Illinois State Senator Patrick Joyce

Joyce raises awareness for home fire protection with resolution

Details: Category: Press Releases; Wednesday, May 14, 2025 01:39 PM

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SPRINGFIELD – To educate homeowners about the importance of home fire sprinkler systems, State Senator Patrick Joyce presented a resolution to the Senate Wednesday.

“Home fire sprinklers are one of the most important safety measures in households,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “These systems can provide peace of mind and protect homes from major fire devastation.”

Senate Resolution 96 declares the week of May 11-17, 2025 as Home Fire Sprinkler Week in Illinois. The purpose of this resolution is to raise awareness about sprinkler systems and promote education to prevent the damage and risks that house fires cause to families, firefighters and structures.

Joyce advances multiple measures to help landowners with deer control

Details: Category: Press Releases; Thursday, May 01, 2025 01:43 PM

Wildlife sweet corn

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patrick Joyce advanced three measures that would give landowners and farmers more flexibility when it comes to hunting deer on their own property.

“Illinois farmers, who are experiencing substantial crop damage and lower yields, need a better way to manage deer populations on their farms,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “Let’s give these farmers the tools they need to handle nuisance deer during the growing season.”

Senate Bill 710 would address multiple issues with the nuisance deer program and deer hunting tags. Currently for nuisance deer, a property owner has to prove each year that there has been damage to property, like destruction of crops, by the deer. Farmers have been requesting a better way to handle this because under the current program, they cannot manage the deer population until after a problem has occurred. The bill would allow the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to issue deer removal permits based on the percentage of permits redeemed in the previous season by the recipient. The bill would also allow for an expansion of youth hunting tags from one to two.

Joyce-supported proposal to address rising Xylazine crisis passes Senate

Details: Category: Press Releases; Wednesday, April 30, 2025 02:15 PM

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patrick Joyce supported a proposal that would address the rise in synthetic opioids, along with other synthetic drugs.

“Overdoses in the 40^th District are on the rise – and we need to crackdown on the spread of Xylazine before more lives are lost,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “This legislation has taken years’ worth of work – and I am proud to have played a role in its passage.”

Joyce is co-sponsoring the proposal, brought by the Illinois State Police, in response to the steep increase in Xylazine-related drug overdoses reported in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that Xylazine-related overdose deaths increased from two reported deaths in 2018, to 45 in 2020 and 155 deaths in 2021.

Twelve school libraries in the 40th District receive funding thanks to Joyce

Details: Category: Press Releases; Tuesday, April 22, 2025 09:23 AM

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patrick Joyce secured more than $21,000 in grants to provide resources for twelve public school libraries in the 40^th District.

“In this new age of technology, we cannot forget about our school libraries,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “School libraries are the birthplace of strong reading habits, research skills and student achievement.”

More than $1.3 million was awarded to 2,484 Illinois public school libraries through the Secretary of State’s School District Library Grant Program. Resources and services supported through the grant include library books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, multilingual materials, technology and programs.

Welcome

Welcome to my official Senate website. This will be your tool for news about what I am doing in Springfield, important information regarding the 40th District and events taking place in and around our community.

It is important to me to have a resource available to my constituents with content necessary to keep you informed as well as a place to have your voice heard. Please continue to visit this site as it grows and see how I am working for you.

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