Kane County Reporter

Linda Holmes introduced SB1413 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 31, 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. Provides that any public school employee who is a member of a statewide association and is appointed to a State board, advisory council, committee, commission, or task force to represent the association in State work may spend up to 10 days during a school term representing the association in State work. Provides that no deduction of wages may be made for such absence. 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 amends the School Code to allow any public school employee who is a member of a statewide association and appointed to a State board, advisory council, committee, commission, or task force to represent the association in State work to spend up to 10 days per school term in this capacity. No deduction of wages may be made for such absences. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Linda Holmes has proposed another nine 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
SB1413	01/31/2025	Amends the School Code. Provides that any public school employee who is a member of a statewide association and is appointed to a State board, advisory council, committee, commission, or task force to represent the association in State work may spend up to 10 days during a school term representing the association in State work. Provides that no deduction of wages may be made for such absence. Effective immediately.
SB1412	01/31/2025	Amends the Administrative Adjudications Division of the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that an ordinance established under the Division to establish a system of administrative adjudication shall allow hearing officers presiding over adjudicatory hearings to enter orders prohibiting further code violations or compelling the remediation of existing code violations.
SB1449	01/31/2025	Amends the Downstate Forest Preserve District Act. Allows the board of a forest preserve district to establish a special forest preserve district retailers' occupation tax and service occupation tax after referendum of the voters. Allows the tax to used exclusively for general purposes, including education, outdoor recreation, maintenance, operations, public safety at the forest preserves, trails, acquiring and restoring land, and any other lawful purposes or programs determined by the board of that district. Includes referendum language and additional ballot informational language. Incorporates provisions from the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act to implement the tax. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Special Forest Preserve Retailers' and Service Occupation Tax Fund. Effective immediately.
SB1471	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that nothing in the provisions shall require an ambulance provider to bill a beneficiary, insured, enrollee, or health insurance issuer when prohibited by any other law, rule, ordinance, contract, or agreement. Limits home rule powers. Changes the definition of "emergency services" and "health care provider". Amends the Health Maintenance Organization Act. Removes language providing that upon reasonable demand by a provider of emergency transportation by ambulance, a health maintenance organization shall promptly pay to the provider, subject to coverage limitations stated in the contract or evidence of coverage, the charges for emergency transportation by ambulance provided to an enrollee in a health care plan arranged for by the health maintenance organization.
SB1472	01/31/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that no more than 2 members of the board of review may be affiliated with the same political party (currently, 2 members of the board shall be affiliated with the political party polling the highest vote for any county office in the county). Effective immediately.
SB1290	01/28/2025	Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB0255	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB0256	01/22/2025	Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that a person shall not organize, sponsor, promote, conduct, or participate in any contest, organized competition, tournament, or derby that has as its objective the taking of a fur-bearing mammal for cash, prizes, or other inducement. Provides an exception for field trials, certain wildlife damage control activities, and certain lawful hunting or trapping activities. Establishes penalties for violations.
SB0257	01/22/2025	Creates the Cat Declawing Act. Provides that, except as otherwise provided in the Act, a person may not request or perform surgical claw removal, declawing, or a tendonectomy on any cat or otherwise alter a cat's toes, claws, or paws to prevent or impair the normal function of the cat's toes, claws, or paws. Authorizes a veterinarian, for a medically necessary and therapeutic purpose, to perform surgical claw removal, declawing, or tendonectomy on a cat or otherwise alter a cat's toes, claws, or paws. Contains enforcement provisions. Effective 90 days after becoming law.
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.