SJ0039 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0039 LRB103 32493 MST 62009 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is appropriate to honor those who have bettered the State of Illinois through public service; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Johnson was born in Champaign to Robert and Margaret Evans Johnson on July 23, 1946; he spent his childhood in Urbana and graduated from Urbana High School; he attended the University of Illinois, graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and was honored with the Bronze Tablet, the university's highest undergraduate honor; he was accepted to the University of Illinois College of Law and graduated with high honors and was elected to the Order of Coif, the national legal honor society, in 1972; and

WHEREAS, In 1971, while still in college, Congressman Johnson began his long career in public service by winning a seat on the Urbana City Council, representing the same ward that his father had represented; in his four years on the city council, he demonstrated to people throughout Central Illinois that he had a gift for crafting sound policies and taking care of the day-to-day needs of the people he represented; and

WHEREAS, Upon urging by community leaders, Congressman Johnson decided to run for a seat in the Illinois State Legislature; in 1976, he won a seat in the Illinois House by besting five other Republicans in a tough, but civil, primary; he held that seat in the statehouse for more than two decades; he resigned as state representative from the 104th District on November 13, 2000, one week after being elected to the United States House of Representatives to serve the 15th District of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Johnson established a strong record of constituent service and was known for walking the Capitol hallways with a cell phone pressed to his ear as he talked to constituents, asking their opinions and addressing their problems; and

WHEREAS, While responding to the needs of his district residents was a top priority, Congressman Johnson was also a strong and independent voice on Capitol Hill and pushed for lower taxes, fought to bring federal dollars home to Illinois universities, was a strong advocate for civil liberties, voted consistently to protect our First, Second, and Fourth Amendment Rights, and voted to protect our environment; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Johnson was a leading advocate for the expansion of the use of bio fuels and paid special attention to the needs of veterans; he continued his tradition of opposing tax increases, promoting fiscal responsibility, and upholding conservative, common sense values in the United States Congress; most of all, he wanted to rekindle the spark in the nation's agricultural economy that is vital to the health of the region, nation, and world; and

WHEREAS, Congressman Johnson retired from congress at the end of his term in 2013; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of Interstate 57 from I-74 South to Exit 232 as the "Congressman Tim Johnson Highway"; 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 "Congressman Tim Johnson Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent to Congressman Tim Johnson, the Mayor of Champaign, and the Secretary of Transportation.