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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of former State Senator Mary Margaret
4"Maggie" Crotty, who passed away on November 5, 2020; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was born in Chicago and graduated
6from Mercy High School; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty began her career in public service
8as a member of the District 145 school board in 1978 and served
9as board president from 1986 to 1993; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty served as a development
11coordinator in the Cook County Region for Infinite Southwest
12and the Southwest Cook County Cooperative for Special
13Education; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty continued serving her community on
15the District 228 Strategic Planning Committee and the
16Educational Foundation; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty began her legislative career as a
18State Representative and served from 1996 to 2002; she focused
19on education issues, senior advocacy, and consumer
20protections; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty sought and won election to the
2Illinois State Senate in 2002 and served until 2013, where she
3made it her mission to continue to help children, seniors, and
4families; and
 
5    WHEREAS, During her tenure in the General Assembly, Senator
6Crotty fought to maintain and improve critical State services,
7including human services and public safety, with an emphasis on
8seniors and Illinois veterans; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty demonstrated that education was
10the top priority of her legislative agenda by sponsoring
11initiatives to boost the State's share of education funding and
12to allow Illinois residents to rehabilitate their defaulted
13student loans; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty passed the Silver Alert system in
15Illinois that permits law enforcement to provide alerts for
16missing or abducted seniors and disabled persons, similar to
17the Amber Alert for children; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty waged a successful battle to close
19the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, which
20was reckoning with allegations of corruption; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was always a vocal proponent of
2health and human services; she served as a lead advocate in
3requiring insurance companies to cover treatment for children
4with congenital or genetic disorders and increased the State's
5understanding of children with disabilities; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty served on and led numerous
7committees in the General Assembly, including serving as
8chairperson of the Elections Committee, as vice-chairperson of
9the Local Government Committee, and as co-chairperson for the
10Joint Committee on Administrative Rules; she also served as a
11member of the Higher Education Committee, the Labor Committee,
12the Revenue Committee, the Joint Commission on Government
13Reform, the Executive Committee, the Executive Appointments
14Committee, the State Government and Veteran Affairs Committee,
15the Environment Committee, the Health & Human Services
16Committee, and the Licensed Activities Committee; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty also worked with many local
18organizations to improve the quality of life for the region and
19its citizens, including membership in many Chambers of Commerce
20and Kiwanis Clubs and as a member of the Oak Forest Civil
21Service Commission; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was the recipient of many awards
23for outstanding service to her community and the citizens of

 

 

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1Illinois, including the Theresa Roedl Memorial Award for
2Volunteerism in 1988, the Outstanding Freshman Legislator of
3the Year for the Illinois Health Care Association in 1997, and
4numerous other awards from organizations across the State; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was a dedicated, committed public
6servant and an even better person; she might have appeared as a
7nice, sweet grandmother, treating strangers as if they had been
8friends for years, but she was a skilled politician who had an
9instinct like no other; she worked tirelessly to help lift
10others, from local service agencies serving the homeless to
11senior citizens; her legacy and accomplishments, as well as
12warm memories of her positive attitude and endless energy, will
13last; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois State Senate
15appreciate everything former State Senator Maggie Crotty
16accomplished for the 19th Senate District, the Southland, and
17the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
19ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
20former State Senator Mary Margaret "Maggie" Crotty and extend
21our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who
22knew and loved her; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Senator Crotty as an expression of
3our deepest sympathy.