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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
3Assembly recognize the accomplishments and contributions made
4by exceptional officials and citizens of the State of
5Illinois; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In honor of the lasting legacy former Illinois
7Secretary of State Jesse White made on the citizenry of the
8State, the General Assembly wishes to recognize him with
9naming a public building in his honor; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Jesse White was first elected Secretary of State
11in 1998, becoming the first Black man and 37th individual to
12hold this position in Illinois; during his 24-year tenure, he
13maintained widespread popularity while working to improve
14traffic safety, reducing teen driving deaths by 50%,
15fortifying commercial truck driver standards, strengthening
16DUI laws, and improving customer service through streamlined
17operations and the use of innovative technology; he completed
18his sixth term in January 2023, making him the longest-serving
19Secretary of State in Illinois history; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Prior to serving as Secretary of State, Jesse
21White served as the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, first being
22elected in 1992 and then reelected in 1996; he previously

 

 

HJ0048- 2 -LRB103 36576 ECR 66685 r

1represented the 8th District in the Illinois House of
2Representatives from 1975 to 1977 and 1979 to 1993; while in
3office, he served on the Committees on Aging, Elementary &
4Secondary Education, and Public Utilities, chaired the
5Committee on Children and Human Services, and worked to fight
6crime, improve education, and protect senior citizens; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Jesse White has made vital contributions of
8service and merit to the State and its citizens, and he is
9highly deserving of the honor to have his achievements noted
10and remembered by current and future generations; therefore,
11be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
14SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the State of
15Illinois Building at 555 West Monroe in Chicago as the "Jesse
16White State of Illinois Building"; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18presented to Jesse White and the Director of Central
19Management Services.