SPRINGFIELD – A measure regarding animal welfare was introduced today by State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) in the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Senate Bill 241 amends the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to prohibit importation or sale of cosmetic products or ingredients that use animal testing after January 1, 2020. Modern testing alternatives are less expensive, faster and more predictive of human reactions than past practices of painful tests on animals to assess the safety of chemicals used in cosmetics. This ban does not include cosmetic products or ingredients that have been tested on animals but are currently being sold before the implementation date.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) passed a measure to address the election of trustees for the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District on Wednesday. Senate Bill 100 requires the trustees be elected rather than appointed. The bill had been vetoed by the governor in August 2018 and has been brought back to and approved in the Senate Local Government Committee.

“I believe it is important that those who represent the citizens of our communities should be elected and not appointed,” Holmes said. “This bill provides for trustee candidates to go on the ballot during consolidated elections. It represents government reform that will better serve water quality needs in the future for people in the Fox River Valley.”

SPRINGFIELD –Messages of budgetary stability and restored economic health are what State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) took away from Gov. JB Pritzker’s state budget speech this afternoon with his proposals for the upcoming state budget year, which covers July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.

Holmes was encouraged to hear Pritzker acknowledge the state’s dire need for a capital plan, after ten years without timely action on necessary infrastructure maintenance, repairs and new construction.

“We desperately need a stable, ongoing plan, and I’m getting input from my municipalities and school districts on their most urgent needs,” Holmes said. “The governor and I agree this issue requires us to do more than just fix what’s broken. I hope to see specific plans in the coming weeks that will invest in our infrastructure, create jobs and boost our economy to meet future challenges.”

SPRINGFIELD- On Tuesday, the Illinois State Board of Education announced that 28 Illinois school districts are eligible to receive a Property Tax Relief Grant for fiscal year 2019. The grant covers a portion of local property tax reductions up to the statutory limit.

Oswego District 308 was among 373 districts who applied for the relief but did not make the short eligibility list. Lawmakers Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) and Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) learned of the outcome and reacted with concerns for students and local property taxpayers. 

“I’m disappointed our districts won’t have this resource to support local schools and taxpayers,” Sen. Holmes said. “Seeing the number and amount of this year’s relief grants, I believe the formula needs some modifications to make the system more fair and equitable going forward.”