HR0655 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0655 LRB102 26040 MST 35475 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Illinois Court Reporters Association (ILCRA) provides leadership and information to the users of verbatim court reporting services and the public in Illinois regarding the special competency, importance, and value of the shorthand reporting system and the key role Certified Shorthand Reporters play in the justice system in Illinois courts; and

WHEREAS, Every day, stenographic realtime captioners in Illinois provide communication access for millions of people throughout the State and country who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, when the consumers of realtime captions are engaged in their business, educational, recreational, and personal lives; and

WHEREAS, Court reporters capture testimony and communications at legal proceedings and official meetings by use of contemporaneous shorthand as the proceedings occur; and

WHEREAS, Illinois court reporters are licensed Certified Shorthand Reporters (CSRs) who diligently serve as Guardians of the Record and provide verbatim transcripts of depositions, trials, hearings, and meetings; and

WHEREAS, Court reporters in Illinois utilize digital technology, including their sophisticated steno machines and computers, to instantly capture every spoken word in realtime shorthand and regularly create their shorthand notes from participants speaking in proceedings at speeds of between 200-275 words per minute; and

WHEREAS, Illinois CSRs produce the Official Record of Proceedings upon which Illinois courts, attorneys, and litigants can rely in the pursuit of protection of their rights and interests in the judicial system and are conscientious in protecting the private, proprietary, and confidential information that they hear and report for the users of their services; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare February 5-12, 2022 as "Court Reporting and Captioning Week" in the State of Illinois.