HR0059 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0059 LRB102 15380 LAW 20742 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 to 2021, the Illinois House of Representatives has, for healthcare and distancing reasons, convened its active session work in the Bank of Springfield Center; and

WHEREAS, During this time, the in-person segment of the staff support of the House has been conducted by a skeleton crew of tireless men and women; this tiny group of individuals has performed work far beyond the call of duty; and

WHEREAS, While all of the in-person staffers of the Illinois House deserve special commendation for their labor, one individual deserves special notice for their actions on Sunday, January 10, 2021; and

WHEREAS, On that day, the Illinois House having reconvened in the Bank of Springfield Center, then-Representative Darren Bailey needed immediate attention; and

WHEREAS, Because of the physical setup of the temporary Illinois House, everyone was far apart from everyone else; fortunately, one of the few people physically close to then-Representative Bailey was Assistant Doorkeeper Wayne Padget; and

WHEREAS, Staying calm and focused during a time of confusion, Assistant Doorkeeper Padget swiftly retrieved an automated external defibrillator (AED) device for immediate use; under a different course of events and if this AED needed to have been used, this action could have saved the life of a State representative; and

WHEREAS, When this incident occurred, many around Representative Bailey called for immediate medical assistance from trained emergency responders, and a crew from EMT Ambulance quickly responded to the call; Assistant Doorkeeper Padget directed the ambulance staff to the stricken lawmaker so he could be placed on a stretcher for transport to a place of medical care and assistance; and

WHEREAS, Then-Representative Bailey has served out the final days of his House term with the best wishes of his former colleagues, and he has moved on to a new term in the Senate of the General Assembly of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Assistant Doorkeeper Wayne Padget of the Illinois House of Representatives for his quick thinking and decisive action on the House floor on January 10, 2021 and for his unflinching dedication to the Illinois House of Representatives; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we also remember the work of our former colleague, State Representative Joann Osmond, who made the posting of AEDs in public places a key focus of her legislative work in the Illinois House, culminating in the passage of Public Act 93-910, the Physical Fitness Facility Medical Emergency Preparedness Act, in 2004; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Assistant Doorkeeper Padget as an expression of our esteem and respect.