HR1345 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1345 LRB097 23626 MST 72690 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor our former esteemed colleague, State Representative Thomas Holbrook, for his 17 years as a member of the Illinois General Assembly and thank him for his many years of dedicated service to the people of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook was born November 23, 1949; he earned a bachelor's degree in social science and government at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville; worked in the private sector for 33 years, 25 of which he spent at Afton (Ethyl) Corporation, installing, maintaining, and calibrating state of the art instrumentation for monitoring emissions and quality control; he served as a member of the St. Clair County Board from 1981 to 1994, where he actively participated in several committees; he married his wife, Molly, and has one daughter, Susan; he has continued his active involvement in the community by participating in several fraternal and service organizations; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1994; he served as an advocate for the 113th District in a variety of positions, including as chairman of the House Committee on Environment and Energy, vice-chairman of the House Committee on Public Utilities, as a member of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, and as chairman of the Downstate Democratic Caucus; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook made it a priority to provide outstanding constituent services to the residents of the 113th District; he fought to secure State funding for crucial community projects and infrastructure improvements across the Metro East region; he loved working to improve our schools, identifying new markets for Illinois agricultural products, creating and retaining jobs, and fighting to support and protect working families; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook was one of the State's leading voices on environmental issues; he served as a member of the House Committee on Environment & Energy for nearly two decades and as chairman for the last decade, helping to craft significant environmental legislation, including a re-write of the procedural process for addressing leaking underground storage tanks; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook has been a strong advocate for education issues and improving the public school system; he helped to implement job-creating infrastructure improvement projects, including vital work on Interstates 64, 70, 55, 255, and US Highway 50, and the construction of a new interchange at I-70; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook staunchly defended consumers, securing rate relief for electric ratepayers and creating a new energy procurement agency to lower the cost of energy for customers; he fought the emergence of methamphetamine in downstate Illinois and supported one of the nation's toughest anti-meth laws; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook worked hard to improve the quality of life for Illinois' senior citizens and veterans, backing the creation of the Circuit Breaker/Pharmaceutical Assistance program, securing substantial property tax relief for older adults and disabled veterans, and sponsoring the first property tax relief in Illinois for disabled veterans, returning veterans, disabled and handicap citizens; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook voted with his district's best interests in mind; he is a staunch defender of the Second Amendment; he worked with local doctors and State officials to address the medical malpractice insurance crisis, allowing more doctors to stay in our communities; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook served as a member of many committees during his tenure in the House, including the committees on Aging, Business Occupational Licenses, Electric Generation & Commerce, Financial Institutions, Fire Protection, Public Utilities, Railroad Safety, Renewable Energy, Registration and Regulation, Revenue, Telecommunications, Tourism, Transportation, and Roads; and

WHEREAS, Representative Holbrook has been recognized for his legislative efforts by organizations including the Illinois Primary Health Care Association, the Illinois Health Care Association, the HealthCare Council of Illinois, and the Illinois Public Transportation Association; he received the RCGA Lewis and Clark Statesman Award; he was recognized by the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority (SWIDA) for "Outstanding Contributions to Economic Development in Southwestern Illinois" in 2009; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank State Representative Thomas Holbrook for his years of dedicated service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Representative Thomas Holbrook as a token of our respect and esteem and with our best wishes for his future success.