HR0984 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0984 LRB103 43734 MST 77144 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to honor our colleague, State Representative Lance Yednock, on his six years of service as a member of the Illinois General Assembly and thank him for his dedication to the State and his community; and

WHEREAS, Prior to being elected to the General Assembly, Rep. Yednock worked as a heavy equipment operator for more than 20 years, and in 2012, he became a business agent and executive board member of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Northern Illinois University in 1994 and serves as a member of the Northern Illinois University Caucus; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock, known in the state and among friends as a curling champion, is a lifelong resident of the Illinois River Valley and currently lives in Ottawa; he has worked tirelessly during his time in office to ensure all of his communities' needs were heard and addressed; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock is an example of dedication to one's community; he listened to his constituents and did not let good ideas go to waste, frequently filing bills on their behalf to address issues that needed attention; working with sportsmen in his community, he passed legislation that allowed deer hunters to use single shot rifles, bringing Illinois in line with surrounding states, and he removed barriers hunters had to face to join the sport; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock is a strong supporter of workers' rights and collective bargaining, as demonstrated through both his legislation and his own life as part of IUOE Local 150; he passed legislation guaranteeing the right to collectively bargain and also helped pass the Workers' Rights Amendment to the State Constitution; he also worked to pass a bill that gave workers more protections from their employers when striking and fought to keep unions protected from people who would seek to disrupt their strikes; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock was elected by the Moderate Caucus to serve as chair in 2023, and during his time as chair, he showed the willingness and commitment to reach across the aisle and advance legislation in a bipartisan manner, and he and his colleagues kept in mind the values of compromise and good faith debate to ensure all public policy was robust and scrutinized; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock served as chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee and oversaw the passage of bills that made it less costly for disabled veterans to build accommodations to their homes and bills that will ensure veterans are better respected and cared for by the State; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock paved the way for SMRs, otherwise known as small modular nuclear reactors to be built in Illinois, which will allow for the state to develop a new generation of nuclear energy technology that will enable our State to move evermore towards our goal of lower costs for everyday Illinoisans, as well as, a green energy future; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Yednock has become a member who is respected on both sides of the aisle; he is known for his willingness to listen to both sides, his reliability in showing up on time, and his commitment to listening to all stakeholders and tackling difficult issues with humility and respect; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate State Rep. Lance Yednock on his retirement from the Illinois House of Representatives, thank him for his six years of dedicated service to the people of Illinois, and wish him the best in the next chapter of his life; and be it further

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