HR1368 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1368 LRB096 22826 KXB 42162 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Wisconsin State Representative Annette Polly Williams on her retirement; and

WHEREAS, Representative Williams was born on January 10, 1937, in Belzoni, Mississippi; she is a graduate of North Division High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and she received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; she is the mother of four, grandmother of seven, and great-grandmother of two; and

WHEREAS, She was elected to serve the 10th Assembly District in 1980; she was the longest serving woman in the history of the Wisconsin State Legislature until her retirement decision; she has the distinction of being the first Democratic Legislator in Wisconsin history to be appointed a committee chair by a Republican controlled Legislature; and

WHEREAS, During her time with the Wisconsin State Legislature she has served on a variety of committees, including: Women and Minorities, Commerce and Community Affairs, Primary and Secondary Education, Consumer and Commercial Credit, Census and Redistricting, Financial Institutions, and others; she has chaired the Assembly Committee on Education Reform, the Assembly Committee on Urban Education, the Assembly Committee on Consumer Affairs, the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and the Assembly Committee on Small Business; and

WHEREAS, Representative Williams has received many awards, including: the National Black Caucus of State Legislators Presidents Award for Distinguished Service in 1990, the United Community Center's Friends of the Hispanic Community Award in 1991, Freedom Magazine's 1992 National Human Rights Award, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's 1998 Life Time Achievement Award, the Milwaukee Times' Black Excellence (Pioneer) Award in 2001, and the Ouadrevon Hennings' Foundation Award; and

WHEREAS, Representative Williams plans on spending more time with her family and her church, while continuing to stay involved with the community and fighting for issues relating to children and their families; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Wisconsin State Representative Annette Polly Williams on her retirement and wish her all the best in her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Annette Polly Williams as a symbol of our respect and esteem.