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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate of the 102nd
3General Assembly of the State of Illinois learned with great
4sadness of the death of their colleague and friend, Senator
5Scott Michael Bennett, on December 9, 2022; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett was born on July 16, 1977 to Dr.
7Robert and Barbara Bennett in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where
8his father was stationed in the U.S. Army; when he was an
9infant, the family moved to Gibson City, where five
10generations of his family have worked on their family farm,
11which is something he cherished; he graduated from Gibson
12City-Melvin-Sibley High School in 1995 and then studied
13History at Illinois State University, graduating in 1998; he
14then attended law school at the University of Illinois
15Urbana-Champaign, graduating in 2002; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett joined the Senate in 2015 as the
17unanimous choice to fill the vacancy created when Michael W.
18Frerichs was sworn in as the Illinois State Treasurer after
19serving the 52nd District for eight years; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett dedicated his life to public service
21and giving back to his community; he first earned an
22internship at the White House, where he served the Clinton

 

 

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1Administration in the Office of Presidential Gifts and met his
2wife, Stacy Meredith, who had been assigned to the same
3office; they entertained one another with imagined back
4stories of curious global and domestic gifts; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett started his career as a prosecutor
6for the City of Chicago and also worked for the Democratic
7National Committee in Washington, D.C.; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Though Sen. Bennett could have pursued a
9high-paying career in corporate law, he longed to return to
10his roots and the community he treasured; he returned to
11central Illinois to work as an assistant state's attorney in
12Bloomington-Normal and then in Champaign-Urbana; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The first piece of legislation Sen. Bennett filed
14was to protect central Illinois' water supply by preserving
15the quality of drinking water in the Mahomet Aquifer, which
16serves as the primary water supply for 15 counties across
17central Illinois, including Champaign and Vermilion counties;
18he believed that the aquifer served as a lifeline for the
19region and made it his mission to protect this important
20resource for the sake of the region's children and future
21generations to come; he continuously worked with a bipartisan
22coalition of legislators to add safeguards to protect this
23valuable resource; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett leaned on his experience in the
2courtroom to champion legislation to permit courts to allow
3comfort canines in courtrooms to assist children or people
4with intellectual disabilities who have to testify in court on
5sexual assault cases; he believed that the use of dogs in the
6courtroom can help bring a major change in how we can meet the
7emotional needs of those involved in the criminal justice
8system; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett partnered with Treasurer Frerichs to
10establish the Illinois Achieving Better Life Expectancy Act,
11known as the ABLE Act, to promote financial security for
12children and loved ones living with disabilities; the goal of
13the program is to assist individuals and families in saving
14money to cover expenses for people with disabilities; and
 
15    WHEREAS, During the budget impasse in 2015, Sen. Bennett
16and his family filed paperwork to forgo his pay until there was
17a budget in place to protect essential programs in Illinois;
18the Bennett family stood in solidarity with the hard working
19men and women in their community who provided essential
20services to our most vulnerable populations, and they believed
21it was unjust for elected officials to continue to take home
22their pay while in-home child care providers struggled to keep
23their doors open and seniors were forced to choose between

 

 

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1picking up their prescriptions or keeping their lights on at
2night; he did not accept a paycheck for more than six months;
3and
 
4    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett fought to provide Illinois' students
5with the opportunity to be successful as the chair of the
6Senate's Higher Education Committee for the last two years; he
7worked to secure resources for the University of Illinois
8Urbana-Champaign, Parkland College, Danville Community
9College, and all of the State's higher education facilities by
10advocating for additional funding for need-based tuition
11assistance, lowering tuition costs and fees, and preventing
12licensing boards from denying and revoking or suspending
13individual professional licenses due to student loan default
14in Illinois; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett introduced the Know Before You Owe
16Private Education Loan Act, which requires private lenders to
17confirm with a potential borrower's school that the student's
18tuition, housing, and other costs are not covered by other
19sources of financial aid to ensure students and their families
20have clear information when weighing their loan options; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett worked to combat campus sexual
22violence and championed the Preventing Sexual Violence on
23Campus Act, which provided a road map to existing federal

 

 

