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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to commend former Illinois State | ||||||
| 4 | Representative Barbara Flynn Currie for her decades of | ||||||
| 5 | service, her trailblazing leadership, and her lifelong | ||||||
| 6 | commitment to building a more just and equitable Illinois; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, Rep. Currie, LAB'58, AB'68, AM'73, made history | ||||||
| 8 | in 1997 as the first woman to serve as majority leader of the | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois House of Representatives, a position she held with | ||||||
| 10 | distinction for more than two decades; and | ||||||
| 11 | WHEREAS, Rep. Currie, during her 40 years in the Illinois | ||||||
| 12 | House of Representatives, was a pioneering lawmaker, known for | ||||||
| 13 | her independence, integrity, and progressive vision, and | ||||||
| 14 | played a central role in passing landmark legislation, which | ||||||
| 15 | included efforts to expand access to health care, protect | ||||||
| 16 | reproductive rights, promote marriage equality, end the death | ||||||
| 17 | penalty, and advance economic opportunity for working | ||||||
| 18 | families; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, Rep. Currie's leadership extended beyond the | ||||||
| 20 | legislature as she helped to found the Illinois Women's | ||||||
| 21 | Institute for Leadership (IWIL) Training Academy, an | ||||||
| 22 | organization dedicated to training, mentoring, and empowering | ||||||
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| 1 | pro-choice Democratic women to run for office and serve in | ||||||
| 2 | public leadership; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, Rep. Currie, as a Founding Mother and past | ||||||
| 4 | president of IWIL Training Academy, inspired generations of | ||||||
| 5 | women leaders in Illinois, providing them with the skills, | ||||||
| 6 | knowledge, and confidence to seek elected office and serve | ||||||
| 7 | their communities; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, Rep. Currie will be honored with the Trailblazers | ||||||
| 9 | Award by the IWIL Training Academy on October 16, 2025 in | ||||||
| 10 | recognition of her extraordinary contributions to public | ||||||
| 11 | service, her groundbreaking role as a legislative leader, and | ||||||
| 12 | her enduring legacy of empowering women in politics; | ||||||
| 13 | therefore, be it | ||||||
| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 15 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 16 | we commend former Illinois State Representative Barbara Flynn | ||||||
| 17 | Currie for her decades of service, her trailblazing | ||||||
| 18 | leadership, and her lifelong commitment to building a more | ||||||
| 19 | just and equitable Illinois, and we extend our congratulations | ||||||
| 20 | to her on her well-deserved recognition with the IWIL Training | ||||||
| 21 | Academy's 2025 Trailblazers Award; and be it further | ||||||
| 22 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
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| 1 | presented to Rep. Currie as a symbol of our respect and esteem. | ||||||