SR0620 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0620 LRB103 35311 ECR 65359 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Kathleen Hazelwood on the occasion her retirement from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA); and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Hazelwood has had a 36-year career with the Illinois General Assembly (IGA), beginning as a research associate at the Illinois Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation (ICIC), where she later became executive secretary, project coordinator, and office manager; and

WHEREAS, Through ICIC, Kathleen Hazelwood's work included coordinating meetings and hearings with many commission members, including then-Senator Barack Obama, helping the IGA host the Council of State Governments (CSG) conferences in Chicago, and coordinating the children's program during the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) summit in Chicago; her responsibilities also entailed coordinating the many foreign delegations who met with Illinois legislators, including delegations from Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Pakistan, El Salvador, Australia, Poland, Japan, Spain, India, Russia, Lithuania, South Korea, Egypt, Argentina, Columbia, Ethiopia, Turkey, Germany, and Italy, and this work included setting up meals with IGA members to discuss the ways different governments operate and tours to Illinois sites, such as the Lincoln Home, the Dana-Thomas House, and both Capitol buildings; and

WHEREAS, After ICIC merged with the Legislative Research Unit (LRU) in 2004, Kathleen Hazelwood eventually took the role of federal aid tracking coordinator, a statutorily required position that tracks federal aid to State agencies and reports on monies received and how they have been sub-granted; she continued serving in this position when the LRU merged with the CGFA in 2018; and

WHEREAS, As federal aid tracking coordinator, Kathleen Hazelwood has reported the billions of dollars that Illinois has received through her weekly, quarterly, and annual reports to the IGA, and she has been responsible for compiling the Annual Federal Funds to State Agencies publication; she has also worked with Legislative Information Systems (LIS) to update and reconfigure the Federal Aid Tracking system to make it more efficient; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Hazelwood has served as a member of the Illinois Democratic Women organization and as conference co-chair and president of the Illinois Women in Government (IWIG) conferences; through IWIG, she has also organized meals for members to learn and network with other women to help them succeed in their careers and in life; she has also belonged to the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP), and she was previously named SGMP Meeting Planner of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Hazelwood is part of GIRLS on a Mission, a women's group that raises money for orphans in Indonesia; she has also assisted with updating suitcases donated to foster children through the Department of Child and Family Services; recently, she coordinated a work outreach in the CGFA office to assist the unhoused population of Springfield by preparing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Hazelwood is the wife of Todd Hazelwood, the mother of twin daughters, Caitlyn and Emily, and one son, Carlton, and the grandmother of Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Hazelwood will retire from the CGFA on December 31, 2023; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Kathleen Hazelwood on her retirement from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA), and we wish her the best in her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Kathleen Hazelwood as a symbol of our esteem and respect.