puppies that are often bred in inhumane conditions.

“Apparently the shady breeders who spent millions of dollars lobbying to stop our efforts in 2021 wanted to continue their practices,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “Many of my colleagues and I, as well as animal welfare supporters statewide, believe pets suffer and often don’t survive the greed and inhumane care this process is known for.”