News from Sen. Joyce

“Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

These powerful words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which I shared locally a few weeks back to honor Dr. King’s birthday and legacy, are very fitting as we begin 2023.

Last month, I told you about the devastating loss of my colleague Sen. Scott Bennett, who died of a massive brain tumor at just 45 years old. We continue to remember Scott’s tremendous personality and career in the Illinois Senate, while also trying to find ways to move forward.

His wife, Stacy, has had the toughest job of all, raising their young twins without her beloved husband. But as she recently told People magazine, she knew she could not simply grieve his loss quietly alone. She needed the healing touch of filling his seat for the final weeks of his term, which ended Wednesday, January 11, when we were sworn into the 103rd General Assembly.

“Finishing his term certainly complicated things,” she told the magazine, “but it was an important thing for me to do to provide closure to that part of our lives.”

I have recommitted myself in this new year, now serving in a newly redrawn Senate district, to leave a legacy of compassion and compromise like Scott lived every day. We have too much partisanship in our politics and focus too much on pitting people against each other rather than bringing them together. I want to be a legislator and public servant who leaves a positive impression.

I was proud to join my colleagues and local officials in Pembroke Township on January 23 to celebrate my legislation providing a natural gas heating source after decades of going without it. This is an important investment in the community, and we will continue to build on this important milestone.

We celebrated National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on January 9. After having worked closely with our brave law enforcement officers and states attorneys on improving our efforts at criminal justice reform in Springfield for much of past year, I am extra thankful for the selfless sacrifice our men and women in blue make to keep us safe. National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day might only be one day a year, but we should all take a moment to thank our officers for their service.

I was honored to receive the 2023 Friend of Agriculture Award from the Fertilizer and Chemical Association. As a multi-generation family farmer, who has led the Agriculture Committee in the Senate, I am committed to supporting our farmers and creating new opportunities for agriculture’s growth, here and around the world.

Car owners in Kankakee have a win in the new year, after the city administration and council worked together to end the hassle of city vehicle stickers. I thank them for making this commonsense decision.

I will share more with you in the coming months about my legislative priorities for this year. My goals include working to make it easier for those suffering from serious illness to get the health care they need, without the hassles that make care difficult. Everyone should have access to clean and affordable drinking water, and our next generation of leaders needs smaller class sizes and trained, prepared educators in our classrooms helping them learn and grow.

In these challenging times, remember Dr. King’s words and embrace the stone of hope that can help overcome our mountains of despair.

I urge you to contact me anytime I can help: 708-756-0882, or http://www.senatorpatrickjoyce.com/. I will continue to share the latest news on my website and on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/senPatrickjoyce40/.

Sen. Patrick Joyce

D-Essex, 40th State Senate District