093_SR0164
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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Illinois takes great
3 pride in recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of
4 Illinois officials and citizens; and
5 WHEREAS, In honor of the lasting legacy and many
6 sacrifices and contributions the late Senator John L. Knuppel
7 of Petersburg made to the citizens of the State of Illinois
8 and the 48th District, especially in the field of
9 agriculture, the Senate would like to recognize him with the
10 rare honor of naming a public building after this former
11 senator; and
12 WHEREAS, Senator John L. Knuppel was the chairman for the
13 Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Energy for
14 ten years and vice-chairman for two years; after experiencing
15 the deplorable conditions at the Agricultural Administrative
16 Building first-hand, he led the fight for a new building on
17 the Illinois State Fairgrounds; his dream became a reality
18 when the Agriculture Committee members toured the building
19 with him, agreed that a new building was long overdue, and
20 Senator Knuppel's sponsored legislation became a reality; and
21 WHEREAS, Senator Knuppel valiantly served his country as
22 member of the United States Marine Corps Fighting Bulldogs in
23 World War II where he fought in the Pacific Theatre; he
24 fought hard for his country and he carried that fight to the
25 Illinois State Senate where he continued to fight for not
26 only his district, but for all of the people of the State of
27 Illinois; in one session alone, he sponsored or co-sponsored
28 186 bills and an impressive 95 percent of them were signed
29 into law; and
30 WHEREAS, Senator Knuppel sponsored, co-sponsored, or
31 directly contributed to establishing the Horse Racing Act of
32 1975; the soybean check-off; updating workman's compensation
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1 and unemployment statutes; the initiative to allow reduction
2 in the size of the Illinois legislature; enlarged homestead
3 exemptions; the reduction of the 40 percent sales tax on food
4 and drugs; Circuit Breaker relief; the $10 million
5 Agriculture Building; the $10 million fish hatchery in Mason
6 County; the new Pekin Bridge; the new Span McCluggage Bridge
7 in Peoria; minimum teacher's salaries; improved pensions for
8 aged teachers; $15 million annually for township bridge
9 repairs; pay raises for States Attorneys in 102 counties; and
10 many other legislative actions; and
11 WHEREAS, Senator Knuppel worked as a lawyer and senior
12 partner in six Knuppel, Grosboll, Becker, and Tice Law
13 offices located throughout his legislative district; in
14 addition to being a State senator, veteran, and lawyer, he
15 was also a farmer and teacher; and
16 WHEREAS, Serving the people of Illinois was a priority
17 for Senator Knuppel, which led him to keep an extensive
18 schedule by being involved in countless committees,
19 commissions, and advisory boards including working eight
20 years as Principal Assistant Attorney General and serving as
21 a 1970 Constitutional Convention Delegate; he was
22 vice-chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and
23 chairman of the Illinois Energy Resources Commission and the
24 Illinois State's Attorney Study Commission; he was a member
25 of the following Senate Committees: Elections, Executive,
26 Judiciary II, and Revenue; he was a member of the following
27 commissions: the Illinois Clean Air Commission, the Illinois
28 Elections Laws Commission, the Illinois Aggregate Mining
29 Problems Commission, the Cattle Disease Research Advisory
30 Commission, the Creve Coeur Tricentennial Commission, the
31 McKinley Dirksen Memorial Commission, the Illinois Medical
32 Malpractice Commission; and he served as a member of the
33 Livestock Commissioners Advisory Board, the Illinois Rural
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1 Development Council, and the Swine Disease Advisory; and
2 WHEREAS, Senator Knuppel made being available to his
3 constituents and colleagues a priority and said that he was
4 "always at the other end of his telephone"; he was known as
5 an advocate for agriculture and believed in the State of
6 Illinois; and
7 WHEREAS, Senator Knuppel made vital contributions of
8 service and merit to the State of Illinois and to the State's
9 citizens and deserves to have his achievements noted and
10 remembered by current and future generations as his memory is
11 now honored by the members of the Senate; therefore, be it
12 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
13 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we rename the
14 Illinois State Department of Agriculture Building located on
15 the State Fairgrounds in Springfield in honor of State
16 Senator John L. Knuppel; and in implementing this honor, we
17 designate that State building as the John L. Knuppel
18 Department of Agriculture Building; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this preamble and
20 resolution be presented to the family of Senator John L.
21 Knuppel, the Governor, the Director of Agriculture, and the
22 Director of Central Management Services.