SR1060 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1060 LRB097 23778 GRL 72933 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois State Senator Susan Garrett attended Lake Forest College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in political science; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett began her political career in 1998, when she was elected to serve as State Representative; after serving 2 terms in the House of Representatives, she was elected to serve as State Senator from the 29th Legislative District, representing the communities of Bannockburn, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Fort Sheridan, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Highwood, Knollwood, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Mount Prospect, Niles, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, and Riverwoods; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett served on and led a number of committees during her career in the General Assembly, including the House Committees on Aging, Appropriation - General Services, Elementary and Secondary Education, Urban Revitalization, Consumer Protection (Vice-Chairperson), Election and Campaign Reform (Vice-Chairperson), and Transportation and Motor Vehicles, the Senate Committees on Commerce (Vice-Chairperson), Education, Public Health, Government Reform, Revenue (Vice-Chairperson), Revenue - Subcommittee on Property Taxes, Environment (Chairperson), and State Government & Veterans Affairs, and Committees of the Whole; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett was named Majority Caucus Whip for the 96th and 97th General Assemblies; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett has sponsored multiple initiatives that have provided a higher standard of living for Illinois residents, such as increasing funding for the Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan Act to allow more individuals to receive healthcare coverage for a longer period of time and fighting to guarantee that children with autism have insurance coverage for treatment and therapy; and

WHEREAS, A champion for those with special needs, Senator Garrett introduced legislation to help families with hearing and visually impaired children by calling for school districts to notify parents of local facilities that provide services for their children; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett introduced the State's "Do Not Flush" campaign, which prohibits healthcare facilities and their employees from discharging and disposing any unused medication in a public waterway collection system or a septic system; the initiative was presented after the Senate Public Health Committee discovered findings of the level of pharmaceuticals in water; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett is a community advocate, always making it a priority to be highly reachable to all of her constituents by having regular town hall meetings to hear directly from residents regarding issues that are important to them and developing legislation around ideas that come from these meetings; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett believes that government, as a whole, should be open and available to Illinois residents, which lead her to pass major legislative measures to increase government accountability and ethics in State government, as well as providing more transparency and accountability in State government through the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal, which supplies an internet portal that lists information about State employees and consultants, State expenditures, all revocations and suspensions of tax certificates and professional licenses, and all current State contracts; and

WHEREAS, Senator Garrett has received numerous awards recognizing her service to the people of Illinois, including the Abner Mikva Award, the Friends of Municipalities Award, the Family Services "Woman of the Year" Award, the Lung Health Champion Award, and the Outstanding Commitment to Health-Care Award; and

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate extend our best wishes to Senator Susan Garrett as she begins this next phase of her life and wish her well as she enjoys more time with her husband, Scott, and their family; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Susan Garrett for her years of service to the people of Illinois and her dedication as a member of the Illinois Senate and honor her with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senator Susan Garrett as a symbol of our gratitude and greatest hopes for her future endeavors.