AURORA – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) is pleased to announce the Fox Valley Montessori School in Aurora has received an Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Grant to fund a pollinator garden at the school.

“This is a great way of combining learning about Illinois habitats and repairing the fragile state of our pollinators’ habitat by letting kids get their hands dirty and enjoy some fresh air,” Holmes said. “Learning how pollinators are vital to our food supply is an important part of understanding how each of us can have a positive impact on our environment.”

The Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Conservation Fund (ICF) to support the development or enhancement of wildlife habitat on the school grounds or other public places. Projects funded by these grants are meant to teach children that their actions can make a difference in the world while increasing the use of native plants in Illinois.

Funding for the program is provided through donations to the ICF. More than $329,000 in Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant funding has been distributed since the program’s inception. A total of $35,524.59 will be distributed in this round, and Fox Valley Montessori’s grant is for $718.50.

Applications for the next round of Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Grants will be open soon, with an application deadline of Nov. 30, 2021. More information on applying for the next round of grants can be found on the IDNR website.

SPRINGFIELD – A new law takes effect Jan 1, 2021 to prevent pharmaceutical and insurance companies from continuing to excessively profit off Illinoisans who manage their diabetes with insulin.

Co-sponsored by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), Senate Bill 667 makes Illinois the second state in the nation to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 per month for all patients using a state regulated insurance plan, regardless of the supply they require. 

“This law challenges corporate greed and ensures people with diabetes don’t pay unfair prices for a medication they cannot live without,” Holmes said. “I am ready to work with my colleagues in the upcoming legislative session to continue to reform prescription drug pricing and reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs.” 

The cap applies to commercial insurance plans regulated by the state and increases annually based on data from the Department of Insurance, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. The data will include findings on insulin pricing practices and recommendations to control and prevent overpricing of prescription insulin drugs.

Holmes worked alongside bill sponsor State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), and other advocacy groups to build a grassroots advocacy campaign to drive this historic legislation through the General Assembly.

SPRINGFIELD– Kendall Area Transit will receive a $505,494 grant to improve its mass transit system, State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) announced Monday.

Holmes and her Senate colleagues worked to prioritize mass transit systems during negotiations on Rebuild Illinois in the landmark, bipartisan statewide capital construction plan.

“In our growing area, public transit is becoming more and more vital for residents to travel in the district and to the city. Funding opportunities like these help us close the gaps and upgrade facilities and equipment,” Holmes said. These improvements are made possible by the multi-year state transportation plan, Rebuild Illinois.

Grant funds will be used for a bus surveillance system, two new paratransit buses, engineering and design for a new bus terminal, and a new digital radio system.

“These improvements will mean better access, security and communications for KAT and those they serve,” Holmes said. “This expansion will make it possible for more riders to get where they need to go, including work and school, as our economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.”

AURORA – Illinois Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) is pleased to learn 19 businesses in the 42^nd District are receiving financial assistance from the Business Interruption Grant program to help offset financial losses stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. More funding is available, and Holmes is encouraging more businesses to apply.

“Small business owners have been some of the people hardest hit by the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Holmes said. “These grants will help them keep their doors open and their employees paid while keeping the community safe.”

In the district Holmes represents, 19 businesses are receiving a combined $1,155,000. Each business received between $5,000 and $150,000 to help cover the costs of payroll, rent, utilities and other working capital during the time they have experienced interruptions due to the pandemic.

AURORA – As many businesses continue to struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) is encouraging small business owners to apply for the second round of the Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program, a key piece of the state’s pandemic response effort.

“Local businesses have confronted unmatched challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m pleased we have another round of grants available to help them get back on their feet,” said Holmes. “Their resourcefulness and flexibility has helped them adapt to new safety guidelines, and I hope this program can give them the means to bounce back.”

The BIG program has allocated $220 million to Illinois small businesses in the second round, with priority given to businesses in regions under increased mitigation measures. BIG funds may be used to help businesses cover the costs of payroll, rent, utilities and other working capital during the time they have experienced interruptions due to the pandemic.

To ensure funds are distributed across the state and across business type, $60 million has been specifically allocated for heavily distressed industries, including indoor recreation facilities and amusement parks, and another $70 million has been set aside for businesses located in disproportionately impacted areas, or low-income areas that have experienced high rates of COVID-19. For a full list of eligible zip codes, click here.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded a total of $46 million to 2,655 small businesses in the first round of BIG funding earlier this year. Those grants went to Illinois restaurants and bars, barbershops and salons, and fitness centers. In the Aurora area, 33 local businesses received a combined $540,000.

“It was gratifying to see our local businesses get this boost in the first round of the BIG program,” Holmes said. “I encourage all affected businesses who haven’t yet applied to apply for funding as soon as possible.”

Applications for the second round of the BIG program are available now and can be found on DCEO’s website at Illinois.gov/dceo.

AURORA – According to a study by the Illinois Department of Public Health, 26 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Illinois each day.

The prognosis for breast cancer is best if the diagnosis occurs in the condition’s earliest stages, which is why Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) is reminding women that Oct. 16 is National Mammography Day.

“Getting a routine mammogram or scheduling one if a woman believes there may be a problem improves the odds for treatment if it is necessary,” Holmes said. “Studies show that screening mammography can help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer among women ages 40 to 74, and especially for those over age 50.”

On Friday, September 18, the United States lost its petite powerhouse in the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ginsburg died at her home in Washington, D.C., surrounded by family. She was 87 and succumbed to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer after multiple rounds with the disease.

In reaction to news of her loss September 18, members of the Senate Women’s Caucus responded with sorrow and resolve, and released the following statement: