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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate former U.S.
4Representative Debra Anne "Deb" Haaland on her confirmation as
5U.S. Secretary of the Interior; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland was born in Winslow, Navajo
7County, Arizona on December 2, 1960; she graduated from
8Highland High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1978; she
9earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of
10New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1994; she earned her
11Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in
122006; she is a registered member of the Laguna Pueblo; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Prior to her appointment, Secretary Haaland held
14a number of leadership positions; she was a delegate at the
15Democratic National Convention in 2008; she served as a tribal
16administrator for the San Felipe Pueblo from 2013 to 2015; she
17chaired the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017; she
18was elected as U.S. Representative for New Mexico's 1st
19Congressional District in 2018, making her one of the first
20Native American women elected to the House of Representatives;
21she was reelected in 2020; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland was nominated for Secretary of

 

 

HR0160- 2 -LRB102 17745 LAW 23848 r

1the Interior by President Biden on December 17, 2020; she was
2confirmed by the Senate on March 15, 2021; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland is the first Native American
4Secretary of the Interior since the department's inception in
51849 and the first Native American cabinet member in U.S.
6history; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland's nomination is as symbolic as
8it is historic; she will be responsible for managing the
9Interior Department, a department once used as a tool of
10oppression against the Indigenous peoples of the U.S.; her
11unique background and experience will be an asset to all
12American citizens; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we congratulate former U.S. Representative Debra Anne "Deb"
16Haaland on her confirmation as U.S. Secretary of the Interior;
17and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to Secretary Haaland as an expression of our esteem
20and respect.