Full Text of SR0223 094th General Assembly
SR0223 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois | 3 |
| were deeply saddened to learn of the death of their friend and | 4 |
| former colleague, State Senator Margaret Smith of Chicago, on | 5 |
| Monday, May 16, 2005; and | 6 |
| WHEREAS, She was born Margaret Fort in Chicago and spent | 7 |
| her life helping others; she graduated from DuSable High School | 8 |
| in Chicago, was educated at Tennessee State University, and was | 9 |
| a member of the Chicago Baptist Institute, where she received | 10 |
| an honorary doctor of humanities degree; in 1955, she married | 11 |
| Fred Smith, a longtime legislator who was known as "Dean of the | 12 |
| Senate" before he retired in 1979; he preceded her in death in | 13 |
| 1988; and
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| WHEREAS, Senator Margaret Smith spent 22 years in the | 15 |
| Illinois General Assembly; she was first elected to the House | 16 |
| of Representatives in 1980 and served one two-year term; she | 17 |
| won election to the Senate in 1982 and was re-elected by | 18 |
| overwhelming margins for the next 20 years; and
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| WHEREAS, During her 20 years in the Senate, she served as | 20 |
| the
chairwoman of the influential Senate Public Health and | 21 |
| Welfare Committee, where
she had the distinction of being the | 22 |
| first female State Senator in the U.S. to
serve as the | 23 |
| chairperson of the same committee chaired earlier by her spouse | 24 |
| the minority spokesperson on the Senate Public
Health and | 25 |
| Welfare Committee,
and as the Democratic Caucus Chair; and
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| WHEREAS, She also served on the Senate Committees on | 27 |
| Appropriations,
Commerce and Industry, Insurance and Pensions, | 28 |
| Executive Appointments, the
Legislative Space Needs | 29 |
| Commission, the Legislative Printing Unit, the
Committee of | 30 |
| Women Legislators (COWL), the Advisory Board of the Illinois
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| Sports Facility Authority, the Legislative Black Caucus, the |
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| Anti-Crime
Advisory Committee, and the Illinois Steering | 2 |
| Committee for Public Health's
Turning
Point; and
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| WHEREAS, Senator Smith served the State of Illinois well as | 4 |
| a member of the
National Conference of Black State Legislators, | 5 |
| the Midwestern Legislative
Conference, where she served on the | 6 |
| Health and Human Services Committee and the
Committee on | 7 |
| Children, and the National Conference of State Legislators | 8 |
| (NCSL),
where she once served as the chairperson of the NCSL's | 9 |
| Health and Human
Services Committee; and
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| WHEREAS, Senator Smith amassed numerous legislative | 11 |
| accomplishments which
enhanced the quality of life for the | 12 |
| people in the Third Senate District and
of the people of | 13 |
| Illinois, including requiring the State to cover the cost of
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| mammograms for poor women, requiring insurance companies to | 15 |
| cover mammograms,
protecting senior citizens in nursing homes | 16 |
| and assisted living facilities,
allowing public aid recipients | 17 |
| making the transition from welfare to work to
receive Medicaid | 18 |
| services for 12 months, improving the child immunization
system | 19 |
| in Illinois, assisting women with ovarian and cervical cancer, | 20 |
| mandating businesses to provide an on-site location other than | 21 |
| a rest room for
working mothers to express milk to feed their | 22 |
| infants during office hours,
and improving business | 23 |
| opportunities for women and minorities; and
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| WHEREAS, She was recognized for her sponsorship and support | 25 |
| of
legislation on health care and women's issues and was the | 26 |
| recipient of the
coveted "Legislator of the Year Award" from | 27 |
| every major public health
organization in Illinois, including | 28 |
| the Illinois Nurses' Association, the
Illinois Health Care | 29 |
| Association, and the Illinois Hospital and Health Systems
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| Association; and
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| WHEREAS, Senator Smith is the author of legislation | 32 |
| commissioning the
creation
of statues of Adelbert H. Roberts, |
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| the first African American to serve in the
State legislature, | 2 |
| and Dr. Martin L. King Jr., as well as the portrait of her
late | 3 |
| husband, Senator Fred J. Smith, all of which are on display in | 4 |
| the State
Capitol and its complex in
Springfield; and | 5 |
| WHEREAS, Margaret Smith was known as "Lady of the Senate" | 6 |
| and is remembered for her class, benevolence, and humor; she | 7 |
| was dedicated to her church and faith and made numerous mission | 8 |
| trips abroad; she visited Africa, Europe, and Asia; in | 9 |
| recognition of her work, a school in Haiti was named after her; | 10 |
| she was a board member of the Ada S. McKinley Foundation and | 11 |
| Beatrice Caffrey Youth Service; she was a member of Sigma Gamma | 12 |
| Rho Sorority, Inc., Metropolitan Business and Professional | 13 |
| Women International, and Bethsaida Missionary Baptist Church; | 14 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 16 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 17 |
| our friend and former colleague, Senator Margaret Smith, who | 18 |
| spent a well-lived life dedicated to championing the needs of | 19 |
| others; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 21 |
| presented to her family as an expression of our sincere sorrow | 22 |
| for this loss.
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