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1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, State Senator Donne E. Trotter has proudly |
3 | | represented the 17th Legislative Senate District including the |
4 | | communities of Chicago's South Side and Will and Kankakee |
5 | | counties in the State of Illinois; and
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6 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter is a lifelong Illinois resident; |
7 | | he was born in Cairo and moved to Chicago at an early age, |
8 | | where he
currently resides; and
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9 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter has a long lineage in Chicago, |
10 | | dating back to 1900 when his great-grandfather,
a Choctaw |
11 | | Indian by the name of Granville Trotter, came from Oklahoma; |
12 | | and |
13 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter's parents, James and Carita |
14 | | Trotter, were activists, taking part in the Civil Rights |
15 | | movement
and influencing him to be active in the community; and |
16 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter began his work in public service |
17 | | as a student at Chicago State University; and |
18 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter was part of the first graduating |
19 | | class at the Loyola University School of Law to
earn a master's |
20 | | degree in Health Policy of Jurisprudence; and |
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1 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter's work in politics began with his |
2 | | friend and neighbor, Congressman Ralph Metcalfe's 1974
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3 | | campaign; with his campaign skills and knowledge of the Chicago |
4 | | area, he became a
legislative assistant for State |
5 | | Representative Lewis A.H. Caldwell; he helped register |
6 | | thousands of voters during Harold Washington's 1983 mayoral
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7 | | campaign; and |
8 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter succeeded Carol Moseley-Braun in |
9 | | the Illinois House of Representatives in
1988, serving for four |
10 | | years; he was sworn in as a state senator in 1993 after a |
11 | | successful run for an open seat; and |
12 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter has been an influential and |
13 | | positive presence in his diverse district, including
parts of |
14 | | the City of Chicago, Will County, and Kankakee County; and |
15 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter played a major role in health care |
16 | | for the people in the 17th district and
throughout the State, |
17 | | having extensive experience as a hospital administrator at Cook |
18 | | County Hospital
and the Cook County Department of Health; and |
19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter initially joined the Senate as a |
20 | | point person on health care and under the
leadership of Senate |
21 | | President Emil Jones Jr.; he was encouraged to join the |
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1 | | Appropriations Committee to
better learn the budget process; |
2 | | and |
3 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter has taken on leadership roles in |
4 | | the Senate, including Assistant Majority
Leader, Chairman of |
5 | | the Appropriations Committee, and chief budget negotiator for |
6 | | the Democrats; and |
7 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter earned a seat at the negotiation |
8 | | table not just on health and budget issues,
but on all policy |
9 | | issues; and |
10 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter has earned the respect of other |
11 | | elected officials throughout the State of
Illinois, fighting to |
12 | | enforce parity in education, health care, and working to create |
13 | | economic development
in disadvantaged communities; and |
14 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter spearheaded major health care and |
15 | | social service initiatives, including
KidCare/FamilyCare and |
16 | | SeniorCare initiatives, which extended health benefits to over |
17 | | 270,000 low-income
children, parents, and seniors previously |
18 | | without coverage; and |
19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter advocated for the School of |
20 | | Pharmacy at Chicago State University; during the most recent |
21 | | budget impasse, he fought to keep Chicago State University open
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1 | | along with other state universities; and |
2 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter prioritized public safety, |
3 | | ushering in the first comprehensive law banning
assault |
4 | | weapons; and |
5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter has helped save many newborn lives |
6 | | by sponsoring the Safe Haven Act,
where babies can be |
7 | | surrendered to hospitals, firehouses, and other safe havens |
8 | | without fear of criminal
charges; and |
9 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter was the first chairman of the |
10 | | Illinois Legislative Joint Black Caucus; and |
11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter has held leadership positions on |
12 | | the national level with the National
Conference of State |
13 | | Legislators, the Council of State Government, the National |
14 | | Caucus of Native
American State Legislators, and National Black |
15 | | Caucus of State Legislators; and |
16 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter highly valued mentoring the |
17 | | younger generation of professionals in both
elected and |
18 | | non-elected positions; and
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19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Trotter is a the loving father of three |
20 | | daughters, Gina, Tasha, and Toni; one son, Elijah;
and six |
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1 | | grandchildren; and
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2 | | WHEREAS, Upon his retirement, Senator Trotter will |
3 | | continue to use his voice as an advocate; he will
also enjoy |
4 | | his retirement with his lovely wife, Rose, traveling the globe, |
5 | | walking the dogs, puffing on a
stogie, and with endless hours |
6 | | of reading; therefore, be it
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7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL |
8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank State Senator |
9 | | Donne E. Trotter for his dedicated service to the people of |
10 | | Illinois and honor him with this
resolution; and be it further
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11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
12 | | presented to Senator Trotter
with our best wishes for all his |
13 | | future endeavors.
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