093_SR0164

 
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 1                          SENATE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Illinois takes  great
 3    pride in recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of
 4    Illinois officials and citizens; and

 5        WHEREAS,   In  honor  of  the  lasting  legacy  and  many
 6    sacrifices and contributions the late Senator John L. Knuppel
 7    of Petersburg made to the citizens of the State  of  Illinois
 8    and   the   48th   District,   especially  in  the  field  of
 9    agriculture, the Senate would like to recognize him with  the
10    rare  honor  of  naming  a  public building after this former
11    senator; and

12        WHEREAS, Senator John L. Knuppel was the chairman for the
13    Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Energy  for
14    ten years and vice-chairman for two years; after experiencing
15    the  deplorable conditions at the Agricultural Administrative
16    Building first-hand, he led the fight for a new  building  on
17    the  Illinois  State  Fairgrounds; his dream became a reality
18    when the Agriculture Committee members  toured  the  building
19    with  him,  agreed  that a new building was long overdue, and
20    Senator Knuppel's sponsored legislation became a reality; and

21        WHEREAS, Senator Knuppel valiantly served his country  as
22    member of the United States Marine Corps Fighting Bulldogs in
23    World  War  II  where  he  fought  in the Pacific Theatre; he
24    fought hard for his country and he carried that fight to  the
25    Illinois  State  Senate  where  he continued to fight for not
26    only his district, but for all of the people of the State  of
27    Illinois;  in one session alone, he sponsored or co-sponsored
28    186 bills and an impressive 95 percent of  them  were  signed
29    into law; and

30        WHEREAS,  Senator  Knuppel  sponsored,  co-sponsored,  or
31    directly  contributed to establishing the Horse Racing Act of
32    1975; the soybean check-off; updating workman's  compensation
 
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 1    and  unemployment statutes; the initiative to allow reduction
 2    in the size of the Illinois legislature;  enlarged  homestead
 3    exemptions; the reduction of the 40 percent sales tax on food
 4    and   drugs;   Circuit   Breaker   relief;  the  $10  million
 5    Agriculture Building; the $10 million fish hatchery in  Mason
 6    County;  the new Pekin Bridge; the new Span McCluggage Bridge
 7    in Peoria; minimum teacher's salaries; improved pensions  for
 8    aged  teachers;  $15  million  annually  for  township bridge
 9    repairs; pay raises for States Attorneys in 102 counties; and
10    many other legislative actions; and

11        WHEREAS, Senator Knuppel worked as a  lawyer  and  senior
12    partner  in  six  Knuppel,  Grosboll,  Becker,  and  Tice Law
13    offices  located  throughout  his  legislative  district;  in
14    addition to being a State senator, veteran,  and  lawyer,  he
15    was also a farmer and teacher; and

16        WHEREAS,  Serving  the  people of Illinois was a priority
17    for Senator Knuppel, which  led  him  to  keep  an  extensive
18    schedule   by   being   involved   in  countless  committees,
19    commissions, and  advisory  boards  including  working  eight
20    years  as Principal Assistant Attorney General and serving as
21    a   1970   Constitutional   Convention   Delegate;   he   was
22    vice-chairman  of  the  Senate  Transportation  Committee and
23    chairman of the Illinois Energy Resources Commission and  the
24    Illinois  State's  Attorney Study Commission; he was a member
25    of the following  Senate  Committees:  Elections,  Executive,
26    Judiciary  II,  and Revenue; he was a member of the following
27    commissions: the Illinois Clean Air Commission, the  Illinois
28    Elections  Laws  Commission,  the  Illinois  Aggregate Mining
29    Problems Commission, the  Cattle  Disease  Research  Advisory
30    Commission,  the  Creve  Coeur  Tricentennial Commission, the
31    McKinley Dirksen Memorial Commission,  the  Illinois  Medical
32    Malpractice  Commission;  and  he  served  as a member of the
33    Livestock Commissioners Advisory Board,  the  Illinois  Rural
 
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 1    Development Council, and the Swine Disease Advisory; and

 2        WHEREAS,  Senator  Knuppel  made  being  available to his
 3    constituents and colleagues a priority and said that  he  was
 4    "always  at  the other end of his telephone"; he was known as
 5    an advocate for agriculture and  believed  in  the  State  of
 6    Illinois; and

 7        WHEREAS,  Senator  Knuppel  made  vital  contributions of
 8    service and merit to the State of Illinois and to the State's
 9    citizens and deserves to  have  his  achievements  noted  and
10    remembered by current and future generations as his memory is
11    now honored by the members of the Senate; therefore, be it

12        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
13    ASSEMBLY OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  that  we  rename  the
14    Illinois  State Department of Agriculture Building located on
15    the State  Fairgrounds  in  Springfield  in  honor  of  State
16    Senator  John  L. Knuppel; and in implementing this honor, we
17    designate  that  State  building  as  the  John  L.   Knuppel
18    Department of Agriculture Building; and be it further

19        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of  this preamble and
20    resolution be presented to the  family  of  Senator  John  L.
21    Knuppel,  the  Governor, the Director of Agriculture, and the
22    Director of Central Management Services.