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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to honor former State Representative Tom
4Cross for his service to Kendall County, Will County, and the
5State of Illinois; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rep. Cross grew up in northeastern Illinois,
7graduating from Yorkville High School in 1976; after graduating
8from law school, he returned to northeastern Illinois and
9defended public safety as an assistant prosecutor in the office
10of Kendall County State's Attorney Dallas Ingemunson; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Kendall County and western Will County enjoyed
12strong population growth in the 1980s; this created new
13challenges but also led to the creation of a new seat in the
14Illinois House in 1991; Rep. Cross was urged to use this
15opportunity to step up his service to his home communities; in
16March of 1992, he won a primary race for the new seat by a 3-1
17margin, and, in November of 1992, he won a landslide victory
18with a vote total of 57.9%, to earn his first term in the
19Illinois House of Representatives; in January of 1993, with his
20prosecutorial experience, he was chosen to serve as
21vice-spokesperson on the House Judiciary-Criminal Law
22Committee; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Aware of the commuting challenges facing his
2fast-growing district, Rep. Cross asked for, and received, a
3seat on the House Transportation and Motor Vehicles Committee;
4for more than 20 years, he has paid attention to the
5public-safety and the transportation-infrastructure needs of
6his neighbors and the communities he has represented; in
7January of 1995, when House Republicans took over the majority,
8he became Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary-Civil
9Law, using his committee to create legal reforms and fighting
10for Illinois economic growth and development; this theme would
11be a focus of his State and local leadership; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Throughout the 1990s, Rep. Cross continued to
13fight for civil and criminal legal reforms and for State
14infrastructure and development, winning the respect of his
15Springfield colleagues as he had won the respect of his
16neighbors in his home district; in January of 2003, his House
17colleagues chose him to be their House Republican Leader, a
18post in which he would continue to serve for more than 10
19years; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The trends of economic and social change south of
21Aurora and west of Joliet have made it all the more obvious
22that civil justice reform, a tough but compassionate structure
23of State criminal law, and a productivity-oriented
24infrastructure are necessary pieces to make a bright future for

 

 

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1the people of this fast-growing area and for all of Illinois;
2therefore be it; therefore, be it
 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
5honor former State Representative Tom Cross for his service to
6Kendall County, Will County, and the State of Illinois and wish
7him and his family the best in all their future endeavors; and
8be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10presented to Rep. Cross as an expression of our esteem and
11respect.