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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Illinois State Senator Annazette Collins was born
3and raised in Chicago, where she earned her bachelor's degree
4in sociology from Chicago State University; she later earned
5her master's degree in criminal justice and furthered her
6graduate work in psychology counseling; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Senator Collins began her professional career in
8social work; she has held positions as a corrections officer
9with the Cook County Probation Department and as an
10Administrator for both the Chicago Public Schools and the
11Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Senator Collins was first elected to the Illinois
13House of Representatives in 2001, representing the
14neighborhoods of the 10th Representative District; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Senator Collins served on and led numerous
16committees during her career in the General Assembly, including
17the House Committees on Human Services, Judiciary II - Criminal
18Law (Vice-Chairperson), Public Utilities, State Government
19Administration, Juvenile Justice Reform (Chairperson),
20Elementary and Secondary Education, Commerce and Business
21Development, and Appropriations, as well as the Senate
22Committees on Education, Environment, Human Services, Licensed

 

 

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1Activities, and State Government & Veterans Affairs; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Senator Collins' desire to become more involved in
3helping working families led her to seek office in the State
4Senate, where she was appointed to represent Chicago's West
5Side from the 5th Legislative District in March of 2011; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Senator Collins brought to the Senate years of
7valuable experience on issues regarding juvenile justice,
8enhancing education, youth concerns, social work, quality
9health care, and striving to improve the public sector in her
10community; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Collins has been a believer that quality
12and equal education should be a right for every child in every
13school by supporting measures that increased funding for city
14schools and serving as a strong proponent for student access to
15safe and disciplined learning environments; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Collins recognized the importance of
17children staying in school and worked to increase both the
18school day and school year to maximize learning time for school
19children; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Senator Collins also worked to ensure remedial and
21summer school were focused on mathematics and reading, 2 skills

 

 

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1vital to becoming a productive part of the workforce; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Senator Collins has been a champion for juvenile
3justice system restructuring and is responsible for raising the
4age that an alleged delinquent minor can be put in a detention
5facility from 10 to 13; believing that young people deserve to
6have a second chance, Senator Collins introduced legislation to
7make certain that many of these youth are able to seek
8secondary education, enter the workforce, and become
9productive, tax-paying citizens by automatically expunging
10juvenile records at the age of 18; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Collins has been recognized as a public
12safety advocate for her work to improve funding for the Law
13Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS), which gives police
14officers electronic access to missing and endangered person
15reports; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Collins has been a chief sponsor of
17adoption reform, working to place children in family
18environments whenever possible and by making efforts to allow
19godparents and second cousins to adopt children who are in the
20custody of the Department of Children and Family Services; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Senator Collins received such awards as the
22Chicago Area Project Clifford R. Shaw Legislator of the Year

 

 

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1Award and the State Interagency Committee on Employees with
2Disabilities Legislator for the Year Award for her outstanding
3public service; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The members of the Senate thank Senator Annazette
5Collins and extend to her our best wishes for her future
6endeavors; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator
9Annazette Collins for her years of service to the people of
10Illinois and honor her with this resolution; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to Senator Annazette Collins as a symbol of our
13gratitude.