SR0223 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0223 LRB094 12418 HSS 46738 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois were deeply saddened to learn of the death of their friend and former colleague, State Senator Margaret Smith of Chicago, on Monday, May 16, 2005; and

WHEREAS, She was born Margaret Fort in Chicago and spent her life helping others; she graduated from DuSable High School in Chicago, was educated at Tennessee State University, and was a member of the Chicago Baptist Institute, where she received an honorary doctor of humanities degree; in 1955, she married Fred Smith, a longtime legislator who was known as "Dean of the Senate" before he retired in 1979; he preceded her in death in 1988; and

WHEREAS, Senator Margaret Smith spent 22 years in the Illinois General Assembly; she was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1980 and served one two-year term; she won election to the Senate in 1982 and was re-elected by overwhelming margins for the next 20 years; and

WHEREAS, During her 20 years in the Senate, she served as the chairwoman of the influential Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, where she had the distinction of being the first female State Senator in the U.S. to serve as the chairperson of the same committee chaired earlier by her spouse the minority spokesperson on the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, and as the Democratic Caucus Chair; and

WHEREAS, She also served on the Senate Committees on Appropriations, Commerce and Industry, Insurance and Pensions, Executive Appointments, the Legislative Space Needs Commission, the Legislative Printing Unit, the Committee of Women Legislators (COWL), the Advisory Board of the Illinois Sports Facility Authority, the Legislative Black Caucus, the Anti-Crime Advisory Committee, and the Illinois Steering Committee for Public Health's Turning Point; and

WHEREAS, Senator Smith served the State of Illinois well as a member of the National Conference of Black State Legislators, the Midwestern Legislative Conference, where she served on the Health and Human Services Committee and the Committee on Children, and the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), where she once served as the chairperson of the NCSL's Health and Human Services Committee; and

WHEREAS, Senator Smith amassed numerous legislative accomplishments which enhanced the quality of life for the people in the Third Senate District and of the people of Illinois, including requiring the State to cover the cost of mammograms for poor women, requiring insurance companies to cover mammograms, protecting senior citizens in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, allowing public aid recipients making the transition from welfare to work to receive Medicaid services for 12 months, improving the child immunization system in Illinois, assisting women with ovarian and cervical cancer, mandating businesses to provide an on-site location other than a rest room for working mothers to express milk to feed their infants during office hours, and improving business opportunities for women and minorities; and

WHEREAS, She was recognized for her sponsorship and support of legislation on health care and women's issues and was the recipient of the coveted "Legislator of the Year Award" from every major public health organization in Illinois, including the Illinois Nurses' Association, the Illinois Health Care Association, and the Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association; and

WHEREAS, Senator Smith is the author of legislation commissioning the creation of statues of Adelbert H. Roberts, the first African American to serve in the State legislature, and Dr. Martin L. King Jr., as well as the portrait of her late husband, Senator Fred J. Smith, all of which are on display in the State Capitol and its complex in Springfield; and

WHEREAS, Margaret Smith was known as "Lady of the Senate" and is remembered for her class, benevolence, and humor; she was dedicated to her church and faith and made numerous mission trips abroad; she visited Africa, Europe, and Asia; in recognition of her work, a school in Haiti was named after her; she was a board member of the Ada S. McKinley Foundation and Beatrice Caffrey Youth Service; she was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Metropolitan Business and Professional Women International, and Bethsaida Missionary Baptist Church; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of our friend and former colleague, Senator Margaret Smith, who spent a well-lived life dedicated to championing the needs of others; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to her family as an expression of our sincere sorrow for this loss.