HR1320 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1320 LRB100 24099 MST 43209 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Assistant Republican Leader and State Representative Bill Mitchell on his 20 years of distinguished service and hard work on behalf of the people of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Mitchell was born in Decatur on March 29, 1960; he graduated from St. Teresa High School in Decatur and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University in 1982; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Mitchell was first elected in 1998 to serve the people of the 102nd District; he was re-elected nine times to represent the people of the 87th District and the current 101st District; over the course of his career, he represented Macon, Champaign, Christian, Cumberland, DeWitt, Effingham, Logan, McLean, Piatt, Sangamon, Shelby, and Tazewell counties; and

WHEREAS, In 2013, Rep. Mitchell was honored to be appointed as Assistant Republican Leader for the Illinois House Republican Caucus; he was re-appointed to leadership in 2015 and 2017; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Mitchell was a tireless advocate for central Illinois families and was deeply committed to improving the region's schools and infrastructure, attracting and retaining good-paying jobs for working families, and ensuring seniors receive the assistance they need and deserve; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Mitchell was a fiscal conservative and outspoken critic of wasteful government spending; he sponsored legislation to ground and then sell the State's $22 million fleet of aircraft, arguing that taxpayers could no longer afford this perk of power, and he proposed welfare reform legislation to cut down on fraud and save taxpayer dollars; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Mitchell has always been a strong voice on the issue of job creation; he served as the Republican Spokesperson for the House Bipartisan Job Creation Task Force and as chairman of the House Republican Task Force on Rural Economic Development; and

WHEREAS, In an effort to save thousands of good-paying jobs, Rep. Mitchell was instrumental in the passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act (Public Act 99-906); he fought for several years to save the Clinton Power Station, the economic engine of DeWitt County and a major employer in central Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Legislation sponsored by Rep. Mitchell to create an Alzheimer's Awareness license plate was signed into law in 2013; Public Act 98-259 provided for the issuance of Alzheimer's Awareness license plates and created the Alzheimer's Awareness Fund to provide financial support to the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association for Alzheimer's care, support, education, and awareness programs; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Mitchell was a strong proponent of open, transparent, and accessible government; he held countless town hall meetings across his district, in addition to many other outreach events, including senior fairs and State budget briefings; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his service in the Illinois General Assembly, Rep. Mitchell served on the Decatur City Council and was Decatur Mayor Pro Tem from 1997 to 1998; he also served as the Macon County Republican Party Chairman; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate our friend and colleague, State Rep. Bill Mitchell, on his retirement from the Illinois House of Representatives, and we wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rep. Mitchell as an expression of our esteem and respect.