Full Text of HR1382 98th General Assembly
HR1382 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives
were saddened to learn of the death of our | 4 | | friend and former
colleague, former State Representative | 5 | | Michael K. Smith, who
passed away on August 9, 2014; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith was born to Dale and Betty
Bertetto | 7 | | Smith on May 23, 1966 in Canton; he graduated from
Canton High | 8 | | School and from Bradley University with a Bachelor
of Arts in | 9 | | Political Science; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith married Donna L. Shaw on February
1, | 11 | | 1991 in Canton; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith began working with the Illinois
House | 13 | | of Representatives as a legislative assistant; he
continued his | 14 | | public service as Canton Township Trustee from
1991 to 1994 and | 15 | | as a Citizens Advocate for the Illinois
Attorney General's | 16 | | Office from 1992 to 1995; he was elected
State Representative | 17 | | in 1994 and diligently served the people of
Fulton, Peoria, and | 18 | | Tazewell counties and the State of Illinois for 16 years; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith was a dedicated and passionate
advocate | 20 | | for Illinois' schoolchildren as Chairman of the House
| 21 | | Elementary and Secondary Education Committee; he fought to
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| 1 | | increase funding for schools, literacy programs, early | 2 | | childhood
education, and students with special needs; he served | 3 | | as a member
of the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board | 4 | | from 2011 to
2014; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith fought for middle-class families,
| 6 | | working to bring jobs to Central Illinois; he secured valuable
| 7 | | State assistance to support local employers and workers at
the | 8 | | Keystone Steel and Wire Co. in Bartonville and at Cook Medical | 9 | | in
Canton; he helped to promote regional growth through the
| 10 | | establishment of the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District,
| 11 | | the Western Illinois Economic Development Authority, and with | 12 | | his
support of the bio-fuels industry; he made his district a
| 13 | | priority by securing millions of dollars in infrastructure
| 14 | | improvement projects, including upgrades to Veterans Drive in
| 15 | | Pekin and through efforts to revitalize East Peoria's downtown; | 16 | | and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith served as a Chairperson and Member
of | 18 | | the House committees on Appropriations-Elementary and | 19 | | Secondary Education, Agriculture and Conservation, Environment
| 20 | | and Energy, Financial Institutions, Judiciary II-Criminal Law,
| 21 | | and Personnel and Pensions; he fought on behalf of first
| 22 | | responders as a founder and Co-Chairman of the Illinois
| 23 | | Legislative Fire Services Caucus; he served as Chairman and
| 24 | | Vice-Chairman of the Downstate Democratic Caucus; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith loved his community; he served as a
| 2 | | Trustee Emeritus at Graham Hospital in Canton, a founding | 3 | | member
of the 336 Highway Coalition, and as a member of Pekin | 4 | | Moose
Lodge #916, the Knights of Columbus, and Ducks Unlimited; | 5 | | he was a past
president of the Canton Area Chamber of Commerce, | 6 | | a past vice-president of the Rotary Club of Canton, former | 7 | | board member of the
American Heart Association's Illinois | 8 | | Chapter, and the Fulton-Mason
Crisis Service, and a past Parish | 9 | | Council President at St.
Mary Church in Canton; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith's public service was recognized
with | 11 | | the Glen Walters Memorial Award, the Associated Fire Fighters
| 12 | | of Illinois Legislator of the Year, the Illinois Association of | 13 | | Fire
Protection Districts Award, the Friend of Agriculture, the | 14 | | Illinois
Fertilizer and Chemical Association 1999 Legislative | 15 | | Award,
the Illinois Association of Rural Electric | 16 | | Co-Operatives Representative of
the Year, the Illinois ABATE | 17 | | Outstanding Legislator Award, the Illinois
Education | 18 | | Association Legislative Service Award, the Illinois
Hospital | 19 | | Association Award, and the Leo Sharp Award; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith is survived by his wife, Donna;
his | 21 | | mother, Betty; his sisters, Sandra Schuman and Pat Fowler;
and | 22 | | several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews; | 23 | | therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 2 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we, along with
his family and friends, mourn the passing of | 4 | | former State
Representative Michael K. Smith; and be it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 | | presented
to the family of Rep. Smith as an expression of our
| 7 | | deepest sympathies and respect.
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