SR1158 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1158 LRB096 24800 GRL 44948 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, State Senator Deanna Demuzio has represented the citizens of the State of Illinois and the families of the 49th Legislative District since 2004; and

WHEREAS, Senator Deanna Demuzio joined the Illinois Senate in May of 2004 as the unanimous choice to fill the vacancy created when her husband, Senate Majority Leader and Dean of the Senate Vince Demuzio, passed away after serving the Central Illinois region for more than 30 years; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio, who had been working for families and residents of the 49th Legislative District for many years, was elected to the Illinois Senate by the voters of the 49th Legislative District in 2004 and re-elected to a 4-year term in November of 2006; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio, who learned her strong values growing up on a family farm in Gillespie, and through her past work for the Auditor of Public Accounts, numerous legislators, other elected officials, and Lewis and Clark Community College - Macoupin County Center, has brought a wealth of diverse work experience to the Illinois Senate; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio began her work in the Illinois Senate as a legislative assistant for former State Senators William Lyons, Charlie Chew, and Ed Nihill; and

WHEREAS, As a former small business owner, Senator Demuzio has been a volunteer for several organizations, including the Carlinville Business and Professional Women, the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce, and the Carlinville Hospital Auxiliary; she served as president of each of the 3 groups at various times; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio understands the importance of a strong local economy and has been a strong advocate for job creation in the 49th District in numerous ways, including her support of the $31 billion capital construction bill, which will provide her Central Illinois district with over $700,000 for municipal repairs and more than $400,000 for school improvements and, in turn, thousands of jobs; and

WHEREAS, Understanding the importance of coal in providing both jobs and energy, Senator Demuzio has worked to expand the use of coal in Illinois to bring jobs to the coal industry, as well as expand the use of clean coal technology and other alternative fuels, like bio-diesel, to Central Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio, as a member and as the former Vice-Chairperson of the Senate Education Committee, has championed mentoring programs for principals, increased pre-school education, and tirelessly advocated for more dollars for local schools; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio was named to the Illinois State Action for Education Leadership Project (IL-SAELP) Executive Committee, a bi-partisan committee that seeks to improve student achievement statewide; and

WHEREAS, Understanding that a first-class learning environment is necessary for a student's success, Senator Demuzio sponsored numerous bills to help Illinois schools employ highly trained principals and superintendents, including her legislation that will require, starting in 2014, that school principals will be required to complete an approved principal preparation program, hold at least a master's degree, and have a minimum of 4 years teaching or other school service experience; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio, who has made it a priority to develop good education policy in Illinois to ensure each child has access to a good school, has been recognized for her efforts on behalf of education, receiving the "All Award" from both Illinois Education Association Regions 6 and 45; she has also been recognized by the Illinois Association of Regional School Superintendents Area 5 as a "Friend of Education"; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio is a strong supporter of higher education and has served on the Blackburn College Board of Trustees since 2004; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio has served as Chair of the Senate Committee on State Government and Veteran Affairs in the 95th and 96th General Assemblies, where she has been a strong voice for the wellbeing of Illinois' veterans; she was honored with "The Heat is On" Meritorious Service Award by the Illinois Veterans of Foreign Wars in honor of her work; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio has worked to ease the burden on military families with school-age children by passing legislation that allows Illinois to enter into the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children, which will make it easier for children of military personnel who change schools to transfer school credits and complete coursework in order to graduate; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio has also passed legislation that will simplify the process by which veterans receive free hunting and fishing licenses in Illinois, as well as legislation which allows veterans to camp for free in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio also serves as Vice-Chairperson on both the Human Services Committee and the Redistricting Committee and has been an active member of the committees on Agriculture and Conservation and Commerce and Economic Development; she is also the former Chair of the Senate Licensed Activities Committee; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio has made it a priority to bring better healthcare opportunities to rural and underserved areas of the State; she served as the chair of the Joint Task Force on Rural Health and Medically Underserved Areas, which led to her sponsorship of a new law that will make dental care available to more people in the State of Illinois by allowing the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to expand administrative rules permitting dentists to volunteer their time at qualified health centers in their communities; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio became a member of the St. Francis Hospital Board of Directors Strategic Planning Advisory Group in 2009; she has been recognized for her work to improve healthcare for residents of Illinois by the Illinois Rural Health Association; and

WHEREAS, Following the death of her husband from colon cancer, Senator Demuzio became a strong supporter of colorectal cancer screening, passing legislation creating the Vince Demuzio Memorial Colon Cancer Fund and working to ensure that individuals who live in areas of the State that have the highest incidences of mortality from colorectal cancer have access to early detection and treatment opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Having grown up on a farm, Senator Demuzio has always been a strong supporter of Illinois' number one industry - agriculture; in addition to her service as a member of the Senate Agriculture and Conservation Committee, she is a former co-chair of the Rural Water Task Force and has been recognized with the Illinois Farm Bureau Activator Award; she has also been honored by the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association for her commitment to agriculture that involves proper stewardship and utilization of agricultural chemicals; and

WHEREAS, With the proximity of Senator Demuzio's district to Springfield, she has been a strong voice in support of State employees who reside in her district and work at any one of many State facilities and offices in the Springfield area; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio has also been involved with other community organizations, including the PTA, the American Heart Association, and the Rotary Club; she also served as a Macoupin County Fair Judge until very recently; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio has served as President of the Carlinville Public School Foundation; she also served as a member of the board for Kemmerer Village, Catholic Charities, and the Carlinville Public Library, and has been actively involved in organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Catholic Daughters of America, Relay for Life, the Jacksonville Kiwanis, and the Macoupin County Democratic Women's Organization; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio's commitment to her district and its communities and their values is demonstrated in the effective job she has done as a State Senator and by the recognition she has received from numerous groups and organizations, including the Illinois School for the Deaf and the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, who awarded her a plaque of thanks for her work to keep the schools open, the Illinois Valley Rehab Center, who proclaimed her a "Champion of the Less Fortunate", and the Macoupin County Friend of the Fair Award; and

WHEREAS, Senator Demuzio is the mother of her loving son, Brad, and her wonderful daughter, Stephanie, who is married to Patrick, and is the grandmother of 4; she will be dearly missed by all in this chamber; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank State Senator Deanna Demuzio for her dedicated service to the people of Illinois and honor her with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to State Senator Deanna Demuzio with our best wishes for her future endeavors.