HR0160 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0160 LRB102 17745 LAW 23848 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate former U.S. Representative Debra Anne "Deb" Haaland on her confirmation as U.S. Secretary of the Interior; and

WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland was born in Winslow, Navajo County, Arizona on December 2, 1960; she graduated from Highland High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1978; she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1994; she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2006; she is a registered member of the Laguna Pueblo; and

WHEREAS, Prior to her appointment, Secretary Haaland held a number of leadership positions; she was a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in 2008; she served as a tribal administrator for the San Felipe Pueblo from 2013 to 2015; she chaired the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017; she was elected as U.S. Representative for New Mexico's 1st Congressional District in 2018, making her one of the first Native American women elected to the House of Representatives; she was reelected in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland was nominated for Secretary of the Interior by President Biden on December 17, 2020; she was confirmed by the Senate on March 15, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland is the first Native American Secretary of the Interior since the department's inception in 1849 and the first Native American cabinet member in U.S. history; and

WHEREAS, Secretary Haaland's nomination is as symbolic as it is historic; she will be responsible for managing the Interior Department, a department once used as a tool of oppression against the Indigenous peoples of the U.S.; her unique background and experience will be an asset to all American citizens; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate former U.S. Representative Debra Anne "Deb" Haaland on her confirmation as U.S. Secretary of the Interior; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Secretary Haaland as an expression of our esteem and respect.