February a month of caring, investing, remembering

February is our shortest month of the year, and it is often one of our most challenging with winter weather. It’s a busy month for me and my team as we prepare for another legislative session in Springfield.

We take time in February for important reflection.

Black History Month offers a powerful reminder of the hard-fought wins of the labor movement and the tremendous sacrifices made by Black men and women for generations. We celebrated the Feb. 12 birthday of one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, who helped our country through its most divisive fight over slavery.

We collected boxes and boxes of Valentine’s Day cards to show local seniors how much we care about them. Thank you to everyone who took time to drop off a card to make a senior’s day a little brighter.

I shared in last month’s column about state resources available for ensuring everyone stays warm and safe in severe and challenging winter weather conditions. I had the honor of receiving the 2024 Public Service Award from the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, which keeps the power on in even the most trying storms. I thank the association and its members for their selfless service.

Throughout the year, I connect our district with state grants to ensure we are investing in our success. Earlier this month, the village of Bourbonnais announced that we had helped secure $110,000 for an exciting project at Riverfront Park – one of two local parks along the Kankakee River with many attractions for local residents and visitors. These funds will help enhance this beautiful park as local leaders work on expansion and improvements.

As we file our legislation and consider the next state budget, I work closely each spring with the leaders of communities throughout Illinois' 40th Senate District to help meet their needs. I enjoyed joining state Rep. Anthony DeLuca to discuss local and state issues with the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association.

Our latest legislative session will be hitting high gear in March, and we soon will be busy debating and passing legislation that affects our district and state. I encourage you to follow along with the legislation I am sponsoring at bit.ly/4bkKMPn.

If you need help with a state professional license or have an issue, join me and my colleagues in the Legislature on March 25 at Kankakee Community College’s North Extension Center in Bradley for a licensing event with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

I urge you to contact me anytime I can help at 708-756-0882 or senatorpatrickjoyce.com. I will continue to share the latest news on my website and on my Facebook page.

Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, represents the 40th District of the Illinois Senate. The district includes all or parts of Kankakee, Will, Grundy and Cook counties. He can be reached by calling 708-756-0882.