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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois Legislature operates the Commission
3on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA), the
4bipartisan fiscal forecasting arm of the General Assembly; and
 
5    WHEREAS, During the fiscal situation that began with the
6worldwide economic downturn of 2008-09, the work of COGFA has
7become increasingly vital as it has provided nonpolitical
8guidance to policymakers in and out of the Illinois General
9Assembly on the somber trends facing the State and its
10revenues; and
 
11    WHEREAS, During this challenging time, the Illinois
12General Assembly and the 12 legislative members of the
13Commission have been fortunate to have the services of COGFA's
14longtime Executive Director, Dan Long; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Dan Long graduated from the University of Illinois
16in 1975 and immediately began working for the office of
17Illinois State Comptroller, George W. Lindberg; the office of
18Comptroller was created by election in 1972 following
19ratification of the Constitution of 1970; when Dan started work
20for the State of Illinois, our State's new constitutional
21fiscal structure was less than two and a half years old; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, After more than 40 years, Dan Long has seen this
2fiscal structure from almost literally every angle, including
3that of Chief Fiscal Officer in the Executive Office of
4Governor James R. Thompson, executive rank in several code
5departments (the former Department of Commerce and Community
6Affairs, now DCEO, and the Department of Central Management
7Services (CMS)), and executive rank on the legislative staff of
8Illinois House Republican Leader and House Speaker Lee A.
9Daniels; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In February of 2001, Dan Long was appointed
11Executive Director of the Illinois Economic and Fiscal
12Commission, the legislative support arm that was renamed COGFA
13in the 2004 budget implementation (BIMP) bill; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Under law, a key statutory duty of COGFA's
15permanent staff is to work with the 12 legislative members of
16the Commission to provide the General Assembly and its members
17with "the most reliable and authoritative information
18available concerning economic developments and trends in this
19State and the operations of State Government"; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Soon after Dan Long took over at COGFA in early
212001, these economic developments and trends turned negative
22for Illinois, negative in real terms during all too many of
23these years and negative in relation to the other 49 U.S.

 

 

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1states in almost every year of the past 16; during this period
2of time, Dan's consummate professionalism, low-key
3personality, and prompt responses to legislators' inquiries
4won him the respect of almost every member of the Illinois
5General Assembly; and
 
6    WHEREAS, It is easy to be popular when one is the bearer of
7good news, but to be respected when one is the bearer of bad
8news is a sign of skill that deserves to be appreciated and
9remembered for a long time to come; and
 
10    WHEREAS, After 38 years working for the State of Illinois
11and after almost 42 years in public sector-related service, and
12much to the regret of the members of the Commission on
13Government Forecasting and Accountability and to the members of
14the General Assembly as a whole, Dan Long has announced his
15retirement effective July 31, 2017; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
17HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
18thank Dan Long for his almost four decades of public service,
19climaxing in his tenure of more than 16 years as the Executive
20Director of the Commission on Government Forecasting and
21Accountability (COGFA); and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That we mention and praise the role of Dan Long,

 

 

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1and COGFA's permanent staff, in providing guidance to the
2Illinois General Assembly during the challenging fiscal
3climate that has marked the history of Illinois since the
4events of 2001; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That we acknowledge the essential role of
6bipartisan support service agencies to the life of the Illinois
7General Assembly, and praise Dan Long and COGFA's permanent
8staff in their rapid responses to legislative members of both
9chambers and both parties as they have searched for data and
10guidance to meet these challenges; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That we wish Dan Long a full life upon his
12retirement, with the support of his friends, children, and
13family; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to Dan Long, Executive Director of the Commission on
16Government Forecasting and Accountability, as a sign of our
17deep respect for his public service.