SR0764 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0764 LRB104 21731 LAW 37381 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate former Illinois State Senator and current U.S. Representative Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia on the occasion of his retirement from public service; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Garcia immigrated to the United States from Durango, Mexico, arriving in Chicago at the age of 9 in 1965; early in his career, he served as a community organizer for labor rights and inclusive city services in Chicago; he was appointed as deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Water in 1984; that same year, he was elected as ward committeeman of the Cook County Democratic Party's 22nd Ward; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Garcia was elected as alderperson of the 22nd Ward on the Chicago City Council in 1986, becoming the first Mexican American alderperson of Little Village; in this position, he helped strengthen progressive city governance during Chicago's Council Wars by giving Mayor Harold Washington a majority in the council, championed immigrant access to city services, advocated for protection from excessive or unfair fees, established himself as a coalition builder across multiracial and working-class communities, commissioned the construction of the iconic Little Village Arch landmark, and served as chair of the Aviation Committee, through which he helped implement the Automated Guideway Transit at O'Hare International Airport; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Garcia continued cementing his legacy as a trailblazer when he became the first Mexican American to serve as a member of the Illinois Senate, a position he held from 1993 to 1999; during his time in office, he was known for producing and supporting targeted, high-impact legislation, including the Language Assistance Services Act of 1993, which required hospitals and long-term care facilities to provide language assistance for limited English-speaking patients and communication support for deaf/hard-of-hearing patients, making language access a legal, required obligation, improving patient safety, informed consent, and care outcomes, and establishing a precedent for language access as a core public service; he also helped pass legislation to protect the welfare and safety of migrant workers, and he advocated for immigrant and Latino representation, education equity for Chicago schools, transit and infrastructure for working-class communities, and Latino empowerment in Springfield; further, he was elected chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus before the formation of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus; and

WHEREAS, After his time in the Illinois Senate, Rep. Garcia served as the founding executive director of the Little Village Community Development Corporation, now known as Enlace Chicago, growing it from a one-person start-up to a major nonprofit with a multimillion-dollar budget, 27 full-time staff members, and 120 part-time staff members; through the organization, he advocated for community schools, provided after-school programs and anti-violence work, advocated for criminal justice reform and educational opportunity expansion, and helped lead a 19-day hunger strike to build a long-promised new high school; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Garcia was elected to serve the 7th District on the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2010, during which he served as floor leader of the board, ended county cooperation with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which served as a national model, passed minimum wage increases and paid sick leave ordinances, advocated for anti-housing discrimination policies, established the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation, and promoted public services equity at the county level; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Garcia has represented the 4th Congressional District of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019; upon his election the year prior, he became the first Mexican American from the Midwest to serve in the United States Congress; during his tenure, he has been elected and served as Deputy Whip and Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), was appointed Vice Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, focused on immigration reform, labor rights, healthcare access, affordable housing, and consumer protection, advocated for and secured gains in equitable infrastructure investment and public transportation, continued an emphasis on civil rights, economic opportunity, and community-based policy, and delivered over $60 million in direct community project funding as well as additional billions for statewide infrastructure initiatives, environmental programs, and landmark developments; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Garcia has led a career in public service defined by a consistent policy agenda, identifying practical points of vulnerability and then striving to fix them through policy; across the various positions he has held, he has continued to serve as a progressive voice, maintaining a core focus on immigrant access, neighborhood equity, public services, and working-class representation; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Garcia will retire from public service in January 2027; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate former Illinois State Senator and current U.S. Representative Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia on his retirement from public service, and we thank him for his decades-long dedication and commitment to his community and the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rep. Garcia as an expression of our esteem and respect.