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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to congratulate and thank Illinois State | ||||||
4 | Representative Michael K. Smith for his 16 years of service on | ||||||
5 | behalf of the people of the State of Illinois; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith was first elected to the | ||||||
7 | Illinois House of Representatives in 1994; he served as a | ||||||
8 | tireless advocate for the 91st District in a variety of | ||||||
9 | positions, including Chairman of the House Committee on | ||||||
10 | Elementary and Secondary Education and the House Committee on | ||||||
11 | Elementary and Secondary Education-Appropriations; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith is one of the State's leading | ||||||
13 | voices on education issues and improving the public school | ||||||
14 | system, having brought back millions of dollars in school | ||||||
15 | funding for local schools and community colleges; he also | ||||||
16 | helped revamp State graduation standards and address the | ||||||
17 | pressing issues of school safety and early childhood education; | ||||||
18 | and
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19 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith has always been a strong | ||||||
20 | voice for the working men and women of his district; during his | ||||||
21 | tenure, he has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for | ||||||
22 | job-creating infrastructure improvement projects in the heart |
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1 | of Illinois, including vital work on Interstates 74 and 474 and | ||||||
2 | the creation, expansion, and repair of many county, State, and | ||||||
3 | U.S. highways throughout the 91st District; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith has consistently defended | ||||||
5 | consumers, having secured over one billion dollars in rate | ||||||
6 | relief for electric ratepayers and championing new laws to | ||||||
7 | fight identity theft; he also worked to educate his | ||||||
8 | constituents on how they can better protect themselves against | ||||||
9 | scam artists, and he served as a Citizen Advocate for the | ||||||
10 | Illinois Attorney General before becoming a legislator; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith has earned a reputation as a | ||||||
12 | strong defender of local workers by supporting efforts to boost | ||||||
13 | the local manufacturing industry and keep jobs in Central | ||||||
14 | Illinois; he backed a tax fairness plan that would provide | ||||||
15 | vital tax relief to middle-class families and pushed for | ||||||
16 | policies that invest in new, cutting-edge alternative energy | ||||||
17 | facilities; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith has been identified as a | ||||||
19 | leader in the fight against methamphetamine in downstate | ||||||
20 | Illinois; he has sponsored one of the nation's toughest | ||||||
21 | anti-meth laws; he also created tougher punishments for meth | ||||||
22 | manufacturing and facilitated valuable interaction between | ||||||
23 | constituents and members of law enforcement; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith has worked hard to improve | ||||||
2 | the quality of life for Illinois' senior citizens; he backed | ||||||
3 | the creation of the Circuit Breaker/Pharmaceutical Assistance | ||||||
4 | program and secured substantial property tax relief for older | ||||||
5 | adults and disabled veterans; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith has always voted with his | ||||||
7 | district's values in mind; he is a staunch defender of the | ||||||
8 | Second Amendment and has ensured that Central Illinois always | ||||||
9 | received its fair share of State funding; and
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10 | WHEREAS, In addition to his chairmanship of the Elementary | ||||||
11 | and Secondary Education Committee, Representative Smith served | ||||||
12 | as a member of many committees during his tenure in the House, | ||||||
13 | including the Environment and Energy, Financial Institutions, | ||||||
14 | Fire Protection, Homeland Security, Personnel and Pensions, | ||||||
15 | and State Government Administration committees; he previously | ||||||
16 | served as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, As a full-time legislator, Representative Smith | ||||||
18 | has served his constituents with distinction, often returning | ||||||
19 | home to his district on session days in order to be with his | ||||||
20 | wife, Donna, and attend community functions; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Representative Smith will be truly missed by his |
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1 | colleagues, who widely regard him as one of the kindest and | ||||||
2 | most thoughtful members of the General Assembly; therefore, be | ||||||
3 | it
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4 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
5 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
6 | congratulate and thank Illinois State Representative Michael | ||||||
7 | K. Smith for his years of dedicated service; and be it further
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8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
9 | presented to Representative Michael K. Smith as a token of our | ||||||
10 | respect and esteem and with our best wishes for his future | ||||||
11 | success.
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