HR1314 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1314 LRB100 24070 MST 43175 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate State Rep. Mike Fortner on his retirement and recognize his years of service to the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner and his wife, Becky, have two adult children, Liz and Charles; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner received a Bachelor of Arts in Math and Physics from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and a Master of Science and Ph.D. in Physics from Brandeis University in Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner is an accomplished professor and researcher; he served as an associate professor of physics at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb for over 25 years and dedicated over 30 years as a researcher at Fermilab National Laboratory; he continues to share his knowledge and technical expertise in science through teaching and mentoring students; and

WHEREAS, Prior to joining the House of Representatives, Rep. Fortner served as Mayor of the City of West Chicago for six years, after serving as an alderman and a member of the West Chicago Elementary District 33 School Board; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner brought his experience in local government, teaching, and research to the General Assembly in 2007 to help further serve the people of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner served 12 years in the Illinois House of Representatives for the 95th District and then the 49th Legislative District, where he contributed to dozens of bills to help our State; and

WHEREAS, Working at the forefront of the effort to improve the State's electric power, Rep. Fortner sponsored legislation to allow municipalities to buy power on behalf of their residents; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner protected the privacy rights of citizens against unauthorized video recording and unauthorized use of passwords on social media; and

WHEREAS, An environmental advocate, Rep. Fortner negotiated improvements to the way electronics are recycled; he was honored with the Environmental Leadership Award from the Illinois Environmental Council in 2013, 2016, and 2018 for his legislative work; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner supported clean energy initiatives and held discussions with constituents, interest groups, and fellow lawmakers to gain further support for the legislation; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner was instrumental in negotiating the Small Wireless Facilities Act in 2017, which brought high tech wireless technology to Illinois; and

WHEREAS, In 2018, Rep. Fortner worked to improve access to voting through automatic registration and to make the process more efficient and effective through his legislation, HB 6582; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner was an integral force in pension reform negotiations; he brought the unfunded pension system to the forefront of discussions in the General Assembly and worked alongside fellow lawmakers to find viable solutions to help the State's fiscal future; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner had an honest voice in debates in the House and provided technical reason to the dialogue on a balanced budget for Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner was dedicated to improving Illinois; term limits and fair map redistricting were two top concerns for him throughout his tenure in the House of Representatives, and he filed legislation to help make them a reality for our State; in 2009, he drew the winning legislative map for Ohio's redistricting, a competition that allows private citizens an opportunity to draw district lines for the Ohio House and Senate; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Fortner served as the voice of his constituents in Springfield and provided many resources in district to his community including his annual senior fair, summer reading programs, and informational forums on State issues; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Rep. Fortner has been recognized for the countless pieces of legislation he sponsored and supported and for the leader he was in the General Assembly and at home in his district; he received many awards throughout his tenure and was most recently named the 2018 Legislator of the Year by the Metro West Council of Governments; and

WHEREAS, With his diverse background of public service, professional work, and community service, Rep. Fortner helped make a positive difference in the lives of Illinois residents both in the 49th District community and beyond; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate State Rep. Mike Fortner on his retirement and recognize his years of service to the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rep. Fortner as a symbol of our respect and esteem.