Full Text of HR0617 100th General Assembly
HR0617 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Billy Lawless, a native of Galway, the unofficial | 3 | | capital of western Ireland, has always
been interested in | 4 | | politics, and ran as a Fine Gael candidate for the Galway City | 5 | | Council in 1991;
after being defeated by the future President | 6 | | of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, he moved from Galway
to Chicago | 7 | | in 1998 to continue his successful career as a hospitality | 8 | | proprietor; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Billy Lawless is now the owner of numerous dining | 10 | | places in the Chicago area; in this capacity he began his | 11 | | service in 2010 as a member of the Executive Committee of the | 12 | | Illinois
Restaurant Association Board of Directors; his fourth | 13 | | place of hospitality, Chicago's Beacon Tavern,
opened in May of | 14 | | 2016; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Continuing his interest in political action, | 16 | | Billy Lawless has become a leading voice in
Illinois for | 17 | | Irish-American relations and for the well-being of Irish men | 18 | | and women living in the
United States; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, During the course of this advocacy, Billy Lawless | 20 | | was honored by Chicago Irish
Immigrant Support in April of | 21 | | 2011; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In honor of his continued support for closer | 2 | | relations between Illinois and Ireland, and
particularly | 3 | | between the sister cities of Chicago and the City of Galway, | 4 | | Billy Lawless was granted
the status of Honorary Freeman of the | 5 | | City of Galway in December of 2014; he was awarded an
honorary | 6 | | doctorate in June of 2015 by the National University of Ireland | 7 | | at Galway; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, On May 11, 2016, Taoiseach Enda Kenny honored | 9 | | Billy Lawless with the unprecedented status of overseas member | 10 | | of the "Seanad Eireann", the Irish Senate in Dublin; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, In his joint capacity as a successful business | 12 | | person and an advocate for the
immigrant community, Billy | 13 | | Lawless has served as co-founder and chairman of the Chicago | 14 | | Celts for
Immigration Reform, as vice president of the Illinois | 15 | | Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee
Rights, and as a founding | 16 | | board member and leader of the Illinois Business Immigration | 17 | | Coalition; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Billy Lawless and his wife, Anne Lawless, became | 19 | | United States citizens in July of 2014; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, As a citizen, Billy Lawless continues to advocate | 21 | | for continued U.S. residency for many
hard-working people who | 22 | | are performing essential tasks here in America; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The natives of Galway have substantial reason to | 2 | | feel the ties between Ireland and the
United States; the | 3 | | western Irish city was at the epicenter of the Great Hunger of | 4 | | 1845-1849, an event
that led to the decision of more than one | 5 | | million Irish men, women, and children to seek new lives in
| 6 | | North America; many of the boats that carried these people left | 7 | | Galway's harbor, westward-bound as
part of a movement of | 8 | | peoples that helped make Chicago and the United States what | 9 | | they are today; therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 11 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 12 | | recognize Billy Lawless, a citizen of the United States of | 13 | | America, for his decision to come to Illinois, make it his | 14 | | home, and employ many of his fellow Illinoisans; and be it | 15 | | further | 16 | | RESOLVED, That we commend Billy Lawless for his work of | 17 | | advocacy for Irish-American relations,
and for his advocacy for | 18 | | the welfare of many people who, like his Irish-American | 19 | | predecessors and
like him, have come from around the world to | 20 | | make America an even greater country; and be it further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That copy of this resolution be presented to | 22 | | Billy Lawless as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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