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.

For more information, visit Chicago Tonight.

The State Journal-Register - July 15, 2015 | Original article

By Dean Olsen

Advocates for low-income families needing state-subsidized child care blasted Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday for putting in place more stringent eligibility guidelines that have reduced new enrollment in the program to a trickle.

"This is one of the most coldhearted measures a governor can take," Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, said at a Capitol news conference alongside more than a dozen of her fellow Democrats from the Illinois House and Senate.

She said Rauner's decision is counterproductive for someone who has said he wants to be business-friendly and compassionate. Subsidized child care is essential for low-wage workers, often single parents, to afford to work or further their educations, Holmes said.

"Is it business-friendly to tell parents: 'Oh, by the way, you can't work your job. ... You have to stay home to take care of your kids because there is no child care assistance for you?' " Holmes said.

Read the full story at the Springfield State Journal-Register.