Full Text of HR1278 98th General Assembly
HR1278 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the administration and | 4 | | staff of the Citizen Advocacy Center in Elmhurst on the | 5 | | occasion of the organization's 20th anniversary; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The Citizen Advocacy Center is an award-winning, | 7 | | non-profit, non-partisan free community legal organization; | 8 | | the Center was founded in 1993 by Therese Amato, who served as | 9 | | the Center's first executive director for 8 years and currently | 10 | | serves as Board President; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The Citizen Advocacy Center seeks to build | 12 | | democracy for the 21st century by strengthening the citizenry's | 13 | | capacities, resources, and institutions for self-governance; | 14 | | to do so, the Center seeks to increase democratic protocols at | 15 | | every level of government and develop the voice of the public | 16 | | through efforts that start at the local level and become | 17 | | State-wide initiatives to address anti-democratic barriers | 18 | | rooted in State law; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The Citizen Advocacy Center operates through the | 20 | | use of community lawyers who protect the public's assets and | 21 | | promote meaningful participation in the democratic process; as | 22 | | an institution made of community lawyers, the Center engages in |
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| 1 | | a multi-faceted approach to building democracy through | 2 | | community organizing, coalition building, legal advocacy, | 3 | | civic education, and litigation to make government more | 4 | | accountable, accessible, and transparent; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The Citizen Advocacy Center makes itself open for | 6 | | the public to obtain free civic resource materials, ask | 7 | | questions of the Center's community lawyers on matters of | 8 | | public concern, engage in civic discussion, learn about local | 9 | | issues, attend training workshops, and develop skills for | 10 | | participating in civic affairs; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The Citizen Advocacy Center is committed to making | 12 | | government more accountable to the people by developing and | 13 | | empowering the voice of citizens; promoting individual and | 14 | | community efforts to resolve contemporary societal problems | 15 | | involving the health, safety, and general well-being of the | 16 | | communities of the western and far western suburbs of Chicago; | 17 | | furthering the public knowledge and understanding of | 18 | | democratic tools and how they can be employed for societal | 19 | | problem solving; stimulating citizen awareness of and | 20 | | involvement in the community; helping citizens to act on issues | 21 | | of public significance; litigating on behalf of select citizen | 22 | | causes to sustain access to justice; and monitoring local | 23 | | government to insure accountability and to deter officials from | 24 | | acting contrary to the general interest of the community; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The Citizen Advocacy Center engages local | 2 | | communities through numerous public initiatives, including the | 3 | | Civic Empowerment Zone, the Center's youth civic education | 4 | | program; the Center's community lawyers have worked with | 5 | | journalists on Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act, | 6 | | and First Amendment issues; the Center has also launched a | 7 | | Midwest Open Government Project, a comprehensive study of the | 8 | | Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Acts in Illinois, | 9 | | Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, among many other | 10 | | initiatives; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, The administration and staff of the Citizen | 12 | | Advocacy Center serve as models of hard work, integrity, and | 13 | | dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, | 14 | | be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | we congratulate the administration and staff of the Citizen | 18 | | Advocacy Center on the occasion of the organization's 20th | 19 | | anniversary and wish them continued success and happiness in | 20 | | the future; and be it further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 22 | | presented to the Citizen Advocacy Center as a symbol of our |
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| 1 | | esteem and respect.
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