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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Senator Dale Righter has represented the citizens
3of the 55th Senate District, including parts of Clay, Clark,
4Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Jasper,
5Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White counties, with
6distinction for 18 years; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has had an extraordinary and
8remarkable career, leaving a lasting legacy in the General
9Assembly; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has served with honor in the
11Illinois Senate since 2003; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Before joining the ranks of Senate Republican
13lawmakers, Senator Righter first demonstrated his dedication
14to public service by serving in the Illinois House of
15Representatives beginning in 1997; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Prior to being elected to the General Assembly,
17Senator Righter started his career as an associate attorney at
18Reed, Armstrong, Coffey, Goldbert & Mudge P.C. from 1991 to
191992; he then served as a felony narcotics prosecutor with the
20State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor's Office; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Righter ended his career in the Senate
2serving the Senate Republican Caucus as the Caucus Chair,
3having previously served as Deputy Leader; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Senator Righter served as the Minority Spokesman
5for the Senate Appropriations I Committee starting in 2016 and
6was the Minority Spokesman for the Senate Executive Committee;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Righter also served on a number of Senate
9Committees, such as Appropriations II, Executive Appointments,
10Human Services, and Insurance; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has been a member of the Medicaid
12Work Group and also a member of the Department of Child and
13Family Services Work Group; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has developed a reputation for
15being a powerful and eloquent speaker, serving as the Caucus
16Floor Leader and acting as the Chief Spokesperson on
17legislative issues; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Senator Righter was never afraid to tackle the
19hard issues; and
 
20    WHEREAS, During his time in the Illinois General Assembly,

 

 

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1Senator Righter has worked tirelessly for the taxpayers and
2businesses of Illinois; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has been a vocal advocate for
4fiscal responsibility and has dedicated his time in public
5service to fighting for responsible spending policies; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Senator Righter was a key player on behalf of the
7Senate Republican Caucus in past budget negotiations, serving
8as a lead budgeteer; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has been recognized over the years
10as a champion of free enterprise for his contributions and
11dedication to encouraging economic opportunities and
12development in Illinois; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Senator Righter sponsored legislation that sought
14to reduce criminal recidivism; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Senator Righter sought to curb violence and
16promote public safety in Illinois communities by honorably
17serving on the Legislative Public Safety Group; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Senator Righter stood up for taxpayers of Illinois
19by seeking protections for the middle class; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Righter supported bipartisan education
2funding reform legislation, pushing for more education funding
3to be directed toward schools in the 55th Senate District and
4increasing opportunities for students downstate; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has been an outspoken pro-life
6advocate, opposing legislation to expand taxpayer funded
7abortions; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Righter sponsored legislation expanding
9newborn medical screenings for families in Illinois; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has earned the admiration of his
11colleagues for his willingness to work with lawmakers on both
12sides of the aisle and engage in thoughtful debate and
13discussion on controversial legislation and issues; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Righter graduated from Eastern Illinois
15University with a bachelor's degree in Accounting and earned
16his law degree from the St. Louis University School of Law in
171991; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has been actively involved in his
19church community, including mission trips to Cuba; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has coached cross country and

 

 

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1track on a volunteer basis for the past decade; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Senator Righter is a proud and dedicated
3Cheesehead, unapologetically declaring himself a diehard Green
4Bay Packers fan; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Righter is also known for his good sense
6of humor and his frequent snack attacks from his office
7balcony; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Righter is the proud father of two sons,
9Jonathan, who is a graduate of the United States Military
10Academy, an Army Ranger, and a Lieutenant in the United States
11Army, and Benjamin, who is shortly reporting to Officer
12Candidate School for the United States Navy before heading to
13flight training; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Righter is also a proud new grandfather to
15his beautiful granddaughter, Margaret Marie; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Righter is the proud dog-dad of his rescue
17canine, Bart; and
 
18    WHEREAS, With his retirement from the Senate, Senator
19Righter leaves to begin a new chapter as the Chief of Staff for
20the Senate Republican Caucus; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has time-and-time again earned
2the respect of colleagues and staff; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Senator Righter has been an unwavering example of
4what it means to be a good leader, loyal friend, and dedicated
5public servant; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
7ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Dale
8Righter for his many years of dedicated service to the people
9of Illinois and honor him with this resolution; and be it
10further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to Senator Righter with our best wishes for his
13future endeavors.