SR0983 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0983 LRB095 23240 KXB 53991 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate and the people of the State of Illinois are losing a man dedicated to making changes in State government, a man who has worked hard for education reform, a man dedicated to helping those less fortunate in the State, and a man who has become a familiar face in Illinois politics; and

WHEREAS, The Honorable Emil Jones, Jr., has been a member of the Illinois General Assembly since 1973; as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1973 to 1983, he served as an Assistant Democratic Leader and Chairman of the Insurance Committee; and

WHEREAS, Elected to the Senate in 1982, Senator Jones is currently a member of the Senate Executive Committee; Senator Jones is a strong proponent of social justice, fair and adequate funding of public education in Illinois, and affordable health care for Illinois families; and

WHEREAS, On January 10, 2007, Emil Jones, Jr. received the unanimous support of the members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to be elected Senate President in the 95th General Assembly, his third term as the Senate's chief presiding officer; Illinois Supreme Court Justice Charles Freeman administered the oath of office to Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. as his family, friends, and colleagues witnessed the event; the 95th General Assembly marked the first time in 70 years, and the first time since the implementation of the 1970 State Constitution, that Democrats held a veto-proof majority in the Illinois Senate; President Jones' hard work and determination led Senate Democrats to take an unprecedented five additional seats to secure a super-majority, the only chamber in the General Assembly to realize such advances; and

WHEREAS, Senator Jones has been a strong supporter of education issues throughout his service in the Illinois General Assembly; as Senate President, Senator Jones passed the largest one-year increase in the foundation level in the history of the State; the $600 million increase in Fiscal Year 2008 provided an additional $400 per student in public school funding, bringing the foundation level to $5,734; President Jones has also been a strong proponent of early childhood education and since 2003 has worked to provide nearly $200 million to invest in the future of pre-school age children; and

WHEREAS, As Senate President, Senator Jones worked to provide and protect the interests of downstate Illinois, including: blocking efforts to repeal the tax break for farmers on feed, seed, and farm chemicals, supporting funds for ethanol plants, clean coal projects, and promoting historic efforts such as the Woodlawn Farm in Morgan County and New Philadelphia in Pike County; and

WHEREAS, Under President Jones' leadership, the Illinois General Assembly passed one of the most comprehensive reform measures of the criminal justice system in the history of the State; among the many substantive changes put forward by Senator Jones was the passage of legislation to videotape interrogations in capital cases; the passage of this single piece of legislation put Illinois at the forefront of the nation as the first State to require that interrogations in capital cases be videotaped; and

WHEREAS, Other significant legislation that Senator Jones sponsored during his legislative career includes legislation to require State law-enforcement officials to collect data on racial profiling; a bill to require equal pay for equal work; a prescription drug discount program for senior and disabled citizens; two increases in the minimum wage; legislation that directed millions of State dollars for disadvantaged public school students to classroom needs, rather than administrative needs; legislation to double the personal exemption on the State income tax in 1998 to benefit working families who had not received an increase since 1969; prohibited smoking on the floor of the Illinois Senate; and an effort to secure an individual's right to choose a clinical social worker over a psychiatrist; and

WHEREAS, For his legislative and community endeavors, Senator Jones has received numerous awards from educational, business, health care, and labor organizations, among others; perhaps the greatest honor being the dedication of the Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center at Chicago State University; and

WHEREAS, Emil Jones is a 1953 graduate of Chicago's Tilden Technical High School; he graduated from Loop Junior College; he attended Roosevelt University, majoring in Business Administration, where he received the Doctorate of Humane Letters Honoris Causa Degree in 2004; Senator Jones received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Chicago State University for his considerable contributions to public service and promoting greater educational opportunities at Chicago State; and

WHEREAS, Senator Jones was the only African-American Senate President in the nation from 2003 to 2007; he is the longest-serving leader of Senate Democrats since the 1970 Constitution; in 2004, he was named to the Board of Directors of the Forum of Senate Presidents, an organization of nationwide Senate Presidents in the United States; he also serves on the Board of Directors of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, President Jones was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of Harold Washington College; he is a life-long resident of Chicago's South Side, and he is a member of Holy Name of Mary Church, the Knights of St. Peter Claver, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, the National Conference of State Legislators, Board of Directors of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, and the Shriners; and he is a 33rd degree Mason and a former Boy Scout Master; and

WHEREAS, Senator Jones is also a lifesaver; in 2003, while dining out with his wife in a local Springfield restaurant, President Jones noticed a woman at a nearby table who was choking; without hesitation, Senator Jones jumped from his chair and performed the Heimlich maneuver on the woman, saving her life; and

WHEREAS, Senator Jones has four children and is married to Dr. Lorrie Jones; his son, Emil Jones III, will soon take his father's seat on the Illinois Senate floor, continuing to represent the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Senate President Emil Jones on his retirement; the Senate floor will be a different place without his stately presence; and he will be sorely missed by his colleagues, constituents, and the people of the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senate President Emil Jones as a symbol of our great respect and esteem.