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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Illinois State Senator Mike Jacobs has
3represented the citizens of the State of Illinois and the
4families of the 36th Senate District since 2005; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Mike Jacobs joined the Illinois Senate in
6May of 2005 as the unanimous choice to fill the vacancy created
7when his father, Senator Denny Jacobs, stepped down from public
8office after serving the Quad Cities for 14 years; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs learned the strong values of public
10service and giving back to his community through the selfless
11examples provided by his grandmother Caroline "Ma" Jacobs,
12known for serving plentiful portions of generosity, regardless
13of a customer's skin color; she is believed to be the first
14white restaurant owner in Illinois to serve African-Americans
15at her restaurant, Jake's Cafe; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs was elected to the Illinois Senate
17by the voters of the 36th Senate District in 2006, 2008, and
182012; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs previously served as the downstate
20liaison for Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, where he
21managed driver facilities and operations for 14 counties across

 

 

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1northwest Illinois; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Understanding the importance of job creation to
3improve the region's economy, Senator Jacobs worked to make
4sure the Western Illinois University Riverfront Campus became a
5reality; Senator Jacobs, together with Representative Pat
6Verschoore, worked to secure $62 million to fund the expansion;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs worked hard to enhance
9transportation and economic development opportunities in the
10Quad Cities area by securing direct flights from the Quad
11Cities to Washington, DC and by keeping the doors of the Rock
12Island Arsenal open, thereby securing employment for 7,000
13employees at the Arsenal; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs worked diligently to secure $150
15million to expand Amtrak service to the Quad Cities, providing
16a direct connection between the Quad Cities and Chicago, which
17will benefit the region for years to come; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs saw the Thomson Correctional
19Center as an economic opportunity for Carroll and Henry
20Counties and worked with leaders at the federal, State, and
21local levels to secure the sale of the Thomson Correctional
22Center to the federal government, which resulted in an influx

 

 

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1of over 2,000 long-term jobs in the 36th Senate District and
2$165 million in revenue to help balance the State's budget; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs helped secure vital funds for the
4construction of the newly-opened $40 million KONE Centre
5development in downtown Moline to create good-paying and stable
6construction jobs for the residents of the region for years to
7come; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs has been a strong advocate for job
9creation throughout his career; he worked to amend the Quad
10Cities Regional Economic Development Authority Act by
11extending its geographic area to include Jo Daviess, Carroll,
12Whiteside, Stephenson, and Lee counties; and
 
13    WHEREAS, As the Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee,
14Senator Jacobs worked to bring more than a thousand jobs and
15additional clean energy to Illinois by securing an agreement
16that required the State to push green energy usage from 3% to
175% and promoting an initiative to support wind turbine and
18transmission manufacturing that resulted in over 1,450 union
19jobs and approximately $7 billion worth of investments in
20innovative wind energy projects; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs was honored by the Illinois
22Committee of Blind Vendors for securing the passage of the

 

 

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1Blind Vendors Act, which helped to create vending and
2concession businesses and provide new opportunities for blind
3women and men in Illinois to allow them to be self-sufficient
4and self-employed; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Acting to promote the independence of our most
6vulnerable populations, Senator Jacobs worked to pass a law
7that requires gas stations to make sure there are easily
8accessible fueling stations for those with disabilities by
9requiring gas stations to have a call device that allows
10motorists with disabilities to request assistance; and
 
11    WHEREAS, To raise cancer awareness, Senator Jacobs worked
12to pass "Brandon's Law" to raise awareness of testicular cancer
13in high school health classes; Brandon Ballard died from
14testicular cancer at the age of 19, and his parents worked with
15Senator Jacobs to craft legislation to promote cancer awareness
16to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs understood the importance of
18honoring our veterans for the tireless sacrifices they have
19made for our country; he was recognized by the American Legion
20Department of Illinois for his commitment to the Veterans
21Special Programs American National Network; and
 
22    WHEREAS, To provide the children of the 36th Senate

 

 

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1District with excellent educational opportunities, Senator
2Jacobs fought to secure funding for Silvis School District 34,
3securing $11.4 million to construct Northeast Junior High
4School and renovate the George O. Barr Elementary School; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs understood the long-term benefits
6of providing children with after-school programs; he worked to
7secure $600,000 for construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr.
8Park and $88,000 for renovations to the organizations' center
9to strengthen schools, families, and communities and to create
10additional outlets for children to thrive; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs received the 2014 YMCA Legislative
12Hero Award for his work to secure $175,000 in funding for
13renovations to the Two Rivers YMCA and as a symbol of their
14gratitude for his years of dedication to the YMCA, local youth
15and teens, and his community; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs led the passage of a major State
17construction plan that brought $563 million to northwest
18Illinois, which has been invested in infrastructure, job
19creation, future construction, and railroad expansion and has
20provided hundreds of immediate jobs for area residents; and
 
21    WHEREAS, To help keep businesses open in the 36th Senate
22District, Senator Jacobs worked with the Wahl Clipper

 

 

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1Corporation to secure an incentive package to guarantee that
2the company would be able to keep up with the growing worldwide
3demand for its products; when Wahl Clipper discussed moving out
4of the region to meet its growing business needs, Senator
5Jacobs worked to ensure that the company kept over 1,000 jobs
6in Sterling and created additional jobs for local residents;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs is the fourth member of his family
9to serve in the General Assembly; his great-uncle, Charles
10Carpentier, was a former Illinois Secretary of State, State
11Senator, and Mayor of East Moline; his grandfather, Oral "Jake"
12Jacobs, served in the Illinois House of Representatives, on the
13Rock Island County Board, and as an East Moline Alderman; most
14recently, his father Denny Jacobs served as Mayor of East
15Moline and as a State Senator; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs is an advocate for labor unions and
17working families throughout the State and is a former member of
183 Quad City area unions: American Federation of State, County
19and Municipal Employees Local 2025; United Automobile Workers
20Local 1304; and Laborers' Local Union 309; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs' commitment to his district and its
22communities is demonstrated by the excellent job he has done as
23a State Senator and by the recognition he has received from

 

 

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1numerous groups and organizations, including the Illinois Farm
2Bureau ACTIVATOR, the Readers' Choice Award in recognition of
3Best Local Politician, the Downstate Democrat Bald Eagle Award,
4the Illinois Committee of Blind Vendors' Randolph Sheppard
5Advocate Award, the Illinois Association of Regional
6Superintendents of Schools' recognition of Outstanding Service
7to the schools of the State of Illinois in 2006 and 2011, the
8Illinois Public Transportation Association's Legislator of the
9Year Award, and the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois'
10Legislative Award for Outstanding Leadership; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs is the father of his loving son,
12Elliott, and the son of Mary Ellen and Denny Jacobs; he will be
13deeply missed by all in this chamber; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank State Senator
16Mike Jacobs for his dedicated service to the people of Illinois
17and honor him with this resolution; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to Senator Jacobs with our best wishes for his future
20endeavors.