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1requirements and set standards to prevent and respond to
2sexual violence; his goal was to end campus assault, but if an
3assault occurred, he wanted to ensure that there were clear
4and concise guidelines to give survivors of sexual assault a
5comprehensive path to report crimes and be notified of their
6rights; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett worked to increase civic
8participation and engage more citizens in the democratic
9process by supporting automatic voter registration and routine
10voter registration drives; he also worked to encourage more
11young people to be involved in government through mentorship
12and internship opportunities for college and high school
13students, through regular visits to local schools to educate
14students on different methods to voice their concerns and
15provide input on the vital matters that impact our
16communities, and by always being willing to have candid
17conversations with college clubs and groups or young people
18who contacted his office; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett's love for his family farm shined
20through the active role he played as the chair of the
21Agriculture Committee for two years; he even sought a
22commercial driver's license so he could haul grain in a
23semi-truck to the area grain elevator from his family's
24centennial farm during harvest; he could be found returning

 

 

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1calls, participating in weekly team meeting calls, negotiating
2legislation, and much more in the name of service to the
3constituents of the 52nd District while waiting for the truck
4to be loaded; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett recognized the stressors placed on
6farmers and farm families and partnered with SIU School of
7Medicine's Center for Rural Health and Social Services
8Development and the Illinois Department of Agriculture to
9introduce a hotline to connect farmers to health professionals
10and services for additional support through the Farm Family
11Resource Initiative; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett partnered with former Illinois
13Department of Agriculture Director John Sullivan to address
14the issue of farm chemical runoff polluting Illinois waterways
15because he believed the State needed to make significant water
16quality improvement to protect our quality of life for
17generations to come; and
 
18    WHEREAS, To help alleviate the shortage of agriculture
19science educators, Sen. Bennett championed an initiative to
20create a hands-on agriculture teacher training program in
21Illinois high schools for those interested in studying to
22teach agriculture; he believed that creating a pre-service
23teacher training program to give prospective agriculture

 

 

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1students the fundamentals they need to succeed will help to
2ensure that the next generation of family farmers will keep
3the industry strong for years to come; he later received the
4Jim Guilinger Legislative Award from the Illinois Leadership
5Council for Agricultural Education for his support of
6agricultural education and Future Farmers of America student
7programs; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett's experience in the courtroom gave
9the Senate a unique and cherished perspective that he utilized
10as the chair of the Criminal Law Committee for two years; he
11emphasized the importance he placed on providing minors who
12experienced the most egregious crimes against them with the
13tools to seek justice when they are ready by removing the
14statute of limitations for certain sex crimes against minors;
15he believed that survivors of these horrific crimes should not
16be forced to seek justice before they are ready to do so; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett worked with State agencies and local
18leaders to acquire a Child's Advocacy Center in Vermilion
19County to provide minors with a comforting, kid-friendly
20environment; prior to that, Vermilion County had been one of
21only four counties in the State that did not have one; he
22valued the opportunity to serve as the vice-president of the
23board of directors for the facility; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett believed in the spirit of
2bipartisanship and worked on legislation with his uncle, State
3Representative Tom Bennett, to ensure that materials on SIDS
4prevention provided to parents include information from the
5American Academy of Pediatrics or a statewide or nationally
6recognized SIDS or medical association; he made it his goal to
7find at least one piece of legislation that he could work on
8with Rep. Bennett every General Assembly; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett never forgot the importance of our
10nation's veterans and worked with now retired State
11Representative Chad Hays to rededicate a lost grave marker
12that was discovered to belong to Clyde E. Maham, a World War I
13veteran who was buried at Maplewood Cemetery in Rantoul; he
14believed that whether a veteran's sacrifices were made during
15World War I or are currently being made across the globe, it is
16important to honor the dedication and sacrifices the veterans
17have made to our great nation; and
 
18    WHEREAS, To support women in Illinois, Sen. Bennett voted
19to institute a federal constitutional provision that expressly
20guarantees equal rights to women and men by championing Senate
21Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4, which would have
22ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the United States
23Constitution; he believed ratifying the ERA is not merely
24symbolic or only a woman's issue and that it is a necessary

 

 

