SR0910 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0910 LRB103 40272 MST 72272 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie has served residents of the 27th State Senate District since 2018; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie is a lifelong resident of the northwest suburbs, a retired business executive, and a former health care worker, serving as a staff attorney for a nonprofit HMO in Chicago, as a health care attorney at a Chicago law firm, as a consultant in managed health care, and as an executive with CVS Health's Caremark division; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a juris doctorate from DePaul University; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie entered her first term ready to bring change to working families in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Drawing from her experiences as a lawyer, health care consultant, and vice president and general manager of a large mail pharmacy service, Ann Gillespie came to Springfield determined to be a proactive problem solver, introducing advanced legislation that would expand apprenticeship programs, protect workers and consumers, and provide inclusion to all Illinoisans; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie has prioritized protecting Illinois' social safety net during her time in office, utilizing her personal experience to create policy that addresses the needs of underserved populations throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie has used her background and perspective to improve Illinois' financial outlook, its business climate, and the quality of life for people in the 27th District and beyond; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie fought for a bipartisan solution to target abuses of power in state government by introducing the first comprehensive ethics package in over a decade, which implemented numerous reforms aimed to prevent bad actors from gaming the system; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie advocated to improve conditions at nursing homes across Illinois and passed legislation to overhaul the state's nursing home assessment and reimbursement methods by transitioning to a Patient Driven Payment Model and increasing the base per diem rate, as well as addressing employee shortages at long-term care facilities by requiring facilities to meet at least 70% of staffing levels outlined by a federal study to receive additional funding and by providing additional funding to facilities that incentivize the retention and promotion of CNAs; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie was a legislative champion for expanding affordable health care coverage in Illinois, passing legislation that established a state-based health insurance marketplace offering a variety of health insurance plans from different insurers that will reflect real-time data so all Illinoisans can find high-quality plans tailored to their needs; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie carried legislation to expand Illinois' Medicaid system to cover new services and the implementation of new Medicaid-adjacent services by the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services and other agencies, enhancing provider networks and improving the availability of essential services to allow working families across the state to receive the care they need to keep themselves and their communities healthy; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie pushed for a comprehensive Medicaid overhaul package to improve Medicaid reimbursement rates and expand services across numerous health care sectors, including rate increases for inpatient substance use disorder treatment, hospitals, supportive living facilities, community-based mental health services, and inpatient psychiatric care at hospitals; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie chaired the Senate Appropriations-Health and Human Services Committee in the 103rd General Assembly and sat on the Early Childhood Education, Insurance, Judiciary, and Revenue Committees; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie co-chaired the bipartisan Senate Women's Caucus, fighting for full gender equality and bringing forth initiatives to prioritize the health and well-being of women, including a hands-only CPR training for legislative members and staff; and

WHEREAS, Ann Gillespie assisted residents of the 27th District through her district office, traveling office hours, and community town halls and held an annual bake-off competition that allowed high school students to showcase their culinary talent and creativity, with the winning team receiving scholarship funds to attend Harper College; and

WHEREAS, With her experience in health care and dedication to improving insurance access for Illinoisans, Ann Gillespie exits the Senate to become the acting director of the Illinois Department of Insurance; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Ann Gillespie for her service to the people of Illinois and honor her with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ann Gillespie with our best wishes for all her future endeavors.