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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, On December 23, 2000, Lt. Scott Gillen of the
3Chicago Fire Department was struck and killed on the Dan Ryan
4Expressway when a motorist recklessly drove through an accident
5scene in which Lt. Gillen was assisting; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 2002, the State of Illinois enacted Scott's Law
7in honor of Lt. Gillen, which mandates that upon approaching a
8stationary authorized emergency vehicle displaying warning
9lights, the approaching vehicle shall reduce the speed of the
10vehicle, yield the right-of-way by changing lanes away from the
11authorized emergency vehicle, and proceed with due regard to
12safety and traffic conditions; and
 
13    WHEREAS, When motorists respect Scott's Law and move over,
14it helps ensure the safety of those men and women who respond
15to the scene; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In recent years, the Illinois State Police have
17lost Troopers Kyle Deatherage and James Sauter in the line of
18duty and Troopers Doug Balder, Michael Cokins, and Starlena
19Wilson have been seriously injured in accidents; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Pontiac Police Department lost Officer Casey
21J. Kohlmeier and his K-9 partner, Draco, in the line of duty;

 

 

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1and
 
2    WHEREAS, The Bloomington and Hudson Fire Departments lost
3Firefighter Christopher Brown in the line of duty; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Illinois Tollway lost Vincent Petrella in the
5line of duty; and
 
6    WHEREAS, These individuals represent only some of the first
7responders that continue to lose their lives while assisting
8others along Illinois roadways; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Through continued public education about the
10risks involved for public safety personnel on Illinois
11roadways, these accidents can be reduced, saving the lives of
12those who assist others; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15encourage motorists who see flashing emergency vehicle lights
16to remember Scott's Law and to move their vehicles over to give
17those first responders an adequate area in which to do their
18jobs; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That we designate December 23, 2015 and December
2023, 2016 as "Scott's Law Day" in the State of Illinois.