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1measure for Illinois to take to guarantee equality under the
2law for both men and women; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett believed in protecting women's
4reproductive health care and bodily autonomy since these are
5the most basic and fundamental human rights; he supported a
6number of measures to ensure Illinois has laws on the books to
7protect the health and well-being of women in Illinois; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett worked diligently to prevent
9groundwater contaminated at Illinois coal ash dump sites by
10championing a bipartisan initiative with area legislators; he
11believed that Illinois cannot afford to stand by while toxic
12waste threatens our State's valuable water resources
13indefinitely; during the passage of the legislation, he coined
14the term Team Coal Ash to commemorate the friendships formed
15during the tough negotiations and distributed coal stress
16balls to the team after the bill's passage; he later received
17the Illinois Environmental Councils' Milestone Achievement
18Award and the Prairie Rivers Network's Outstanding Public
19Servant Award for his efforts in passing historic coal ash
20regulations into law that year; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett worked with his colleagues to
22provide Illinois workers with a living wage; he believed that
23employees deserve a fair wage that respects the work they do in

 

 

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1the service to our community and that Illinois' hardest
2workers should be compensated with a wage that allows them to
3live their lives with dignity, fairness, and stability; and
 
4    WHEREAS, After years of work, Sen. Bennett was able to
5secure a Danville casino to help spur growth in the region and
6create good-paying jobs for Vermilion County residents; he was
7looking forward to the ribbon cutting of the casino and
8witnessing the economic impact it would have on Danville; and
 
9    WHEREAS, During the unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic, Sen.
10Bennett worked to keep constituents safe by educating people
11on the dangers of exposure, supporting and providing
12information about local food pantries and State resources
13available to assist, reading evening bedtime stories as a
14celebrity reader, assisting constituents in securing
15unemployment benefits, distributing personal protective
16equipment to first responders, supporting local business
17owners, and encouraging residents to wear masks and get
18vaccinated once they were made available; and
 
19    WHEREAS, To improve transparency around prescription drug
20costs, Sen. Bennett pushed a bill requiring pharmacies to post
21a notice informing consumers that they may request current
22pharmacy retail prices at the point of sale to ensure that the
23drug industry is held accountable and that residents receive

 

 

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1the pricing information they deserve to make informed
2decisions; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett worked diligently to support
4downstate schools across central Illinois by ensuring that
5there was a bipartisan funding formula in place that supported
6all of our State's children; he helped institute a funding
7formula that guarantees that the quality of a child's
8education will not be based on their ZIP code and funds schools
9the right way to help lower property tax bills; and
 
10    WHEREAS, To raise awareness and help improve mental health
11among young adults and middle school students, Sen. Bennett
12sponsored legislation that requires school districts to
13provide contact information for the National Suicide
14Prevention Lifeline and the Crisis Text Line on student
15identification cards to ensure this resource is available to
16help students who may be struggling; he believed printing this
17information on student ID cards meant the hotline number is
18always close at hand and, more importantly, can be used as a
19lifeline for children and their families; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett worked with law enforcement and his
21colleagues in the House and Senate to pass legislation to
22improve the criminal justice system by passing a package of
23bills that were aimed at keeping law enforcement officials

 

 

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1safe by creating grant opportunities and instituting ways to
2recruit, hire, and retain the best of our law enforcement
3officers to keep communities safe; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Most recently, Sen. Bennett served as a central
5figure in recent SAFE-T Act changes; he understood the
6importance of presuming innocence for individuals before being
7proven guilty, supporting police, and keeping violent
8criminals out of our neighborhoods; his goal remained to
9ensure that the Illinois' pretrial system is equitable and
10that everyone is treated equally regardless of their financial
11status; he believed it was pertinent to bring together a
12diverse group of individuals to create a comprehensive plan
13that maintains the intent of the Pretrial Fairness Act while
14ensuring our court systems have the tools they need to serve
15their communities; he was proud of the efforts to improve the
16consistency within the law; and
 
