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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois
3 wish to congratulate Senator Patrick D. Welch of Peru on his
4 service to the people of the 38th District; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Senator Welch served as the Assistant Majority
6 Leader for the 93rd General Assembly; he has been a member of
7 the Illinois Senate since 1983, and has served this body with
8 distinction; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Senator Welch has spearheaded environmental
10 protection measures to ensure that Illinois' lands, air, and
11 waterways are kept clean for future generations; in 1988, he
12 received national recognition and was awarded the "Best Bet
13 Award" from the National Center of Environmental Alternatives
14 for his sponsorship of the Groundwater Protection Act; he has
15 also received numerous other environmental, labor,
16 rehabilitation, and agricultural awards; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Senator Welch has a strong record of securing
18 millions of dollars for a variety of much-needed northeastern
19 Illinois road, bridge, and quality-of-life infrastructure
20 improvements; he has been a leader in assisting economic
21 development through local park improvements, riverfront
22 development grants, and water and sewage system improvement
23 grants; and
 
24     WHEREAS, In the 93rd General Assembly, Senator Welch
25 co-sponsored the Senior Citizen Prescription Drug Discount
26 Program Act; he also sponsored several measures providing
27 higher standards for corporate accountability, and he helped to
28 secure the re-opening of the Sheridan Correctional Center; and
 
29     WHEREAS, In 2004, Senator Welch supported a bill for equal
30 pay, resulting in a landmark law that specifies that women are

 

 

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1 to receive the same pay as men for doing the same job, and he
2 voted for an increase in the minimum wage; in addition to these
3 bills, he also was a prime mover behind state funding for the
4 building of the Starved Rock Resort & Conference Center in
5 Ottawa, the Grand Bear Lodge in Utica, and an 80-bed expansion
6 to the LaSalle Veterans Home; and
 
7     WHEREAS, He has been a member of the Committees on
8 Appropriations II (chairperson), Appropriations I, Agriculture &
9 Conservation, Environment & Energy, Revenue, and the
10 Subcommittee on Gaming-Revenue; in addition, he has served as
11 co-chairperson of the Economic & Fiscal Commission; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Senator Welch was born December 12, 1948; he
13 attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C)
14 where he earned a bachelor's degree in government; following
15 graduation from SIU-C, he attended the Illinois Institute of
16 Technology/Kent College of Law, where he earned his J.D.
17 degree; shortly after graduation, he was admitted to the
18 Illinois Bar; Senator Welch practices law in Peru, Illinois; he
19 has one son; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
21 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Senator
22 Welch on a job well done and we wish him well in his future
23 endeavors; and be it further
 
24     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
25 presented to Senator Welch as an expression of our esteem and
26 respect for our colleague and friend.