HR0189 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0189 LRB098 11513 GRL 43740 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives honor J. Thomas Johnson for his distinguished career of service to the people of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Tom was born in DeKalb County; he has been a resident of Cook County for most of his professional career; he earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University and is a registered Certified Public Accountant in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Tom served as the Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue from 1980 to 1987; during that time, he served as President of the National Association of Tax Administrators and on President Ronald Reagan's Task Force on Worldwide Unitary Taxation, which was charged to review its impact on foreign trade and relations; and

WHEREAS, Tom was an original member and then Chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board from 1990 until 1999; and

WHEREAS, Before his appointment at the Department of Revenue, Tom served as the Director of the Illinois Department of Local Government Affairs, the agency then responsible for overseeing the State's administration of real and personal property taxation; and

WHEREAS, Tom became President of the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois on April 1, 2006; and

WHEREAS, He served as a member of the Property Tax Reform and Relief Task Force, a body created by the General Assembly in 2007; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, Governor Pat Quinn appointed Tom chair of the Taxpayer Action Board, which was charged with identifying cost and operating efficiencies in Illinois' government programs; and

WHEREAS, Tom was formerly the Partner in Charge of KPMG's Chicago State and Local Tax Practice; and

WHEREAS, Before joining KPMG, he served as the National Director of State and Local Taxes for Grant Thornton; and

WHEREAS, Tom has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Civic Federation of Chicago, Chairman of the Tax Committee of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Tax Committee of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Director's Advisory Board of the Illinois Department of Revenue, and a member of the Board of the Illinois Tax Foundation and the Regional Development Committee of the Metropolitan Planning Council; and

WHEREAS, Tom has served as a member of the Advisory Boards of the Georgetown University Law School's State and Local Tax Institute, the National Institute on State and Local Taxation, and the AICPA and Illinois CPA Society's State and Local Tax Committees; and

WHEREAS, Tom's knowledge and experience have made him a valuable resource for the Governor and the General Assembly as they have considered changes in State and local tax policy; his participation in legislative and administrative deliberations for the last 30 years has resulted in significant improvements in the tax structure of this State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor J. Thomas Johnson for his distinguished career of service to the people of the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to J. Thomas Johnson as a symbol of our respect and esteem.