17    WHEREAS, During his time in office, Sen. Bennett
18appreciated the honor of participating in the annual Wreaths
19Across America ceremony at Danville National Cemetery because
20he believed in the importance of the community coming together
21to celebrate the lives of our fallen soldiers; at this year's
22ceremony and going forward, the organization pledged to lay a
23wreath to memorialize him, and he is the only non-veteran to
24receive this great honor; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett secured over $25.9 million for
2cities and municipalities in his district to upgrade community
3parks, restore historical landmarks, improve local roads, and
4create accessibility to buildings; he consistently advocated
5for all of his district, including securing over 60 projects
6for schools, foundations, cities, not-for-profits, parks,
7libraries, and many others; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
9the State's flagship university, is located in what was Sen.
10Bennett's district; while in office, he secured more than $50
11million in additional spending for the University of Illinois,
12including an additional $500 million for the Discovery
13Partners Institute, which is an economic incubator for the
14State; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett served on a number of boards and
16task forces, including the Mahomet Aquifer Task Force, the
17Illinois Supreme Court's Pretrial Practices Commission,
18Governor JB Pritzker's Growing Our Agricultural Economy
19Committee, the Access to Voting for Persons with Disabilities
20Advisory Task Force, the Commission on Equitable Public
21University Funding, the Midwestern Higher Education
22Commission, and the State Procurement Task Force; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett hosted a number of annual collection
2drives to benefit the Vermilion County community; one such
3event was his community dictionary drive to benefit Danville
4Area Community College's Department of Corrections program,
5which rehabilitates incarcerated men participating in
6prison-based education programs; he also hosted warm sock
7drives to boost supplies at local shelters during the cold
8winter months; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett was always ready to help and support
10community organizations and address shortages and constituent
11needs; he hosted blood drives and collected canned foods to
12help food pantries, cell phones to help survivors of domestic
13violence and to help military personnel, cards for seniors and
14veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, winter hygiene product
15drives for local soup kitchens, and donations for Ukrainian
16families in Westville, among other needs; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett loved when school groups, interns,
18or constituents would stop by his office in Springfield; he
19cherished the opportunity to provide visitors with an in-depth
20tour of the State Capitol, whose deep history he loved; those
21fortunate enough to receive this tour would often learn new
22historical facts and tidbits and hear his latest stories; and
 
23    WHEREAS, As a former staff member himself, Sen. Bennett

 

 

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1was often found at the back of the Senate chamber taking the
2time to get to know staff members and sharing funny anecdotes;
3he always valued the time and energy staff put into their work
4and treated his staff as family; he would make a special effort
5to look for ways to show his appreciation; he was beloved by
6staff and will be greatly missed by them; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett hosted summer book club programs for
8children in the community, had a steady rotation of college
9and high school interns, and regularly visited area schools
10and college classes to engage more students in the State's
11legislative process because he genuinely believed that the
12State's children could become great leaders in our State and
13nation; he adored hearing from or about former interns and
14staff members who achieved their career and education goals;
15and
 
16    WHEREAS, During his tenure as a legislator, Sen. Bennett
17partnered with area organizations to sponsor expungement and
18record-sealing summits to provide full-service assistance to
19Champaign residents with application, preparation, and filing
20for adult and juvenile criminal record expungement and sealing
21along with other relief because he wanted to give people the
22opportunity to be successful; and
 
23    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett was a fierce advocate and was well

 

 

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1known by all for his humor and wit, which was an innate talent
2he used as a tool to heal and unite by putting his audience at
3ease and creating space for connection; he treasured
4relationships, from his constituents and colleagues to his
5family and friends, and all knew that no matter the
6relationship he genuinely cared; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett's absence has left a big Scott
8Bennett-sized hole in our hearts forever; we can honor him by
9taking the time to find common ground, being kind to our
10neighbors, and doing our best to leave the world a brighter and
11more compassionate place; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Sen. Bennett prioritized service above self and
13deeply cared for the 52nd State Senate District; however, his
14greatest love was for his family, his wife of 20 years, Stacy,
15and his children, Sam and Emma, who served as his rock and
16heart in every action he took; he would often forgo staying in
17Springfield after long session days to go home and be near his
18family; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Dr. Stacy Bennett, who honored Sen. Bennett's
20legacy by completing the remainder of his term in the 102nd
21General Assembly, served as his sounding board, his political
22strategist, and the love of his life; she helped him stay
23grounded and provided him with support to help him better

 

 

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1represent the diverse needs of the residents of the 52nd
2District; therefore, be it
 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
4ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
5Senator Scott Bennett, our friend and colleague, who served
6the people of the State of Illinois with honor and distinction
7and exemplified the highest standards; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9presented to the family of Sen. Bennett as an expression of our
10sincerest condolences for the loss of their loved one and our
11friend.