Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HJR0038

HJ0038 LRB104 13466 MST 25893 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals who have served our country and, in doing so, have worked hard to improve and enhance the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Rodney Lee Davis was born in Des Moines, Iowa on January 5, 1970; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis and his family moved to Taylorville when he was a child; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis graduated from Taylorville High School in 1988 and received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Millikin University in 1992; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis worked as the projects director in Congressman John Shimkus' district office for 16 years; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis was elected to the United States House of Representative in 2012 to represent the 13th District in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, During his time in Congress, Congressman Davis established himself as an effective lawmaker who could govern and work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation, even in a divided government; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis advocated for the priorities of the 13th District and Illinois in Washington; he served on both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Committee on Agriculture, which allowed him to be a leader on issues essential to commerce in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis worked to promote America's national security and support the men and women of America's armed forces through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA); he also worked to promote Scott Air Force Base, which is a vital part of the Metro East community and economy; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis successfully included language in the U.S. House version of the 2023 NDAA to protect the C-40C aircraft and the 932nd Airlift Wing flying mission at Scott AFB; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis successfully passed his Counting All Military Votes Act, which ensures that all active-duty and deployed military personnel who wish to vote will have their ballots mailed to their clerks in a timely manner; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis also successfully passed the Fallen Heroes Family Travel Act, which reimburses travel costs for families of service members who are traveling to obtain the remains of their loved ones who lost their lives in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis wrote and passed the Hire More Heroes Act, which helps small businesses hire veterans by amending the Affordable Care Act; it overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House with more than 400 supporting votes and was signed into law in July 2015; this, along with his bill, the EACH Act, are some of the few pieces of legislation signed into law to amend the Affordable Care Act; and

WHEREAS, In 2018, Congressman Davis successfully passed legislation reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) disaster declaration process to help level the playing field for rural communities in Illinois and across the country that are seeking federal aid for disasters; his legislation, which was signed into law in October 2018, requires FEMA to place greater consideration on the localized impact of a natural disaster; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis is married to Shannon R. Davis and has three children, Toryn, Clark, and Griffin; and

WHEREAS, The expansion of Illinois Route 29 between Taylorville and Rochester took over two decades of planning and construction; and

WHEREAS, On December 23, 1992, Congressman Davis witnessed the crash that took the life of Melody Traughber when her car hit a slick spot on the two-lane road and slid into oncoming traffic; and

WHEREAS, Melody Traughber was one of seven people killed on Illinois 29 between Springfield and Taylorville from 1988 to 1995, and her death helped spur the creation of Project 29, a grassroots citizens group that lobbied for the widening of the road to four lanes; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Davis was instrumental in the planning and public engagement that lead to the widening of Route 29; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Route 29 from Cardinal Hill Road in Rochester to East 1600 North Road in Taylorville as the "Congressman Rodney Davis Superhighway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name of the "Congressman Rodney Davis Superhighway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to Congressman Davis, the Mayor of Taylorville, the Village President of Rochester, and the Secretary of Transportation.