Kane County Reporter

Linda Holmes introduced SB0123 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 17, 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 School Code. Creates the Waiver Process Task Force. Sets forth provisions concerning membership, meetings, and support services. Provides that the purposes of the Task Force are to examine the current waiver response process and make recommendations on a more equitable and fair waiver response at the elementary and secondary school levels in this State; develop and use metrics to access the viability of waiver requests and the impact of such requests on students in kindergarten through grade 12; promote training and professional development on creating waiver requests that include accountability measures for teachers and other community stakeholders across this State; identify and seek local, State, and national resources to support an equitable and fair waiver process; and complete such other strategies as may be identified by the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on how waivers should be requested, how waivers should be reviewed for approval, and how to demonstrate the ability to fulfill accountability measures proposed in requested waivers. Requires the Task Force to file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2025. Effective immediately."

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

In essence, this bill establishes the Waiver Process Task Force to evaluate and improve the waiver response process for elementary and secondary schools in Illinois. Composed of various representatives from the legislature, education, health, and community organizations, the Task Force will assess current processes, develop metrics for evaluating waiver requests, and recommend training for stakeholders. Its duties include proposing recommendations to enhance fairness and accountability in waiver requests and identifying necessary resources at local, state, and national levels. The Task Force must report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2025, and will dissolve on Jan. 1, 2027. The Act is effective immediately upon becoming law.

Linda Holmes has proposed another three 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
SB0123	01/17/2025	Amends the School Code. Creates the Waiver Process Task Force. Sets forth provisions concerning membership, meetings, and support services. Provides that the purposes of the Task Force are to examine the current waiver response process and make recommendations on a more equitable and fair waiver response at the elementary and secondary school levels in this State; develop and use metrics to access the viability of waiver requests and the impact of such requests on students in kindergarten through grade 12; promote training and professional development on creating waiver requests that include accountability measures for teachers and other community stakeholders across this State; identify and seek local, State, and national resources to support an equitable and fair waiver process; and complete such other strategies as may be identified by the Task Force. Provides that the Task Force shall make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on how waivers should be requested, how waivers should be reviewed for approval, and how to demonstrate the ability to fulfill accountability measures proposed in requested waivers. Requires the Task Force to file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2025. Effective immediately.
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.
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.
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.