Full Text of SR1068 97th General Assembly
SR1068 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Senator Suzi Schmidt has represented the citizens | 3 | | of Lake County with distinction as State Senator for the 31st | 4 | | District since 2011; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt's priorities have always been | 6 | | those of the people she represents-local government, | 7 | | education, business development and job creation, and lower | 8 | | taxes; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt's public service began in 1985, | 10 | | when she was elected as a township trustee and served in the | 11 | | capacity until she was elected to the Lake County Board; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt was first elected to the Lake | 13 | | County Board and Lake County Forest Preserve Board in 1988, and | 14 | | served with distinction for 22 years; and | 15 | | WHEREAS In 2000, Senator Schmidt became the first female | 16 | | chair of the Lake County Board, and her peers elected her as | 17 | | chair for 10 consecutive years; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt has always been a strong supporter | 19 | | of the environment, making sure that the residents of Lake | 20 | | County for generations to come would have the opportunity to |
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| 1 | | enjoy open space, forest preserves, and recreational areas; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt's environmental commitment is | 3 | | evidenced by her diligent efforts on the Land Acquisition | 4 | | Committee from 1988 to 2010; she was instrumental in the | 5 | | purchase and protection of 16,297 acres of land in Lake County, | 6 | | including the acquisition of 34 entirely new Forest Preserves | 7 | | such as Bonner Farm, Hastings Lake, Duck Fann, Sun Lake, and | 8 | | Bluebird Meadow, as well as additions to 54 existing preserves | 9 | | and many parcels of land acquired to develop the Des Plaines | 10 | | and Millennium regional trails; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt has been dedicated to the | 12 | | preservation of the history of Lake County's agricultural roots | 13 | | as evidenced by her support of agricultural leasing, as well as | 14 | | her service on the Bonner Farm Advisory Committee from 2000 to | 15 | | 2004, which resulted in the opening of the Bonner Heritage | 16 | | Farm; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt demonstrated her commitment to | 18 | | wetland protection and research through her service on the | 19 | | Wetlands Research Board from 1988 to 2008; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt previously served as a director of | 21 | | the Illinois Lakes Management Association from 1986 to 1988; | 22 | | and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Because of Senator Schmidt's strong environmental | 2 | | commitment to the State of Illinois, she was presented with the | 3 | | Environmental Legislator of the Year Award in 2011; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt influenced countless decisions | 5 | | that improved Lake County and the quality of life for its | 6 | | residents; she was known for her ability to build consensus on | 7 | | the county board; she fostered cooperation with all members of | 8 | | both sides of the aisle and worked on behalf of all residents; | 9 | | and | 10 | | WHEREAS Senator Schmidt brought those same team-building | 11 | | traits with her to the Illinois Senate; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt's commitment to effective local | 13 | | government continued in Springfield as she served as Republican | 14 | | spokesperson of the Senate Local Government Committee, helping | 15 | | to guide public policy that impacts all Illinois communities | 16 | | and their citizens; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt recognized the need to balance the | 18 | | important work done by local governments with the public right | 19 | | to know, cosponsoring a new law that requires a public body to | 20 | | take reasonable steps to ensure that a copy of any meeting | 21 | | notice and agenda are continuously available for public review |
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| 1 | | during the entire 48-hour period preceding the meeting; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt also served as a member of the | 3 | | Senate Commerce Committee, the Senate Appropriations II | 4 | | Committee, the Senate Financial Institutions Committee, and | 5 | | the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability; | 6 | | and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt has always been a champion for | 8 | | fiscal responsibility and prudent conservative budget | 9 | | principles, often heard to say: "We don't spend money we don't | 10 | | have."; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt was born in Chicago in 1951, | 12 | | attended grade school in Summit, and graduated from Lyons | 13 | | Township High School in LaGrange; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt earned a bachelor's degree in Art | 15 | | Education from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in | 16 | | 1974; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt taught for 12 years at Lotus | 18 | | Elementary, Grass Lake Elementary, and Gavin School District; | 19 | | and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, A resident of Lake Villa Township for over 30 |
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| 1 | | years, Senator Schmidt has long been active in her community, | 2 | | serving as the president of Metro Counties, as a member of the | 3 | | Board of Governors of the Lake County University Center, and as | 4 | | a member of the Executive Committee of the Lake County | 5 | | Municipal League; she is also a member of the Lindenhurst/Lake | 6 | | Villa Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Lake Villa Library, and | 7 | | Lake Villa Historical Society; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Senator Schmidt has represented her constituents | 9 | | in the Senate with dedication, energy, and enthusiasm, earning | 10 | | the respect and admiration of her colleagues on both sides of | 11 | | the aisle; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Legislators and staff alike know and appreciate | 13 | | Senator Schmidt for her engaging personality, generosity, | 14 | | kindness, and a smile that lights up the Senate Chambers; | 15 | | therefore, be it
| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 17 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Senator | 18 | | Suzi Schmidt on her retirement from the Illinois Senate after 2 | 19 | | years of honorable and dedicated service; and be it further
| 20 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 21 | | presented to Senator Suzi Schmidt with our friendship, our | 22 | | gratitude for her hard work, and our best wishes for her future |
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| 1 | | endeavors.
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