Full Text of SR2454 099th General Assembly
SR2454 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, State Senator Gary Forby has represented the | 3 | | communities of the State of Illinois and the
families of the | 4 | | 59th Senate District since 2003; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby began his work in public service on | 6 | | the Franklin County Board; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby joined the Illinois General | 8 | | Assembly in 2001, serving first in the Illinois House
of | 9 | | Representatives before filling the vacancy created by Senator | 10 | | Larry Woolard's retirement in 2003; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby is a lifelong resident of Southern | 12 | | Illinois; he was born in Anna and moved to Benton at an early
| 13 | | age, where he still resides; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby has long been an influential and | 15 | | positive presence in Southern Illinois, as a
small business | 16 | | owner providing services to local residents and operating a | 17 | | pro-union, fair-wage
excavating company; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby brought integrity to his public | 19 | | service by ensuring his votes in the Legislature
were cast with | 20 | | the people and the welfare of Southern Illinois in mind; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby has gained the respect of other | 2 | | elected officials in his district, oftentimes
working closely | 3 | | with mayors and city administrators to bring State dollars back | 4 | | to Southern Illinois to
help with projects; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby has been a leader in bringing key | 6 | | projects home to his district such as the
funding to construct | 7 | | the I-57 on-ramp in Marion and expanding the Ferrell Hospital | 8 | | in Eldorado and the
Herrin Hospital; he helped communities | 9 | | throughout the region receive emergency grant funding to keep | 10 | | people
safe from hazardous conditions, and multiple school | 11 | | construction grants that brought new schools to
Carterville and | 12 | | Marion; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, As a union member himself for over 40 years, and | 14 | | Chair of the Senate Labor Committee,
Senator Forby has been the | 15 | | voice of middle class, working families in an uphill battle to | 16 | | ensure labor continues
to have a strong presence here in | 17 | | Illinois and that people continue to receive fair, livable | 18 | | wages; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby has been strong in his fight for job | 20 | | creation and the coal industry throughout
not only Southern | 21 | | Illinois, but Illinois as a whole; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby helped pass a measure to create the | 2 | | Coal
Mining and Electric Generation Act, which brought half a | 3 | | million dollars in funding to help finance the
expansion of | 4 | | coal burning power plants in Illinois; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby has continually worked on pro-coal | 6 | | legislation during his tenure in office, and
has been one of | 7 | | the loudest voices for the coal industry in Springfield by | 8 | | working to pass pro-coal
measures every year since he has been | 9 | | in office; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby served as the chief sponsor in the | 11 | | Senate to lead the effort in bringing
concealed carry to | 12 | | Illinois; he stood strong in his
efforts to override Governor | 13 | | Quinn's amendatory veto to see the measure move forward; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby has been genuine to his district, | 15 | | fighting to ensure the Southern Illinois region gets its fair
| 16 | | share and is not overlooked; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, When Southern Illinois primary schools were | 18 | | facing uncertainty, Senator Forby worked in a
bipartisan | 19 | | fashion to help pass a K-12 budget that allowed the schools in | 20 | | his district to receive adequate
funding; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby knows the importance of education in |
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| 1 | | his district and has been steadfast in his
support for Southern | 2 | | Illinois University by ensuring it continues to receive State | 3 | | funding to help it
continue to attract students throughout the | 4 | | country and provide an excellent education for future job
| 5 | | seekers; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby is the loving father of daughters, | 7 | | Lisa Black, and Mackenzie Fleetwood,
sons, Justin Forby, and | 8 | | Jeremy Fleetwood, and grandfather to his granddaughter, Hannah | 9 | | Forby; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Senator Forby will return to Benton, where he | 11 | | remains active in many local organizations, including the
| 12 | | Shriners and Elks Club; therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 14 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Gary Forby for | 15 | | his dedicated service to the people of Illinois and honor him | 16 | | with this
resolution; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to Gary Forby with our
best wishes for his future | 19 | | endeavors.
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