SR1069 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1069 LRB097 23777 GRL 72932 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois State Senator M. Maggie Crotty was born in Chicago and graduated from Mercy High School; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty served as a Development Coordinator in the Cook County Region for Infinite Southwest and the Southwest Cook County Cooperative for Special Education; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty began her career in public service as a member of the District 145 school board in 1978 and served as board president from 1986 until 1993; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty continued serving her community on the District 228 Strategic Planning Committee and the Educational Foundation, where she continues to serve; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty has also worked with many local organizations to improve the quality of life for the region and its citizens, including membership in many Chambers of Commerce and Kiwanis Clubs and as a member of the Oak Forest Civil Service Commission; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty began her legislative career as a State Representative from 1996 to 2002, where she focused on education issues, senior issues, and consumer protection; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty sought and won election to the Illinois State Senate in 2002; she has served since 2003 as part of her mission to help children, seniors, and families; and

WHEREAS, During her tenure in the General Assembly, Senator Crotty has fought to maintain and improve critical State services, including human services and public safety, with an emphasis on seniors and Illinois veterans; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty demonstrated that education was the top priority of her legislative agenda by sponsoring initiatives to boost the State's share of education funding and to allow Illinois residents to rehabilitate their defaulted student loans; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty passed the "Silver Alert" system in Illinois that permits law enforcement to provide alerts for missing or abducted seniors and disabled persons, similar to the "Amber Alert" for children; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty waged a successful battle to close the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education amid allegations of corruption; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty has always been a vocal proponent of health and human services; she served as a lead advocate in requiring insurance companies to cover treatment for children with congenital or genetic disorders and increased the State's understanding of children with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty has served on and led numerous committees in the General Assembly, including serving as Chairperson of the Elections Committee, the Vice-Chairperson of the Local Government Committee, and the Co-Chairperson for the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules; she also served as a member of the Higher Education Committee, the Labor Committee, the Revenue Committee, the Joint Commission on Government Reform, the Executive Committee, the Executive Appointments Committee, the State Government and Veteran Affairs Committee, the Environment Committee, the Health & Human Services Committee, and the Licensed Activities Committee; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty has been the recipient of many awards for outstanding service to her community and the citizens of Illinois, including the Theresa Roedl Memorial Award for Volunteerism in 1988, the Outstanding Freshman Legislator of the Year for the Illinois Health Care Association in 1997, and numerous other Legislator of the Year Awards from organizations across the State; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty continues to reside in Oak Forest, where she raised her 3 sons, Kevin, Keith, and Mark, who have blessed her with 7 grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Senator Maggie Crotty's retirement from the Illinois Senate will be a loss of advocacy deeply felt by the people of Illinois and the members of this chamber; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Maggie Crotty for her years of service to the people of Illinois and honor her with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senator Crotty as a symbol of our gratitude and with our best wishes for her future endeavors.