Full Text of SR0038 97th General Assembly
SR0038 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Senator Louis S. "Lou" Viverito represented the | 3 | | citizens of the State of Illinois and the families of the 11th | 4 | | Legislative District from January of 1995 until January of | 5 | | 2011; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Louis S. "Lou" Viverito was born and raised on the | 7 | | South Side of Chicago in the working class community of | 8 | | Bridgeview; he attended McClellan Grammar School and Tilden | 9 | | Tech High School; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito's career is marked by a sincere | 11 | | and fervent dedication to serve his community, his State, and | 12 | | his country; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito served his nation in the United | 14 | | States Army during the Korean War; during his service, he was | 15 | | decorated on three occasions; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito began his career as an elected | 17 | | official in 1969, when he was selected to serve as Stickney | 18 | | Township Democratic Committeeman; he also served as a delegate | 19 | | at the 1972 Democratic National Convention and was elected to | 20 | | serve as Stickney Township Supervisor and Chairman of the | 21 | | Township's Public Health District in 1973; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito's leadership in the area of | 2 | | township government has been recognized by many; under his | 3 | | direction, Stickney Township and the numerous services it | 4 | | provides to residents has often been cited as a model of | 5 | | township government; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito also served as | 7 | | Secretary-Treasurer and Vice President of the Cook County | 8 | | Township Supervisors Association from 1976 until 1977, as | 9 | | Commissioner of the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater | 10 | | Chicago from 1980 until 1986, and as a member of the Cook | 11 | | County Zoning Board of Appeals from 1987 until his election to | 12 | | the Illinois Senate; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito was elected to the Illinois State | 14 | | Senate in 1994 and was sworn in as a member of the Senate in | 15 | | 1995; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Over the last 15 years, Senator Viverito has been | 17 | | a strong advocate for the communities he represents, including | 18 | | Berwyn, Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Brookfield, Burbank, | 19 | | Chicago, Indian Head Park, Justice, LaGrange, Lyons, McCook, | 20 | | Riverside, Summit, Stickney, and Willow Springs; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito's career in the Illinois Senate |
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| 1 | | has been highlighted by his strong commitment to improve the | 2 | | quality of life and safety in local communities; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito has worked to advance | 4 | | initiatives to expand health care opportunities, including his | 5 | | sponsorship of legislation allowing townships to establish | 6 | | health care facilities for their citizens; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito has also been a strong voice on | 8 | | behalf of Illinois' senior citizens, which he showed by passing | 9 | | a law expanding the number of seniors eligible for the property | 10 | | tax assessment freeze, providing tax relief to thousands of | 11 | | seniors throughout Illinois; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito is recognized by his colleagues | 13 | | in the Illinois General Assembly as a true patriot with a | 14 | | boundless appreciation for his fellow servicemen and women; he | 15 | | has received the appreciation of many service families after he | 16 | | championed the increase of line of duty awards for families of | 17 | | soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to ease the financial | 18 | | burden these families experience at the most difficult period | 19 | | in their lives; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure in the Senate, Senator | 21 | | Viverito has ascended to several leadership positions, | 22 | | including Minority Caucus Whip during the 91st General |
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| 1 | | Assembly, Assistant Majority Leader during the 92nd, 93rd, | 2 | | 94th, and 95th General Assemblies, and Majority Caucus Whip | 3 | | during the 96th General Assembly; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito has served as a member on a | 5 | | variety of different Senate Committees, including the Senate | 6 | | Executive Committee and the Senate Committees on | 7 | | Appropriations, Elections, Executive Appointments, Financial | 8 | | Institutions, Higher Education, Rules, and State Government | 9 | | and Veterans Affairs; he also served as Chairman of the Senate | 10 | | Revenue Committee during the 96th General Assembly; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito has been active in a variety of | 12 | | community organizations; he has served as Local Chairman of the | 13 | | Chicago Lung Association, a former Chairman of the Burbank | 14 | | Chamber of Commerce, an associate member of the Crisis Center | 15 | | of South Suburbia for Abused Women, a life member of the | 16 | | Veterans of Foreign Wars, a member of the American Legion, and | 17 | | a former member of the Moraine Valley Community College | 18 | | Economic Development Board; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito has received a number of awards | 20 | | and honors in recognition of his strong efforts to support his | 21 | | community, including the "Man of the Year" award from the Joint | 22 | | Civic Committee of Italian-Americans, the "Outstanding | 23 | | Legislator" award from the Illinois Health Care Association in |
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| 1 | | 1999, "Democratic Legislator of the Year" from the Illinois | 2 | | State Crime Commission in 2000, an induction into the Valentine | 3 | | Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame, and the 2010 "Legislator of | 4 | | the Year" award from the South Suburban Park and Recreation | 5 | | Professional Association; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito has also been commended for his | 7 | | community service from a variety of other groups, including the | 8 | | Burbank-Bridgeview Lions Club, the Boy Scouts of America, and | 9 | | the Stickney Senior Citizen's Council on Aging; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito is also recognized as an | 11 | | outstanding family man who married his wonderful wife and | 12 | | partner, Carolyn; the couple settled in unincorporated Cook | 13 | | County (now Burbank) shortly after his discharge from the Army; | 14 | | and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito and his wife raised a son and two | 16 | | daughters; they are also the proud grandparents of five | 17 | | grandsons; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito will be missed by his colleagues | 19 | | for his willingness to work with others, his candor in debate, | 20 | | and his firm commitment to the citizens in his district; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Senator Viverito's record of service to his |
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| 1 | | country and his State spans nearly five decades and is a | 2 | | testament to his strong belief that public service is a noble | 3 | | profession; therefore, be it
| 4 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 5 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Louis | 6 | | S. "Lou" Viverito for his 15 years of service to the people of | 7 | | Illinois and honor him with this resolution; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to Lou Viverito as a symbol of our gratitude and with | 10 | | our best wishes for his future endeavors.
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