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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to honor our esteemed colleague,
4State Representative Jack D. Franks, on his 18 years as a
5member of the Illinois General Assembly and thank him for his
6dedicated service to our State and his community; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Representative Franks was born and raised in
8McHenry County, where he and his wife, Debby, chose to raise
9their sons, Sam and Henry, first near Woodstock then returning
10to his hometown of Marengo; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Representative Franks sought to give back to the
12community he loves by entering public service; he won his first
13election to the House of Representatives in November of 1998 by
14just 138 votes, becoming the first Democrat to win a major
15office in McHenry County in nearly 20 years; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Representative Franks has served as a steady and
17forceful voice for McHenry County taxpayers and their values,
18demanding a more responsible, efficient, and ethical
19government; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Representative Franks has worked with Democrats
21and Republicans in pursuit of bipartisan compromise; his work

 

 

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1with colleagues from throughout the State has resulted in
2positive reforms for the people of McHenry County and Illinois,
3including laws that empower voters to consolidate unnecessary
4and duplicative units of local government, hold corporations
5accountable for use of taxpayer dollars, and help elderly
6residents purchase expensive prescription drugs at lower
7costs; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Always mindful of the needs of his local
9communities, Representative Franks continuously fought for
10schools and roads in McHenry County, including working to
11secure grants for library and school construction, and funds to
12improve major arteries such as U.S. Route 14 and Illinois
13Routes 47 and 173; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Representative Franks constantly fought for good
15government, accountability, and transparency as Chairman of
16the House State Government Administration Committee, where he
17thoroughly vetted legislation while working to streamline
18State government and holding government officials of both
19political parties accountable; he initiated and spearheaded
20the efforts to impeach former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and helped
21to pass landmark ethics reforms; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Many in McHenry County have proudly displayed the
23congratulatory certificates Representative Franks would

 

 

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1present to honor roll students from local elementary schools
2and high schools; he sought to acknowledge students for their
3success outside of the classroom with his "A For Effort"
4awards; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Representative Franks will depart the Illinois
6General Assembly to continue his public service as the first
7popularly elected Chairman of the McHenry County Board;
8therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11congratulate and honor State Representative Jack D. Franks for
12his dedicated service as a member of the Illinois House of
13Representatives; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to Representative Franks as an expression of our
16respect, esteem, and best wishes in his future endeavors.