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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate our friend and
4colleague, Illinois State Representative Kent Gaffney, on the
5occasion of his retirement and thank him for his service to the
6people of the State of Illinois; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Representative Gaffney has been married to his
8wife, Elizabeth for 15 years after first meeting her while they
9both worked at the Capitol on legislative issues, and they are
10now the proud parents of 2 wonderful boys, Adam and Alexander;
11and
 
12    WHEREAS, Representative Gaffney graduated from
13Williamsville High School prior to attending and graduating
14from Purdue University with a bachelor of arts degree in
15political science; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Representative Gaffney began his career in public
17service in 1988, working for the Illinois Senate during college
18summers and working in the private sector before coming back to
19public service in 1997 by taking a position on the House
20Republican Staff; there he worked on major issues and pieces of
21legislation including the deregulation of the utility industry
22and the funding and construction of the new Chicago Bears

 

 

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1stadium; and
 
2    WHEREAS, After years of hard work and dedicated service, he
3became the Director of Appropriations for the House Republican
4Caucus in January 2001, and as Director of Appropriations,
5Representative Gaffney was the "go-to" person for all issues
6regarding Illinois appropriations; as a leadership staff
7member, he aided in developing policy positions for the caucus
8and spent over a decade negotiating the State's budget with 3
9Governors and the legislative leaders of the other caucuses,
10always advocating for fiscally responsible and balanced
11budgets; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Representative Gaffney was appointed to serve as
13State Representative for the 52nd District on July, 4, 2011,
14after the untimely death of his long-time friend and colleague
15Representative Mark Beaubien; and
 
16    WHEREAS, As State Representative, Kent Gaffney sponsored
17numerous pieces of legislation, including PA 97-0565, which
18helps to relieve local merchants of government regulations
19regarding caustic substances, and PA 97-0982, which helps
20relieve the cost on local government when a State's Attorney is
21absent; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Representative Gaffney served as an advocate for

 

 

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1many causes, such as the abolishment of legislative
2scholarships, pension reform, and the victims' bill of rights;
3and he continued budget policy work and was appointed by the
4Governor to be the only House Republican member to serve on the
5Budgeting for Results Commission; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Representative Gaffney was very active in the
7local community, he served as host to several town hall forums,
8including those in Island Lake, Lake in the Hills, and Crystal
9Lake, and recognized and congratulated the Prairie Ridge
10football team for winning the CLASS 6A football championship,
11the Cary-Grove volleyball team for taking 2nd place at the 4A
12State Championship, and mourning the death of local leader
13Lester Macko, former fire chief of the Cary Fire District; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In recognition of his clear commitment to public
15service and his belief in working towards bi-partisan
16solutions, Representative Gaffney was nominated and selected
17to be one of 40 members of the 2012 Inaugural Class of the
18Edgar Fellows Program; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Representative Gaffney serves as a model of hard
20work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of
21Illinois; therefore, be it
 
22    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

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1NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2we congratulate our friend and colleague, Illinois State
3Representative Kent Gaffney, on the occasion of his retirement,
4thank him for his service to the people of the State, and wish
5him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it
6further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Representative Kent Gaffney as a symbol of our
9esteem and respect.