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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives
were saddened to learn of the death of our | ||||||
4 | friend and former
colleague, former State Representative | ||||||
5 | Michael K. Smith, who
passed away on August 9, 2014; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith was born to Dale and Betty
Bertetto | ||||||
7 | Smith on May 23, 1966 in Canton; he graduated from
Canton High | ||||||
8 | School and from Bradley University with a Bachelor
of Arts in | ||||||
9 | Political Science; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith married Donna L. Shaw on February
1, | ||||||
11 | 1991 in Canton; and
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12 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith began working with the Illinois
House | ||||||
13 | of Representatives as a legislative assistant; he
continued his | ||||||
14 | public service as Canton Township Trustee from
1991 to 1994 and | ||||||
15 | as a Citizens Advocate for the Illinois
Attorney General's | ||||||
16 | Office from 1992 to 1995; he was elected
State Representative | ||||||
17 | in 1994 and diligently served the people of
Fulton, Peoria, and | ||||||
18 | Tazewell counties and the State of Illinois for 16 years; and | ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith was a dedicated and passionate
advocate | ||||||
20 | for Illinois' schoolchildren as Chairman of the House
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21 | Elementary and Secondary Education Committee; he fought to
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1 | increase funding for schools, literacy programs, early | ||||||
2 | childhood
education, and students with special needs; he served | ||||||
3 | as a member
of the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board | ||||||
4 | from 2011 to
2014; and | ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith fought for middle-class families,
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6 | working to bring jobs to Central Illinois; he secured valuable
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7 | State assistance to support local employers and workers at
the | ||||||
8 | Keystone Steel and Wire Co. in Bartonville and at Cook Medical | ||||||
9 | in
Canton; he helped to promote regional growth through the
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10 | establishment of the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District,
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11 | the Western Illinois Economic Development Authority, and with | ||||||
12 | his
support of the bio-fuels industry; he made his district a
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13 | priority by securing millions of dollars in infrastructure
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14 | improvement projects, including upgrades to Veterans Drive in
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15 | Pekin and through efforts to revitalize East Peoria's downtown; | ||||||
16 | and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith served as a Chairperson and Member
of | ||||||
18 | the House committees on Appropriations-Elementary and | ||||||
19 | Secondary Education, Agriculture and Conservation, Environment
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20 | and Energy, Financial Institutions, Judiciary II-Criminal Law,
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21 | and Personnel and Pensions; he fought on behalf of first
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22 | responders as a founder and Co-Chairman of the Illinois
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23 | Legislative Fire Services Caucus; he served as Chairman and
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24 | Vice-Chairman of the Downstate Democratic Caucus; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith loved his community; he served as a
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2 | Trustee Emeritus at Graham Hospital in Canton, a founding | ||||||
3 | member
of the 336 Highway Coalition, and as a member of Pekin | ||||||
4 | Moose
Lodge #916, the Knights of Columbus, and Ducks Unlimited; | ||||||
5 | he was a past
president of the Canton Area Chamber of Commerce, | ||||||
6 | a past vice-president of the Rotary Club of Canton, former | ||||||
7 | board member of the
American Heart Association's Illinois | ||||||
8 | Chapter, and the Fulton-Mason
Crisis Service, and a past Parish | ||||||
9 | Council President at St.
Mary Church in Canton; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith's public service was recognized
with | ||||||
11 | the Glen Walters Memorial Award, the Associated Fire Fighters
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12 | of Illinois Legislator of the Year, the Illinois Association of | ||||||
13 | Fire
Protection Districts Award, the Friend of Agriculture, the | ||||||
14 | Illinois
Fertilizer and Chemical Association 1999 Legislative | ||||||
15 | Award,
the Illinois Association of Rural Electric | ||||||
16 | Co-Operatives Representative of
the Year, the Illinois ABATE | ||||||
17 | Outstanding Legislator Award, the Illinois
Education | ||||||
18 | Association Legislative Service Award, the Illinois
Hospital | ||||||
19 | Association Award, and the Leo Sharp Award; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Rep. Smith is survived by his wife, Donna;
his | ||||||
21 | mother, Betty; his sisters, Sandra Schuman and Pat Fowler;
and | ||||||
22 | several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews; | ||||||
23 | therefore, be it
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1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
2 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
3 | we, along with
his family and friends, mourn the passing of | ||||||
4 | former State
Representative Michael K. Smith; and be it further
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5 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
6 | presented
to the family of Rep. Smith as an expression of our
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7 | deepest sympathies and respect.
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