093_HR0571

                                     LRB093 14499 HSS 20280 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members  of  the  House  of  Representatives
 3    would  like to congratulate our long-time colleague J. Philip
 4    Novak as he retires from his position as State Representative
 5    for the 79th District; and

 6        WHEREAS, Representative Novak was born  on  February  15,
 7    1946 in Berwyn; he married Becky Fletcher in 1996 and has one
 8    son, Todd; and

 9        WHEREAS,  Phil  Novak  graduated  from the Chicago Public
10    School system; he received both a Bachelor of Science  and  a
11    Master's Degree from Eastern Illinois University; and

12        WHEREAS,   Phil   Novak  served  as  Assistant  Personnel
13    Director at the Manteno Mental Health  Center  from  1973  to
14    1976; and

15        WHEREAS,  He  was  a Labor Relations Manager for Manville
16    Forest Products from 1976 to 1981; and

17        WHEREAS, He was also  the  Labor  Relations  Manager  for
18    American Spring Wire in Kankakee from 1981 to 1983; and

19        WHEREAS, During the late 1960s he courageously served his
20    country  by  defending the Panama Canal from invasion - not a
21    single enemy got through and the canal was saved; and

22        WHEREAS, He served as a  Bradley  Trustee  from  1975  to
23    1983; and

24        WHEREAS,   In   1983,   after   conducting  an  extensive
25    county-wide search  as  the  Democratic  County  Chairman  of
26    Kankakee   County,   he   finally  appointed  himself  County
27    Treasurer; and

28        WHEREAS, In 1987, after once  again  vigorously  scouring
29    the surrounding counties for the best qualified candidate, he
 
                            -2-      LRB093 14499 HSS 20280 r
 1    used  his  weighted  vote  and  appointed    himself as State
 2    Representative; and

 3        WHEREAS, He was officially elected  State  Representative
 4    in 1988; and

 5        WHEREAS,  His skills at handling the media are legendary,
 6    including his suggestion to a reporter that all his per  diem
 7    was   good   for   was  "a  couple  of  cheeseburgers  and  a
 8    half-a-dozen Lites"; and

 9        WHEREAS, He had the wherewithal to keep the Ginseng  bill
10    up until he got the hard vote he needed; and

11        WHEREAS,  He has always had a knack for finding abandoned
12    buildings or leaky apartments to house  his  campaign  staff;
13    and

14        WHEREAS,  He  holds  the  position  of Assistant Majority
15    Leader, and  is  a  member  of  the  Energy  and  Environment
16    Committee  and is co-chairman of its special Electric Utility
17    Deregulation  Committee,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Public
18    Utilities  Committee,   the   Registration   and   Regulation
19    Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Committee; and

20        WHEREAS,  He  was instrumental in drafting and helping to
21    pass Illinois' landmark electrical industry deregulation  and
22    restructuring law in 1997; and

23        WHEREAS,  Throughout  his  service  in  the  legislature,
24    Representative   Novak   has   focused   his   interests   on
25    environmental   and   energy   issues,   chairing  the  House
26    Environment and Energy Committee for eight years; and

27        WHEREAS, His years of leadership  on  other  issues  that
28    affect   veterans,   the   agriculture  industry,  education,
29    economic development, and the Kankakee  River  Valley  region
30    has earned him the respect of his colleagues; and
 
                            -3-      LRB093 14499 HSS 20280 r
 1        WHEREAS,  It is with great pleasure this body has learned
 2    that Governor Rod Blagojevich announced the appointment of J.
 3    Philip Novak as the new Chairman  of  the  Pollution  Control
 4    Board; therefore, be it

 5        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
 6    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
 7    we  thank  our  good  friend Phil Novak for his hard work and
 8    dedication to the people of the 79th Representative  District
 9    and  to  the State and wish him well in his new position; and
10    be it further

11        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
12    presented  to  Representative  Phil Novak as an expression of
13    our respect and esteem.