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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, State Senator Gary Forby has represented the
3communities of the State of Illinois and the families of the
459th Senate District since 2003; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Forby began his work in public service on
6the Franklin County Board; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Senator Forby joined the Illinois General
8Assembly in 2001, serving first in the Illinois House of
9Representatives before filling the vacancy created by Senator
10Larry Woolard's retirement in 2003; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Senator Forby is a lifelong resident of Southern
12Illinois; he was born in Anna and moved to Benton at an early
13age, where he still resides; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Forby has long been an influential and
15positive presence in Southern Illinois, as a small business
16owner providing services to local residents and operating a
17pro-union, fair-wage excavating company; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Senator Forby brought integrity to his public
19service by ensuring his votes in the Legislature were cast with
20the people and the welfare of Southern Illinois in mind; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Forby has gained the respect of other
2elected officials in his district, oftentimes working closely
3with mayors and city administrators to bring State dollars back
4to Southern Illinois to help with projects; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Forby has been a leader in bringing key
6projects home to his district such as the funding to construct
7the I-57 on-ramp in Marion and expanding the Ferrell Hospital
8in Eldorado and the Herrin Hospital; he helped communities
9throughout the region receive emergency grant funding to keep
10people safe from hazardous conditions, and multiple school
11construction grants that brought new schools to Carterville and
12Marion; and
 
13    WHEREAS, As a union member himself for over 40 years, and
14Chair of the Senate Labor Committee, Senator Forby has been the
15voice of middle class, working families in an uphill battle to
16ensure labor continues to have a strong presence here in
17Illinois and that people continue to receive fair, livable
18wages; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Senator Forby has been strong in his fight for job
20creation and the coal industry throughout not only Southern
21Illinois, but Illinois as a whole; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Senator Forby helped pass a measure to create the
2Coal Mining and Electric Generation Act, which brought half a
3million dollars in funding to help finance the expansion of
4coal burning power plants in Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Senator Forby has continually worked on pro-coal
6legislation during his tenure in office, and has been one of
7the loudest voices for the coal industry in Springfield by
8working to pass pro-coal measures every year since he has been
9in office; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Senator Forby served as the chief sponsor in the
11Senate to lead the effort in bringing concealed carry to
12Illinois; he stood strong in his efforts to override Governor
13Quinn's amendatory veto to see the measure move forward; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Senator Forby has been genuine to his district,
15fighting to ensure the Southern Illinois region gets its fair
16share and is not overlooked; and
 
17    WHEREAS, When Southern Illinois primary schools were
18facing uncertainty, Senator Forby worked in a bipartisan
19fashion to help pass a K-12 budget that allowed the schools in
20his district to receive adequate funding; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Senator Forby knows the importance of education in

 

 

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1his district and has been steadfast in his support for Southern
2Illinois University by ensuring it continues to receive State
3funding to help it continue to attract students throughout the
4country and provide an excellent education for future job
5seekers; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Senator Forby is the loving father of daughters,
7Lisa Black, and Mackenzie Fleetwood, sons, Justin Forby, and
8Jeremy Fleetwood, and grandfather to his granddaughter, Hannah
9Forby; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Senator Forby will return to Benton, where he
11remains active in many local organizations, including the
12Shriners and Elks Club; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
14ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Gary Forby for
15his dedicated service to the people of Illinois and honor him
16with this resolution; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18presented to Gary Forby with our best wishes for his future
19endeavors.