Full Text of SR1281 103rd General Assembly
SR1281 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR1281 | | LRB103 43210 ECR 76480 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to | 3 | | congratulate Sylvia Puente on the occasion of her retirement | 4 | | as president and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente was the first person in her family | 6 | | to graduate from college; she received a Bachelor of Arts in | 7 | | Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, | 8 | | completed graduate studies at the John F. Kennedy School of | 9 | | Government at Harvard University, and earned her master's | 10 | | degree from the Harris School of Public Policy at the | 11 | | University of Chicago; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente has dedicated her life's work to | 13 | | public policy on Latino issues while highlighting the vital | 14 | | role Latinos play in society; she has served as president and | 15 | | CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, a state-wide, non-profit | 16 | | advocacy organization in Illinois, for the past 16 years; | 17 | | prior to that, she served as director at the Center for | 18 | | Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives for the University of Notre | 19 | | Dame's Institute for Latino Studies from 2001 to 2008; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente's strategic leadership at the | 21 | | Latino Policy Forum has shaped public policy to improve | 22 | | educational outcomes for children, to make housing more |
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| 1 | | accessible and affordable, to promote just immigration reform, | 2 | | and to build on the influence and leadership of Latinos in | 3 | | Illinois; under her guidance, the organization has promoted | 4 | | increased access to early education and advocated for more | 5 | | than $25 million to build early childhood education centers, | 6 | | the nation's first ever capitol grant program of its kind; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Through the Latino Policy Forum, Sylvia Puente | 8 | | has empowered thousands of parents and communities to advocate | 9 | | for themselves, their families, and their communities through | 10 | | the organization's Know Your Rights trainings to access | 11 | | information regarding bilingual education, fair housing, and | 12 | | immigrant rights; she has also overseen the evolution of the | 13 | | Multicultural Leadership Academy, a leadership development | 14 | | program that has created a vast, powerful, and inspiring | 15 | | network of nearly 300 Black and Latino leaders, uniting them | 16 | | to further promote diversity in the region and empower | 17 | | communities in working collaboratively; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente has continually served her | 19 | | community and the State, being selected by Governor JB | 20 | | Pritzker to serve on his transition team as part of the | 21 | | Educational Success Committee, which was tasked with tackling | 22 | | the State's educational issues, and through her stewardship, | 23 | | all Illinois children, regardless of immigration status, have | 24 | | access to early childhood education through the State's new |
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| 1 | | Department of Early Childhood; she also received appointments | 2 | | from two previous governors to serve on the Illinois Education | 3 | | Funding Advisory Board and the Illinois Early Learning | 4 | | Council; more recently, she was instrumental in the passage of | 5 | | the Work Permits for All resolution in Illinois, calling for | 6 | | more than 40,000 undocumented immigrants in Illinois to | 7 | | receive legal work authorization and lawful permanent status | 8 | | without separation from their families, and its victorious | 9 | | passage in the 103rd General Assembly served as a catalyst for | 10 | | generating the most significant action on immigration policy | 11 | | in the United States since DACA; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente also serves as co-chair of the | 13 | | Illinois Latino Agenda, a partnering organization that | 14 | | provides opportunities for Latino leaders to work and advocate | 15 | | as a collective body and through which she played a pivotal | 16 | | role in establishing the Welcome to Illinois Coalition, an | 17 | | organization where government, philanthropic organizations, | 18 | | service providers, everyday people, and volunteers come | 19 | | together to address the humanitarian crisis in Illinois; she | 20 | | is also considered a valuable resource for Chicagoland media | 21 | | outlets for her respected insights on Latino issues and | 22 | | political trends; and | 23 | | WHEREAS, Sylvia Puente has rightfully earned a national | 24 | | reputation as a bridge builder and a trailblazer, having been |
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| 1 | | recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 | 2 | | Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S.; therefore, be it | 3 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 4 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Sylvia | 5 | | Puente on her retirement as president and CEO of the Latino | 6 | | Policy Forum, and we recognize her impact on Latino | 7 | | empowerment across the State of Illinois; and be it further | 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to Sylvia Puente as an expression of our esteem and | 10 | | respect. |
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