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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
3Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals
4who have served our country and, in doing so, have worked hard
5to improve and enhance the State of Illinois; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Congressman Rodney Lee Davis was born in Des
7Moines, Iowa on January 5, 1970; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis and his family moved to
9Taylorville when he was a child; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis graduated from Taylorville High
11School in 1988 and received his Bachelor of Arts in Political
12Science from Millikin University in 1992; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis worked as the projects director
14in Congressman John Shimkus' district office for 16 years; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis was elected to the United
16States House of Representative in 2012 to represent the 13th
17District in Illinois; and
 
18    WHEREAS, During his time in Congress, Congressman Davis
19established himself as an effective lawmaker who could govern

 

 

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1and work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass
2legislation, even in a divided government; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis advocated for the priorities of
4the 13th District and Illinois in Washington; since arriving
5in Congress, he has served on both the Transportation and
6Infrastructure Committee and the Committee on Agriculture,
7which allowed him to be a leader on issues essential to
8commerce in Illinois; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis worked to promote America's
10national security and support the men and women of America's
11armed forces through the National Defense Authorization Act
12(NDAA); he also worked to promote Scott Air Force Base, which
13is a vital part of the Metro East community and economy; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis successfully included language
15in the U.S. House version of the 2023 NDAA to protect the C-40C
16aircraft and the 932nd Airlift Wing flying mission at Scott
17AFB; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis successfully passed his
19Counting All Military Votes Act, which ensures that all
20active-duty and deployed military personnel who wish to vote
21will have their ballots mailed to their clerks in a timely
22manner; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis also successfully passed the
2Fallen Heroes Family Travel Act, which reimburses travel costs
3for families of service members who are traveling to obtain
4the remains of their loved ones who lost their lives in the
5line of duty; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis wrote and passed the Hire More
7Heroes Act, which helps small businesses hire veterans by
8amending the Affordable Care Act; it overwhelmingly passed the
9U.S. House with more than 400 supporting votes and was signed
10into law in July 2015; this, along with his bill, the EACH Act,
11are some of the few pieces of legislation signed into law to
12amend the Affordable Care Act; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 2018, Congressman Davis successfully passed
14legislation reforming the Federal Emergency Management
15Agency's (FEMA) disaster declaration process to help level the
16playing field for rural communities in Illinois and across the
17country that are seeking federal aid for disasters; his
18legislation, which was signed into law in October 2018,
19requires FEMA to place greater consideration on the localized
20impact of a natural disaster; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis is married to Shannon R. Davis
22and has three children, Toryn, Clark, and Griffin; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The expansion of Illinois Route 29 between
2Taylorville and Rochester took over two decades of planning
3and construction; and
 
4    WHEREAS, On December 23, 1992, Congressman Davis witnessed
5the crash that took the life of Melody Traughber when her car
6hit a slick spot on the two-lane road and slid into oncoming
7traffic; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Melody Traughber was one of seven people killed
9on Illinois 29 between Springfield and Taylorville from 1988
10to 1995, and her death helped spur the creation of Project 29,
11a grassroots citizens group that lobbied for the widening of
12the road to four lanes; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Congressman Davis was instrumental in the
14planning and public engagement that lead to the widening of
15Route 29; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
17HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
18SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Route 29 from
19Cardinal Hill Road in Rochester to East 1600 North Road in
20Taylorville as the "Congressman Rodney Davis Superhighway";
21and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
2is requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with
3State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
4giving notice of the name of the "Congressman Rodney Davis
5Superhighway"; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
7presented to Congressman Davis, Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry,
8Rochester Village President Joseph C. Suerdieck, and the
9Secretary of Transportation.