Kane County Reporter

Linda Holmes introduced SB0076 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 13, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act. Provides that a public entity or a public employee is not liable for injury caused by any unauthorized access to government records, data, or electronic information systems by any person or entity."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act to establish that neither a public entity nor a public employee is liable for injuries resulting from unauthorized access to government records, data, or electronic information systems by any person or entity. This legal modification aims to provide clear immunity for local public entities and their employees from potential legal claims associated with such unauthorized breaches. The addition of Sections 2-107.5 and 2-210.5 explicitly clarifies the scope of this liability protection, reinforcing the safeguarding of governmental operations against the repercussions of unauthorized data or system access.

Linda Holmes has proposed another two bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Holmes graduated from National College of Education in 1984 with a BA.

Linda Holmes is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 42nd Senate District. She replaced previous state senator Phyllis Petka in 2007.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB0076	01/13/2025	Amends the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act. Provides that a public entity or a public employee is not liable for injury caused by any unauthorized access to government records, data, or electronic information systems by any person or entity.
SB0009	01/13/2025	Creates the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act. Authorizes a qualified patient with a terminal disease to request that a physician prescribe aid-in-dying medication that will allow the patient to end the patient's life in a peaceful manner. Contains provisions concerning: the procedures and forms to be used to request aid-in-dying medication; the responsibilities of attending and consulting physicians; the referral of patients for determinations of mental capacity; the residency of qualified patients; the safe disposal of unused medications; the obligations of health care entities; the immunities granted for actions taken in good faith reliance upon the Act; the reporting requirements of physicians; the effect of the Act on the construction of wills, contracts, and statutes; the effect of the Act on insurance policies and annuities; the procedures for the completion of death certificates; the liabilities and penalties provided by the Act; the construction of the Act; the definitions of terms used in the Act; and other matters. Effective 6 months after becoming law.
SB0077	01/13/2025	Amends the Illinois Local Library Act and the Public Library District Act of 1991. Requires competitive bidding for contracts in excess of $35,000 (rather than $25,000) for specified improvements and equipment purchases. Effective immediately.