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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to honor our friend and colleague,
4Illinois State Representative Sandy Cole, for her years of
5dedicated service to the people of the State of Illinois; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Representative Cole was born on December 29, 1953,
7in Green Bay, Wisconsin; she earned her bachelor of science
8degree from Rockford College in 1976, where she majored in
9graphic arts, minored in mathematics, and received a secondary
10education teaching certificate; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Representative Cole spent 10 years serving on the
12Lake County Board representing the 11th District from
131996-2006; she has been a leader on a wide variety of issues
14including open space, environmental protection, and
15transportation; she was widely regarded as a budget hawk on the
16Lake County Board and helped to set policy and direction for
17the county's budget; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Representative Cole served as a Forest Preserve
19Commissioner, helping the Forest Preserve District acquire
20more than 7,000 acres of forest preserve land; she served as a
21director on the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County from
221998-2006, and as a director for the Soil and Water

 

 

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1Conservation District of Lake County from 1994-1996; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Representative Cole served as the State
3representative of the 62nd District from 2007 to 2013 where she
4championed her "Family Focus" legislative agenda, a
5comprehensive list of legislative priorities aimed at
6improving the quality of life for families and communities in
7Lake County and throughout Illinois; and
 
8    WHEREAS Representative Cole has been a leader in the
9General Assembly on women's health issues by hosting women and
10senior health and wellness fairs, and also by fighting hard to
11help pass legislation to fund the Sexual Assault Services and
12Prevention Fund, which helps provide critical services to women
13in need; and
 
14    WHEREAS Representative Cole was instrumental in securing
15open space grants for the Lake County Forest Preserve District,
16Lake Villa Township, and the Round Lake Area Park District for
17the construction of hiking trails, playgrounds, soccer fields,
18and other recreational facilities for the constituents of the
1962nd District; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Representative Cole has been a strong voice for
21fiscal responsibility, consistently voting to slash her own pay
22and working to balance the budget while holding the line on

 

 

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1taxes to protect the citizens of Illinois; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Representative Cole has placed children's safety
3as a top priority including an expansion to the Infant Safe
4Haven laws, allowing mothers who are in crisis or who have
5nowhere else to turn a solution for the safety and well-being
6of the infant, and she also fought to enhance Illinois prison
7sentences to those that commit sexual crimes against children;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Representative Cole, being a member of the
10Illinois Alzheimer's Legislators Alliance, has fought to bring
11awareness to this devastating disease; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Representative Cole has sponsored a number of
13community events to assist children, families, and senior
14citizens, including an Autism forum for families affected by
15children with autism, a family internet safety seminar for
16parents and their kids, an unemployment insurance workshop for
17small businesses, a veterans services forum, a business
18prosperity town hall focused on state fiscal issues and several
19outreach events for local senior citizens; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Representative Cole has lived in Lake County for
21over 27 years and has been married to Stephen Cole for 29
22years; they have 3 children, 2 daughters and one son and one

 

 

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1grandchild, Annabel; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we honor our friend and colleague, Illinois State
5Representative Sandy Cole, for her years of dedicated service
6to the people of this State and wish her great success and
7happiness in her future endeavors; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9presented to Representative Cole as a symbol of our esteem and
10respect.