92_SR0598
LRB9218485HShs
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Bill Mahar has represented the 19th District in
3 the Illinois Senate since 1985; and
4 WHEREAS, He has an active interest, both civic and
5 legislative, in consumer protection, tax relief, domestic
6 violence prevention, environmental, and substance abuse
7 issues; and
8 WHEREAS, Utility customers are paying lower utility rates
9 thanks to a 1998 law sponsored by Mahar that cut rates for
10 Commonwealth Edison and Illinois Power customers and gives
11 them the choice to shop around for cheaper electric rates
12 beginning May 1, 2002; and
13 WHEREAS, Another Mahar law gives telephone consumers
14 extra protections from telephone companies that illegally
15 switch or add telephone services; and
16 WHEREAS, Bill is a strong advocate for property tax
17 reform and was a member of the Senate Republican Task Force
18 on Cook County Property Tax Relief that was a driving force
19 behind property tax caps; and
20 WHEREAS, He has been honored by the Illinois Coalition
21 Against Domestic Violence for his legislation that provides
22 new sources of revenue for domestic violence shelters; in
23 1990, he helped the Crisis Center of South Suburbia find a
24 new location for its facilities; in 1992, he worked with the
25 Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault to pass legislation
26 that requires convicted rapists to pay a $100 fine to be used
27 for counseling services for rape victims; and
28 WHEREAS, As one of the first legislators to push for
29 recycling legislation, Bill sponsored measures to require
30 state governmental agencies to recycle half their solid waste
31 within the next decade, require Illinois municipalities to
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1 adopt recycling programs by 1992, and require retailers to
2 accept used tires in exchange for tires sold; and
3 WHEREAS, He has worked diligently to curb reckless
4 motorists who drink and drive; he sponsored a law that
5 targets repeat DUI offenders by calling for tougher
6 penalties; his 1989 law banned "happy hour" promotions,
7 because they encouraged excessive and rapid consumption of
8 alcohol; and
9 WHEREAS, In 1986, he was co-chairman of Illinois'
10 Campaign to Protect Our Children, and helped develop the
11 Illinois Community Block Home Program to make it easier for
12 children to identify "safe homes" where they can go for
13 help; Bill has also sponsored legislation that requires
14 hospitals to list babies' blood types on birth certificates,
15 and requires judges to issue a restraining order against a
16 person accused of a crime against children if that person has
17 violated previous restraining orders or been convicted of
18 specific crimes; and
19 WHEREAS, He was a trustee for the Village of Homewood
20 from 1979 to 1985, and a former member of the Homewood Zoning
21 Board of Appeals; and
22 WHEREAS, Bill Mahar was born February 13, 1947, in
23 Chicago Heights, earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology
24 from Southern Illinois University and a master's degree in
25 Personnel Services from Purdue University; and
26 WHEREAS, He served in the United States Army from 1970 to
27 1972; and
28 WHEREAS, He and his wife, Beth, have two children;
29 therefore be it
30 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
31 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Bill
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1 Mahar as he leaves the Illinois Senate after 18 years of
2 dedicated service and wish him well in all his future
3 endeavors; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this preamble and
5 resolution be presented to Bill Mahar with our thanks for his
6 nearly two decades of service to the citizens of Illinois.