Full Text of HR1045 102nd General Assembly
HR1045 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate our colleague, | 4 | | Representative Jim Durkin, for his distinguished service to | 5 | | the people of the State of Illinois during his nearly | 6 | | decade-long time as House Republican Leader; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, With a focus on protecting and strengthening | 8 | | families and communities, Leader Durkin has spent his entire | 9 | | career working for the citizens of Illinois; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin was born into a large Chicago | 11 | | family of eight boys; he was raised in the western suburb of | 12 | | Westchester, and he and all seven of his brothers graduated | 13 | | from Fenwick High School; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin attended Illinois State University, | 15 | | earning a degree in Criminal Justice, and completed his formal | 16 | | education by receiving his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall | 17 | | Law School; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Following his graduation from law school, Leader | 19 | | Durkin served as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General and | 20 | | continued his public service as an Assistant Cook County | 21 | | State's Attorney; while working as an Assistant State's |
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| 1 | | Attorney, he served in the felony trial and narcotics bureau; | 2 | | he currently practices law in the City of Chicago; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, In January 1995, Leader Durkin became an Illinois | 4 | | State Representative in the 44th District; in 2002, he was the | 5 | | Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate; in 2006, he was | 6 | | appointed to fill a vacancy in the 82nd House District; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin served as the ranking Republican on | 8 | | the Illinois House of Representatives Special Investigation | 9 | | Committee for the impeachment of Governor Blagojevich in 2008 | 10 | | and served as the House Manager for the removal of a sitting | 11 | | member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 2012; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, The offices of two members of the Illinois House | 13 | | of Representatives, the Speaker of the Illinois House and the | 14 | | Minority Leader of the Illinois House, are specifically | 15 | | enumerated in Section 6 of Article IV of the Constitution of | 16 | | Illinois; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, In August of 2013, Leader Durkin was unanimously | 18 | | selected by his Republican colleagues to fill the vacancy of | 19 | | House Republican Leader and was officially inaugurated by the | 20 | | full House of Representatives on October 22, 2013; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, During his tenure, Leader Durkin served with |
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| 1 | | three different Illinois Governors of both political parties; | 2 | | and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin worked to ensure the State provides | 4 | | a quality education for children across Illinois by creating | 5 | | the Invest in Kids Tuition Tax Credit Program and negotiating | 6 | | the State's education funding formula to ensure equity for all | 7 | | school districts across the state; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin worked to protect families from | 9 | | polluters by shutting down a toxic sterilization plant in his | 10 | | district and creating the strictest standards for ethylene | 11 | | oxide in the nation; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin continued to fight for lowering | 13 | | property taxes, fixing the State's pension systems and passing | 14 | | ethics reform to hold elected officials accountable; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin's dedication to the people of | 16 | | Illinois has earned him several honors, such as Legislator of | 17 | | the Year, Friend of Agriculture, Outstanding Legislator of the | 18 | | Year, the Family Legacy Award, and several more over the | 19 | | years; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, In 2000 and 2008, Leader Durkin was State | 21 | | Chairman for U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaigns |
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| 1 | | and served as Chairman for the Illinois Delegation at the 2008 | 2 | | Republican National Convention in Minneapolis; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin currently serves on the | 4 | | Misericordia Board of Advisors, the Giant Steps of Illinois | 5 | | Board of Directors, and the JDRF Illinois Board of Directors; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Leader Durkin currently resides in Western | 8 | | Springs with his wife, Celeste, and his family; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, On November 9, 2022, Leader Durkin informed his | 10 | | colleagues that he would not stand for election as House | 11 | | Republican Leader in the approaching term of the 103rd | 12 | | Illinois General Assembly; therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 14 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 15 | | we congratulate and thank the Honorable Jim Durkin for his | 16 | | distinguished service to the people of Illinois as the House | 17 | | Republican Leader during the 98th, 99th, 100th, 101st, and | 18 | | 102nd General Assemblies and wish him the very best as he moves | 19 | | on to new challenges in his life and the lives of his family; | 20 | | and be it further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| 1 | | presented to Leader Durkin and his family as an expression of | 2 | | our esteem and respect.
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