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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Senator Kwame Raoul was told he had big shoes to
3fill when he was appointed to the Senate seat vacated by
4then-Senator Barack Obama in 2004, but he proved quickly that
5he was not the "next" Barack Obama but rather the first Kwame
6Raoul; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Over the next decade and a half, Senator Raoul
8became a leader in the Senate, a trusted negotiator, someone
9willing to work across the aisle, and a fighter who never shied
10away from a difficult issue; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul was a tireless champion for the
12people of the 13th Senate District, addressing the issues they
13care about most, including criminal justice reform, stopping
14gun violence, workers' rights, and access to affordable health
15care; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul is the proud son of Haitian
17immigrants, Dr. Janin Raoul and Marie Therese Raoul, and he is
18a lifelong resident of the Hyde Park/Kenwood area; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul was greatly influenced by the work
20of his father, a community physician who believed in health
21care as a human right; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul pursued a law degree from
2Chicago-Kent College of Law and began his career as a
3prosecutor in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, where
4he advocated for victims of crime and for child protection; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul continued his public service as a
6labor and employment attorney for the City Colleges of Chicago;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Upon arriving in Springfield, Senator Raoul
9quickly gained the confidence of Senate leadership to handle
10difficult negotiations, from workers' compensation reform and
11redistricting to one of the most contentious legislative issues
12in recent memory, comprehensive public employee pension
13reform; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul's experience as a prosecutor led him
15to continually advocate for criminal justice reform in the
16Senate, passing historic legislation to abolish the death
17penalty, introducing innocence legislation allowing
18vindication for the falsely accused, and sponsoring numerous
19diversion and second-chance programs for ex-offenders; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul has seen firsthand the impact gun
21violence has on communities, having close friends who lost

 

 

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1their children to gun violence and experiencing it on the
2street outside his home; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul therefore made fighting gun
4violence a priority during his time in the Senate, cracking
5down on repeat gun offenders, increasing treatment options for
6those impacted by the trauma of violence, and introducing
7legislation banning the use of bump stocks and trigger cranks;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul saw the great need to improve
10police-community relations and passed landmark law enforcement
11reform, including standards for officer-worn body cameras to
12increase trust and transparency; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul was commended for his work for
14victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, passing the
15Sexual Assault Survivor's Bill of Rights and sponsoring a plan
16to shield victims of domestic violence from liability if they
17terminate their lease early to escape an abusive situation; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul dedicated himself to strengthening
19and protecting voters' rights, passing the Illinois Voting
20Rights Act to protect racial and language minorities and
21increase transparency and public participation in the
22redistricting process, and passing legislation to end

 

 

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1Illinois' participation in the flawed Interstate Voter
2Registration Crosscheck Program; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul distinguished himself as a skilled
4negotiator by leading the Senate's 2011 workers' compensation
5reforms, which have saved employers hundreds of millions of
6dollars; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul, who would always draw inspiration
8from his own life when bringing issues to the Senate floor,
9received perhaps his greatest test yet when he was diagnosed
10with prostate cancer; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul recognized that early detection and
12treatment were key to surviving the same disease that took the
13life of his father and grandfather, which only strengthened his
14determination to ensure everyone in Illinois has access to
15affordable, quality health insurance and to serve as a personal
16mentor to others who have been diagnosed; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul has been a member of the board of
18directors of International Child Care, a non-profit
19organization that operates Grace Children's Hospital in Port au
20Prince, Haiti, and has been involved in efforts to rebuild the
21hospital's inpatient building, which was destroyed in an
22earthquake in 2010; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul serves on the board of Legal Prep
2Charter Academies and was on the board of the Cook County Bar
3Association; he is a member of 100 Black Men and the Kappa
4Alpha Psi Fraternity; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul is the proud father of two children,
6Che and Mizan, and recently became engaged to the wonderful and
7brilliant Dr. Lisa Moore; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Raoul is leaving the Senate to become
9Attorney General of Illinois, a position in which he will no
10doubt remain a champion for the people of Illinois and continue
11his life's work pursuing equality and justice; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
13ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Kwame
14Raoul for his years of service to the people of Illinois and
15honor him with this resolution; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to Senator Raoul as a symbol of our gratitude and
18with our best wishes for all his future endeavors.