HJ0162 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0162 LRB099 23395 GRL 50873 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of the beloved former Illinois State Representative and State Senator Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor, who passed away on September 10, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor was born on January 16, 1925 in Chicago; she moved with her family to Davenport, Iowa and to Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada, due to her father's parish assignments; after returning to Chicago, she attended Sherwood Elementary School and Englewood High School; after high school, she married Lawrence Taylor and had a child, Gayla Aniece; and

WHEREAS, With the help of her father, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor was able to secure a position at the Clerk's Office of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Criminal Division, Appeal Section; afterwards, she became the first woman to be appointed Assistant Chief Deputy Clerk of the Criminal Division of the Circuit Court in 1973; her tenure at the Circuit Court of Cook County lasted 33 years; she then furthered her education at Wilson and received a degree from Loop (now Harold Washington) College as well as enrolling in an IBM Executive Training Course; and

WHEREAS, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor taught the first training school for Courtroom Minute Clerks in clerical procedures; she served as Ward Committeewoman of the 20th Ward Regular Democratic Organization for 21 years and as precinct Captain of the 20th Ward Regular Democratic Organization for 28 years; and

WHEREAS, In 1978, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where she was known for waving a red handkerchief in the air whenever she wanted to discuss an issue with fellow legislators; in 1986, she was appointed to replace the late Charles Chew in the State Senate, where she remained until her retirement in 1993; while in the legislature, she served as Vice-Chair of the Elections and Reapportionment Committee and co-sponsored a bill that prohibited State agencies from trading with apartheid-era South Africa; she was also a leading advocate for Mayor Harold Washington; and

WHEREAS, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor served as a mentor to many legislators and trained them on proper decorum; she also focused on issues that would empower the African-American community, stressed the importance in working with trade unions, emphasized social issues, and underscored the necessity of economic empowerment in the African-American community; and

WHEREAS, As a State Representative, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor served on the following committees during the 81st to 84th General Assemblies: Appropriations II, Cities & Villages (Vice Chair), Elections (Chair), Energy, Environment, and National Resources, Judiciary II, Revenue, State Government Administration and Regulatory Review, and Urban Redevelopment; as a State Senator, she served on the following committees during the 85th to 87th General Assemblies: Consumer Affairs, Elections & Reapportionment (Vice Chair and Chair), Energy & Environment, Judiciary, Judiciary II, Local Government, and Revenue; and

WHEREAS, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor was a sponsor of many major bills that became law, including P.A. 82-627 (1981), which created the Domestic Violence Act; P.A. 82-453 (1981), which amended the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act to penalize making false reports of abuse or neglect and make other changes; P.A. 82-517 (1981), which amended the Criminal Code by imposing stricter penalties for juror harassment; P.A. 82-291 (1981), which amended the Criminal Code by imposing stricter penalties for witness interference; P.A. 83-144 (1984), which authorized the Department of Public Aid to authorize payments to medical providers for diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell anemia for people qualifying for services under Public Aid Code Section 5-2; P.A. 83-1067 (1984), which amended the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure to repeal existing sex crimes and replace them with criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse; P.A. 83-495 (1983), which amended the Rape Victims Emergency Treatment Act by requiring hospitals to submit plans for providing emergency care to rape victims; P.A. 83-500 (1984), which amended the Rape Victims Emergency Treatment Act to require the City of Chicago and law enforcement to distribute Vitullo rape evidence kits to hospitals; P.A. 83-1406 (1984), which amended the Communicable Disease Act to allow reporting of sexually transmitted diseases in minors under the age of 11 in accordance with the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act; P.A. 86-1168 (1990), which expanded the crime of child pornography to include depiction of children in "lewd exhibitions" of several private bodily areas; P.A. 86-1329 (1990), which amended the Code of Civil Procedure to remove provisions that suspended the running of civil statute of limitations periods on prospective plaintiffs while they were in prison; P.A. 87-791 (1991), which imposed a $100 additional fine on persons convicted of a long list of crimes against the perpetrators' household members, with the proceeds going to the Domestic Violence Shelter and Service Fund; P.A. 87-933 (1992), which amended the Code of Civil Procedure to allow public housing authorities to evict a tenant for seven days based on evidence that the rented premises are being used for selling illegal drugs; P.A. 84-588 (1986), which amended the Election Code to have all election authorities in the State prepare reports of votes cast in their jurisdictions and distribute them to local political parties; P.A. 84-197 (1986), which amended the Minority and Female Business Enterprise Act to require the Enterprise Council to act as clearinghouse for State contracts which minority and female-owned businesses can bid; P.A. 84-659 (1986), which amended the Election Code to require that each electronic voting booth be placed in a way that prevents election judges and poll watchers from observing casting of ballots; P.A. 84-658 (1986), which amended the Election Code to allow a write-in candidate to be nominated and elected without receiving at least as many votes as the required numbers of petition signatures, if the candidate received more votes than any other candidate; P.A. 84-966 (1986), which amended the Election Code to allow discovery in one precinct, if there are fewer than four precincts under the jurisdiction of the election authority and within the area where votes may be cast on the petition filed for discovery; and P.A. 86-786 (1989), which amended acts on Cook County courts by reducing the number of associate judges and increasing numbers of circuit and Appellate Court judges; and

WHEREAS, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor was President of the First Church of Deliverance 300 Voice Radio and T.V. Adult Choir for over 20 years; she was also a member of Parkway Community House, the NAACP, and the Chicago Urban League; and

WHEREAS, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor was preceded in death by her parents, former State Representative Charles M. Skyles and Mildred Skyles; her husband, Lawrence "Larry" "Poppy" Taylor; her siblings, Delores June Daniel, Ruby Elise King, and Charles M. Skyles II; and her nephew, Steven C. Green; and

WHEREAS, Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor is survived by her nieces and nephews, James E. (Alice) Daniel, Wayne K. King, Shalalia Daniel, Donna Skyles, Rae Lynn (Ernest) Durham, Ruby Turner, and Charles M. (Verne) Skyles III; her stepdaughter, Deidre (Anthony) Aleniyi, and her family, Attorney Bianca Brown and Jovanezer Dikeccha; her stepchildren, Lawrence Jr., Kiimberling, Enrico, Yolanda, Brandy, Tondelayo, and Mario; her in-laws, Margaret Johnson, Robert Taylor, Lillian (Charles) Wade, Doris Eames, Earlene (Ronnie) Leverette, Earl (Stephenia) Taylor, and Marion and Candice Taylor; her special extended family, Lucille Arden, Samuel Thornton, Connie Tinner, Marian Joyce Randolph, Lauretta (Sweets) Hines, retired United States Senator Carol Moseley Braun, and Billie Paige; and the members of the First Church of Deliverance; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we, along with her family and friends, mourn the passing of former Illinois State Representative and State Senator Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Ethel Skyles Alexander-Taylor as an expression of our sympathy.