HR1104 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1104 LRB099 21212 GRL 46604 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Illinois State Representative Don Moffitt for his unwavering support and years of dedication to the Illinois fire service; and

WHEREAS, Representative Moffitt earned a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Education and Economics from the University of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, After serving as Knox County Treasurer, Knox County Board Chairman, and Mayor and Alderman of Oneida, Representative Moffitt was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, Representative Moffitt was appointed Co-Chair of the Illinois House of Representatives Fire Protection Task Force; and

WHEREAS, Representative Moffitt was the primary founder of the General Assembly's bipartisan Fire Caucus, made up of legislators who work with leaders of the fire service to promote, preserve, foster, and protect the pursuits of the fire service in Illinois; he has served as the Fire Caucus Co-Chair since its formation in 2004; and

WHEREAS, Representative Moffitt's leadership and hard work resulted in the passage of dozens of laws which he sponsored or co-sponsored that are aimed at improving fire service delivery, including the creation of the Fire Truck Revolving Loan Program and the Fire Service Small Equipment Grant Program, increasing penalties for arsonists, requiring any cigarettes sold in Illinois to be self-extinguishing, requiring fire sprinklers in all dormitories and Greek housing, allowing fire departments to receive tax free motor fuel for fire trucks, updating and improving fair and equitable hiring and promotional processes for career fire departments, allowing active military to continue to apply for firefighter positions if they reach maximum age, saving the Fire Prevention Fund from a $20 million fund raid, and reinstating and increasing funding for firefighter training; and

WHEREAS, From 2007 to 2011, Representative Moffitt's spirit of bipartisanship was exemplified when, as a member of the minority party, he was appointed to serve as the Chairman of the House Fire Protection Committee; and

WHEREAS, Representative Moffitt served as Co-Chair of the EMS Task Force, which held nearly two years of hearings across the State and took an in-depth look into the funding and service delivery of the Emergency Medical System in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Representative Moffitt's strong commitment to fire safety has earned him numerous awards, including "Legislator of the Year" awards in 2002 from the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, in 2003 from both the Illinois Firefighter's Association and the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, in 2004 from the Northern Illinois Alliance of Fire Protection Districts, and in 2014 from both the Emergency Medical Technicians Association and the EMS Alliance; he most recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the Northern Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts; and

WHEREAS, Representative Moffitt's tireless devotion to the fire service is a family affair, with his son Justin serving as a firefighter with the Galesburg Fire Department and his wife Carolyn patiently accompanying Don on endless trips across the State to his early morning, evening, and weekend fire service meetings; and

WHEREAS, Thanks to Representative Moffitt's nearly 25-year legacy of improving public safety in Illinois, injuries will continued to be prevented and lives will be saved for generations to come; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Illinois State Representative Don Moffitt for his leadership of the Illinois Legislative Fire Caucus and thank him for his work on behalf of the Illinois fire service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Representative Moffitt as an expression of our esteem and respect.