Full Text of SR0429 96th General Assembly
SR0429 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
SR0429 |
|
LRB096 14997 KXB 29920 r |
|
| 1 |
| SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Frank Watson served the people of | 3 |
| Illinois, especially the citizens of Bond, Clinton, Effingham, | 4 |
| Fayette, Macon, Madison, Marion, Moultrie, Shelby, and St. | 5 |
| Clair counties, with distinction for 30 years, serving in the | 6 |
| Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Senate from 1979 | 7 |
| to 2009; and
| 8 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson served honorably as Leader of the | 9 |
| Senate Republican Caucus from December of 2002 to December of | 10 |
| 2008, and was an Assistant Senate Majority Leader from 1993 to | 11 |
| 2002, and a member of a number of important Senate committees | 12 |
| such as Agriculture and Conservation, Appropriations, | 13 |
| Education, Executive, and Transportation; and
| 14 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson's legislative career was marked by | 15 |
| historic accomplishments, including welfare reform to provide | 16 |
| opportunities for self-reliance by helping people move from the | 17 |
| welfare rolls to the employment rolls, a program that became a | 18 |
| model program for the nation; and
| 19 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson championed economic development | 20 |
| issues that helped make Illinois more competitive with its | 21 |
| neighboring states through the Economic Development for a | 22 |
| Growing Economy or "EDGE" Program, which provided incentives |
|
|
|
SR0429 |
- 2 - |
LRB096 14997 KXB 29920 r |
|
| 1 |
| for new jobs and business expansion; and
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson also led the fight to clean up | 3 |
| polluted former industrial sites to help make them a suitable | 4 |
| home for new industry and jobs; and
| 5 |
| WHEREAS, Public education was one of Senator Watson's most | 6 |
| important concerns, which led him to sponsor landmark Chicago | 7 |
| school reform, to make education funding a budget priority, and | 8 |
| to sponsor the College Illinois! and Bright Start college | 9 |
| tuition programs to make higher education more affordable; and
| 10 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson, a long-time pharmacist and owner | 11 |
| of his family's century-old Watson's Drug Store in downtown | 12 |
| Greenville, took a deep interest in the issue of access to | 13 |
| quality health care; and
| 14 |
| WHEREAS, He sponsored a number of new laws during his | 15 |
| career to improve rural health care, including HMO reform, a | 16 |
| Patient's Bill of Rights, the expansion of prenatal testing, | 17 |
| new health care options to improve access in | 18 |
| medically-underserved areas, and a ground-breaking effort that | 19 |
| led to medical malpractice insurance reform that helped turn | 20 |
| the tide of the doctors leaving Illinois; and
| 21 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson was a tireless supporter of |
|
|
|
SR0429 |
- 3 - |
LRB096 14997 KXB 29920 r |
|
| 1 |
| Illinois coal throughout his tenure in the Legislature, | 2 |
| sponsoring and supporting legislation that helped coal | 3 |
| companies keep operating during the difficult 1980s and 1990s; | 4 |
| and supporting industry incentives to encourage more energy | 5 |
| generating capacity; and
| 6 |
| WHEREAS, He was a strong supporter of the FutureGen project | 7 |
| and helped pave the way for the Tenaska Energy Park, which will | 8 |
| use the rich coal reserves in southern Illinois; and
| 9 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson fought hard for transportation | 10 |
| funding as important to economic development and job creation | 11 |
| throughout the State, but especially in southern Illinois, | 12 |
| including making U.S. Route 51 a top priority; and
| 13 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson was a defender of local government, | 14 |
| raising the issue of unfunded mandates and helping to initiate | 15 |
| a change in how State government conducts business; and
| 16 |
| WHEREAS, Thanks to Senator Watson's leadership, mandates | 17 |
| cannot be passed along to cities, counties, or other local | 18 |
| units of government without proper funding from the State; and
| 19 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson's tireless work on behalf of the | 20 |
| citizens of Illinois also included his work on numerous boards | 21 |
| and commissions, which dealt with the fundamental issues of the |
|
|
|
SR0429 |
- 4 - |
LRB096 14997 KXB 29920 r |
|
| 1 |
| day; and
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson has received numerous awards for | 3 |
| his legislative work over the years from local, regional, | 4 |
| State, and national organizations, from such diverse interests | 5 |
| as veterans, economic development, health care, local | 6 |
| government, seniors, and education; and
| 7 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson is a life-long resident and | 8 |
| favorite son of Greenville, and graduated from Purdue | 9 |
| University with a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy in 1968; and
| 10 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Watson became very involved in his | 11 |
| community beginning his public service career as Bond County | 12 |
| Central Township Trustee and Supervisor, as a member of the | 13 |
| Greenville Zoning Board of Appeals; and as a member of, and | 14 |
| later President of, the Greenville Jaycees during 1973 and | 15 |
| 1974, when he was selected as the Outstanding Jaycee in | 16 |
| Illinois and one of five Outstanding Jaycees in the nation; and
| 17 |
| WHEREAS, He was inducted into the Illinois Jaycee Hall of | 18 |
| Fame in 1999; and
| 19 |
| WHEREAS, With his retirement, Senator Frank Watson can now | 20 |
| spend more time with his family; wife, Susan; daughter, Kami | 21 |
| and son-in-law, Rod; son, Chad; daughter-in-law, Erin; and |
|
|
|
SR0429 |
- 5 - |
LRB096 14997 KXB 29920 r |
|
| 1 |
| grandson, Brennan; and
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, Senator Frank Watson's passion for his fellow | 3 |
| citizens of Illinois was so heart-felt that from time to time | 4 |
| it showed deeply upon his face and in his voice filled with | 5 |
| emotion; therefore, be it
| 6 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 7 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Frank | 8 |
| Watson for his remarkable service to the State of Illinois and | 9 |
| its
12 million citizens and that we honor him with this | 10 |
| resolution; and be it further
| 11 |
| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this preamble and | 12 |
| resolution be presented to Frank Watson with our best wishes, | 13 |
| our abiding friendship, and our deep appreciation.
|
|