HR0652 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0652 LRB103 39837 MST 70522 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Joel Jay Africk on his retirement from full-time employment as CEO of the Respiratory Health Association and commend him for his unwavering commitment to improving the health of residents of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk is a native of Chicago; he graduated from Niles North High School, the University of Illinois (Urbana), and Harvard Law School; afterward, he clerked for the Honorable Judge Bernard M. Decker and became a partner in the Chicago law firm of Jenner & Block, LLP, where he represented clients in a broad range of business litigation matters from 1984 to 2001; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk became the CEO of the Respiratory Health Association in 2002, focusing on creating a safer and healthier environment for Illinois families; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk helped pass the Chicago Smoke-Free Ordinance in 2005, amending the Clean Air Act to make all places of employment 100% smoke-free in the City of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk's leadership helped pass the 2007 Smoke-free Illinois Act, making all restaurants, bars, and other workplaces in Illinois 100% smoke-free; the law is considered the strongest smoke-free law in the country, as it includes casinos and private clubs in its list of required smoke-free venues; this policy was supported by more than 450 organizations and tens of thousands of advocates; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk helped pass the State's first No Idling Diesel Law, which limited diesel truck idling in the metropolitan Chicago and metro East St. Louis areas to 10 minutes; following this legislation, the Respiratory Health Association along with Citizen Action/Illinois formally launched the Illinois Campaign to Clean Up Diesel Pollution, with the aim to significantly clean up diesel pollution in the State; to date, over 80 public health, community, labor, and environmental organizations have endorsed the campaign; in 2008, he helped secure $19.5 million in federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Improvement funding to clean up diesel engines in the Chicago metropolitan area, the largest amount of money the committee has dedicated for diesel cleanup in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk launched the first annual Living Better Together COPD Conference in 2005, the largest patient gathering in the U.S., and led a coalition in the development of the nation's first statewide COPD plan to reduce COPD-related morbidity and mortality, which improved the quality of life for people in Illinois living with COPD; he created the COPD Caregiver's Toolkit in 2017, which was digitalized and became available nationwide on the National Institute of Health website in 2023; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk's effort to ensure smoke-free places for Illinois residents enabled the Chicago Parks districts to adopt a smoke-free park policy, covering 580 parks, 90 gardens, 90 museum campuses, 9 lakefront harbors, 9 skating rinks, and more than 24 miles of lakefront property, becoming the largest smoke-free park district in the country; the Respiratory Health Association's efforts, with the help of many advocates and institutions, reduced the adult smoking rate in Illinois from 20.9% in 2011 to 12.1% in 2021 and the statewide youth smoking rate from 12.5% in 2009 to 1.1% in 2021; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk was passionate about raising awareness and support for community events that supported the mission to create smoke-free environments in Illinois; he championed initiatives through creative community events, propelling The Witt Hotel and The Hustle, which has raised just under $21 million over its lifetime, the Jewelry Television, and Catch Your Breath fundraisers and three Chicago Auto Show black-tie galas to support the Respiratory Health Association and community efforts in promoting Smoke-Free Illinois and patient support programs; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk and the Respiratory Health Association worked with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in 2009 to release a Green Construction Executive Order, which requires all state-funded road construction projects, in non-attainment areas, to use clean construction practices; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk and the Respiratory Health Association worked to pass the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act in 2021, which sets Illinois on the path to 100% clean energy by 2050 and commits millions of dollars to quickly expand transportation electrification in Illinois; this law has been instrumental in closing or preventing 23 coal power plant operations; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk was born to Diane (Lazow) and Richard Africk, along with younger siblings, Michael Africk and Juli Noll; he married Julie Magyar on December 17, 1989, and they have three children, Jared (Kate), Megan, and Sarah Africk; and

WHEREAS, Joel Africk looks forward to spending more time with his family, traveling, and cycling in retirement; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Joel Africk on his retirement from full-time employment as the CEO of Respiratory Health, and we commend him on his many years of service on behalf the residents in the State of Illinois and beyond; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Joel Africk as a symbol of our esteem and respect.