SR1174 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1174 LRB099 14946 MST 39133 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, State Senator Dan Kotowski attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he received his bachelor's degree in English and communications and later attended DePaul University in Chicago, where he obtained a master's degree; and

WHEREAS, Senator Kotowski has long been an advocate for children and families in need, serving as the Vice-President of the Uhlich Children's Advantage Network, which helps children and families recover from neglect, abuse, and trauma; and

WHEREAS, Senator Kotowski later served as a public safety advocate with the Illinois Council against Handgun Violence; and

WHEREAS, Senator Kotowski's background in public service led him to run for the Illinois Senate in 2006; he was elected to represent many communities, including Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, and his hometown of Park Ridge; and

WHEREAS, Senator Kotowski has served on and led a number of committees during his career in the General Assembly, including Senate Committees on Appropriations II (Chairman), Appropriations I (Vice-Chairman), Higher Education, Criminal Law, and Revenue, the Subcommittee on CLEAR Compliance (Chairman), the Subcommittee on Property Taxes (Chairman), the Subcommittee on Tax Credits, and Committees of the Whole; and

WHEREAS, Senator Kotowski has been a longtime advocate for those with epilepsy and autism; this year he was awarded the Penny Severns Memorial Award by the Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities for his ongoing support; and

WHEREAS, Senator Kotowski has been a tireless watchdog of government waste, fraud, and abuse and has sponsored legislation to create the Budgeting for Results Commission to create performance metrics for State programs, allowing the State to fund what works and get rid of what does not; and

WHEREAS, To prevent criminals from cheating the taxpayers of Illinois and make it easier for nonprofits to apply for State grants, Senator Kotowski sponsored the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act, which has created much stricter guidelines for grant management while creating a catalog of State grants to make it easier for charitable organizations to apply for grants; and

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate extend to Senator Dan Kotowski our best wishes as he begins the next phase of his life, and we wish him and his family well; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Dan Kotowski for his years of service to the people of Illinois and his dedication as a member of the Illinois Senate and honor him with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senator Dan Kotowski as a symbol of our gratitude and greatest hopes for his future endeavors.