SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Linda Holmes wants all Illinoisans to learn more about Multiple Sclerosis and how it affects the lives of more than 20,000 individuals in the state, including their family, friends and loved ones. Worldwide, MS is thought to affect more than 2.3 million people.

March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. As one of those 20,000 people in Illinois with MS, Holmes spoke of her experience on the Senate floor last week while presenting a Senate Resolution marking March 10-16 as MS Awareness Week in Illinois.

“There are a range of symptoms that vary in type and severity and, in time, may diminish or disappear, or persist and worsen,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “MS is a continuous disease process that is influenced and driven by underlying mechanisms of central nervous system damage.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Linda Holmes released the following statement in response to Governor JB Pritzker’s budget proposal Wednesday:

“In recent years, we’ve built a more secure fiscal position for Illinois. The governor’s proposed budget builds on those previous accomplishments to ensure this stability continues, with attention to current economic realities.

“Right now, food insecurity is a growing problem for many Illinois families. My Farm to Food Bank Program is building a supply chain where farmers can give surplus food to food banks across the state for hungry families. Advancing from a plan to putting meals on tables will require funds, and the governor indicated his commitment to provide more fresh foods – meat, dairy, produce – than food banks sometimes have.

“With the governor’s proposal shared for consideration, now it is our turn, and lawmakers will consider our obligations and priorities alongside the needs of Illinois families for the coming year and beyond.”

BATAVIA – State Senator Linda Holmes is pleased to share that a $2.8 million investment in a community recreation facility has been awarded to serve Batavia, through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

“I’m happy to see the Batavia Park District receive these funds for their project to create a large indoor recreation center,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “The Callahan Community Center will establish 8,480 square feet for indoor recreation spaces to serve a variety of programs available to area residents of all ages and abilities.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Linda Holmes sponsors legislation on a variety of topics each year, and it isn’t unusual for her animal welfare bills to gain media attention. That has risen to a new level this week as her “bear selfie” law has been featured in National Geographic.

“Throughout my career in the Illinois Senate, I have championed laws that address how wild and domestic animals are confined and used for profit, often in dangerous and unhealthy conditions,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “The Wild Animal Public Safety Act addresses concerns with roadside zoos and traveling exhibitions by prohibiting close public contact with all primates and bears.”

The new law took effect Jan. 1, 2024, making it a Class B misdemeanor for any person to allow any member of the public, except for certain exempted people, to encounter a bear or primate. The National Geographic story added that Holmes’ 2017 law made Illinois the first state to prohibit using captive elephants in traveling circuses.