AURORA — Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) was pleased to see that Fitch Ratings – one of the three major credit rating agencies for state governments and other large borrowers – has upgraded Illinois’ outlook from negative to positive.

“Fitch’s decision to change its outlook on Illinois is a sign that we have been making responsible budget decisions,” Holmes said. “Despite the pandemic, we’ve made positive progress on reducing unnecessary spending and cutting down our bill backlog, and the ratings agencies have taken notice.”

In its decision, Fitch cited that the state chose to fully pay back federal borrowing for expenses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, that late payment penalties on the state’s backlog of unpaid bills have dropped by nearly 80% since 2017, and that the state has actually cut general fund spending by approximately $1 billion since fiscal year 2020.

SPRINGFIELD – Following unprecedented job losses and economic hardship due to the pandemic, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) sponsored a bipartisan reform package to address challenges faced by the Illinois Department of Employment Security during the unemployment surge, which has now passed the House of Representatives and is one step closer to becoming law.

“IDES, Democratic and Republican lawmakers, and business and labor groups worked together to craft this omnibus approach,” Holmes said. “It targets the weaknesses revealed in a system that wasn’t designed to address the wave of job losses, phone calls and fraudulent claims all hitting the department at once.”

SPRINGFIELD — Assistant Majority Leader Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) applauded investments in pensions, local governments and the Illinois workforce in the upcoming fiscal year budget, which passed the Senate Monday.

“This is a balanced budget. I believe the most important part of what we passed tonight is that we will make our full pension payment as planned,” Holmes said. “This is such a cornerstone of our ongoing efforts to address our underfunded pension system.”

Holmes noted this budget funds the Local Government Distributive Fund, which allocates resources to local governments, at 100% with $1.6 billion. With many communities still recovering from the pandemic, this investment could help governments fund everyday core services for their residents without increasing property taxes or other fees.

“One state agency in particularly urgent need of recovery resources is our Department of Employment Security,” said Holmes. “The pandemic revealed flaws in an unemployment security system that wasn’t designed to address the job losses, service problems and fraudulent claims that hit the state all at once last year.”

An increase of $163.9 million in state funds and $10 million in federal funds will go toward upgrading IDES technology to better serve out-of-work Illinoisans for FY2022. IDES will also get an extra round of funding for the current year of $525.8 million

SPRINGFIELD – A measure to compel pet stores to get their animals from animal shelters or animal control facilities passed the Senate Monday, co-sponsored by Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), in an effort to discourage the sale of pets from unscrupulous breeders and puppy mills and instead provide loving homes to animals who need them most.

“I’m proud to join in House Bill 1711 to push legislation on a pet store business model that has been growing across the U.S.,” Holmes said. “Puppy mills are a major source of animals for many pet stores, but their breeding practices result in sick and sometimes terminally ill animals, which can result in heartache for families.”

SPRINGFIELD – After an unprecedented 14 months for the Illinois Department of Employment Security with thousands of residents out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senate passed a bipartisan reform package Sunday led by Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) to overhaul the way the department addresses unemployment benefits claims.

“This represents an agreement by business and labor groups along with IDES, to fix the state’s unemployment system,” said Holmes. “It aims to correct the flaws revealed in a system that wasn’t designed to address the job losses, customer service problems, and fraudulent claims that hit the state all at once during the pandemic.”

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) moved legislation this week that would expand workers’ compensation for firefighters and EMTs to cover a potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant staph infection that poses a particularly high risk to first responders.

House Bill 3662 would amend the Workers’ Compensation Act. It presumes that these professionals would be exposed to MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in the course of their employment.

“The job of a firefighter or EMT includes administering up-close care to people who may be MRSA carriers or infected with MRSA,” Holmes said. “This puts first responders at increased risk for MRSA contamination—it’s common sense that a MRSA infection should be covered under workers’ compensation policies.”

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Linda Holmes’ (D-Aurora) legislation to allow pregnant women to use a disabilities vehicle placard or sticker in their third trimester passed the Senate today.

Holmes was motivated to sponsor the legislation, originally introduced by Representative Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora) in the House, after hearing the story of Wheeler’s district office director Ben Marcum and his family, who inspired the measure.

“Rep. Wheeler has a personal connection with a family who suffered a devastating loss that may have been avoided if this had been in place two years ago,” Holmes said. “This can prevent future heartbreak if an expectant mother has a long, exhausting walk to work or school without the aid of temporary disability parking access.”

When Marcum’s wife was pregnant with their first child in 2019, she faced a long, difficult walk from her car to her office, which only became more grueling as her pregnancy progressed. When Marcum tried to secure disability parking privileges for his wife, he was shocked to learn that pregnancy was not considered a qualifying condition. Unfortunately, his wife went into early labor at 21 weeks, and their son Henry only survived an hour.

The legislation would allow an expectant mother in her third trimester to use a disabilities placard for up to 90 days To qualify, an individual would have to provide documentation proving that they have entered the third trimester.

“In memory of Henry Marcum and in honor of pregnant women who could use some additional support during their third trimester, I’m am happy to sponsor this commonsense measure,” Holmes said. “I’m grateful to Rep. Wheeler for bringing it to my attention.”

House Bill 3027 has passed both chambers of the Illinois legislature.

SPRINGFIELD –There are 17 pet stores in Illinois who offer installment contract loans for the purchase of a cat or dog. House Bill 572, sponsored by Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) to prohibit the use of these loans, passed the Senate Friday.

“This is predatory lending with interest rates anywhere from 30 to 150 percent and higher,” Holmes said. “Most pet stores have issues with their animals coming from unprincipled breeders and puppy mills – some in poor condition – so these consumers can end up thousands in debt and grieving as well.”

If a sales finance agency violates the Sales Finance Agency Act, their financing, contracts or loans will be null and void and they’ll have no right to collect any funds related to the loan. This measure is an initiative of the Humane Society of the United States in line with their campaign to end the sale of puppy mill pets. They are working to encourage pet stores to instead provide adoptable animals from shelters and focus on sales of pet food, toys, training aids and pet apparel.

“The financing of pets is just another way puppy mills and their sales outlets get away with selling puppies for thousands of dollars to unsuspecting consumers, many of whom end up with extremely high interest rates and hidden fees they cannot afford,” said Marc Ayers, Illinois Director for The Humane Society of the U.S. “We applaud Senator Holmes and the vast majority of Illinois lawmakers who supported this bill which helps both animals and families that are looking to acquire a new dog or cat.”

“Changing their practices can keep pet stores in business but avoid ridiculous prices and financing for what may be poorly bred animals, and this is a significant incentive for them to change,” Holmes said. “There are so many animals in shelters that need good homes, and I see this as a win for animals and their families.”

HB 572 passed in the House unanimously on April 16 and has now passed in the Senate.