SR2217 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2217 LRB100 24330 ALS 43634 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, State Senator Tom Rooney has represented the citizens of the 27th Senate District since September 2016; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney has displayed his continued commitment to civic service, having first served on the Rolling Meadows City Council, then as alderman, and later as mayor of the City of Rolling Meadows; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney demonstrated his passion for education by teaching economics and history at West Leyden High School for over 20 years; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney first served his nation in the United States Marine Corps Reserve; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney joined the General Assembly by filling the vacancy created by the late Senator Matt Murphy's retirement; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney first took to the Senate floor as part of the YMCA Youth and Government program, serving as Governor in 1986 during their model government experience; he has continued to support and encourage the growth of the YMCA program; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney worked as a page in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1985 and again in the House Minority Leadership Office in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney is the only senator in recent memory to have debated a bill from atop a step stool; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney has been a proud member of the unofficial "On-time Caucus"; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney served as the Minority Spokesperson on the Senate Higher Education Committee; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney served on the Higher Education Working Group, working with lawmakers to develop a series of legislative initiatives to strengthen the colleges and universities in Illinois, making them more attractive and affordable for students across the state for many years to come; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney has served with enthusiasm, passion, and respect for the office; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney always acted in the interest of the 27th District and in service to his constituents; and

WHEREAS, Senator Rooney will return to Rolling Meadows, where he will remain active in the community and in the classroom and continue to relate principles of economics to the fiscal future of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Tom Rooney for his dedicated service to the people of Illinois and honor him with this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senator Rooney as an expression of our esteem, respect, and best wishes for his future endeavors.