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Every year the Animal Legal Defense Fund announces their Top Ten States for animal welfare laws. For the last 11 years, the state of Illinois has been number one.\xa0 Senator Linda Holmes is one of the main reasons for this. On this episode of the Awesome Vegans Podcast and Video series, Illinois Senator Linda Holmes takes a break from her busy schedule to join me by Skype.\xa0

Senator Holmes and I discuss two current animal bills, both of which she proposed. Both bills have passed the Illinois Senate and are waiting for a vote in the Illinois House. \xa0Specifically, Bill 61 deals with permits and fees for adopting and fostering animals and Bill 241 would prohibit the importation or sale of cosmetic products or ingredients that use animal testing after Jan 1, 2020.

We also discuss Senator Holmes\u2019s fight to ban wild and exotic animals, such as tigers and bears, from traveling circuses and fairs.\xa0 In 2017, Senator Holmes was successful in getting Illinois to be the first state to ban elephants from performing.\xa0

While Senator Holmes and I don\u2019t see eye to eye on everything, our discussion is a vibrant and passionate and hopeful one and she is an incredible advocate for animals.\xa0 For more information and to see the video companion to this podcast, visit http://ElysabethAlfano.com. To contact your IL representative to voice your support for Bills 61 and 241, visit http://ILGA.Gov.