HR0591 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Elaine Nekritz on the
4occasion of her retirement as State Representative for the 57th
5Legislative District; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz was elected to the House of
7Representatives in 2002 and began serving in 2003; she has
8served as an Assistant Majority Leader since the 98th General
9Assembly, and currently serves as Chair of the House Campaign
10Finance Subcommittee; she also served as Chair of the House
11Personnel and Pensions Committee for the 97th, 98th, and 99th
12General Assemblies, Chair of the House Judiciary-Civil Law
13Committee for the 97th, 98th, and 99th General Assemblies, and
14Chair of the House Special Investigating Committee for the 97th
15General Assembly; she was also a member of the Commission on
16Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA); and
 
17    WHEREAS, During her time in office, Rep. Nekritz has worked
18on significant legislation in the areas of criminal justice
19reform, the environment, civil liberties, consumer protection,
20and government reform; throughout her time in the House of
21Representatives, she has helped mentor new members and
22advocated for better processes and rules; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz's other legislative activities
2include serving as Executive Committee Member of the Council of
3State Governments Midwest Legislative Conference, Chair of the
4Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission, Chair of the
5Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development,
6member of the Council of State Governments Legal Task Force,
7and fundraising Chair and Co-Chair for the Conference of Women
8Legislators; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz has been recognized numerous times
10for her exemplary service; she received the Criminal Justice
11Leadership Award from the John Howard Association of Illinois
12in 2014, the Environmental Leadership Award from the Illinois
13Environmental Council in 2015, the Dawn Clark Netsch "Straight
14Talk" Award from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform in
152016, and the Richard J. Phelan Profile in Courage Award from
16Planned Parenthood in 2017; the Northwest Suburban Sierra Club
17named her Legislator of the Year, and in 2014, Chicago Magazine
18listed her as #93 on the "100 Most Powerful Chicagoans"; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz's volunteer activities include
20serving as a board member of the Illinois Women's Institute for
21Leadership, Chair of the Village of Northbrook Community
22Relations Commission, member of the Committee on State Public
23Affairs of the National Council of Jewish Women, board member
24of American Bicycle Racing, and officer of the Illinois Cycling

 

 

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1Association; and
 
2    WHEREAS, From October of 1982 to August of 1991, Rep.
3Nekritz worked for Altheimer & Gray in Chicago, where she was
4named partner in 1989; she worked for Alberto's Cycles in
5Winnetka from the spring of 1992 to the fall of 1995; from the
6spring of 1997 to the fall of 2001, she worked as a legislative
7aide for State Rep. Jeff Schoenberg; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz was born and raised in Wichita,
9Kansas and has a brother, John (Melanie) Hodges, and two
10sisters, Alice (Scott) Skultety and Anne (Tom) Silvers; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 1979, Rep. Nekritz graduated magna cum laude
12with a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity University in San Antonio,
13Texas, where she was awarded Phi Beta Kappa; in 1982, she
14graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor from the University of
15Michigan Law School; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz is married to Barry Nekritz and has
17two stepsons, Ed (Wendy) and Mike (Diane), and four
18grandchildren, Jessica, Matthew, Alyssa, and Erica; her
19stepdaughter, Felicia, passed away from breast cancer in 1998;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz was a talented gymnast and competed

 

 

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1in the 1976 Olympic Trials; in 1996, she competed in the
2Olympic Trials for track cycling; she continues to stay active
3and rides bikes when she can, including using Divvy bikes when
4she works in downtown Chicago; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz enjoys cross country skiing during
6the winter months on the golf course near her home in
7Northbrook; her taste in books often overlap with her interest
8in government - biographies, political science, and public
9policy; she and Barry enjoy traveling, especially European
10cruises; they also are avid theatergoers with season tickets to
11the Chicago Shakespeare Theater; they are both avid fans of the
12Chicago Bears and hold season tickets; she is very fond of a
13good single malt scotch; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Rep. Nekritz has always been passionate about
15environmental issues; on her past two cars, she has limited
16herself to buying union-made American hybrids; her mother
17inspired her attitude to the environment by being an early
18adopter of recycling and other habits that are commonplace now
19but were radical in 1960s and 1970s Kansas; these habits
20remained with her and even now one can often see her stoop to
21pick up a scrap of paper or trash that has been left behind in
22the Capitol; therefore, be it
 
23    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE

 

 

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1HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
2congratulate Elaine Nekritz on her retirement as State
3Representative for the 57th Legislative District, and we wish
4her the best in all her future endeavors; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6presented to Rep. Nekritz as a symbol of our respect and
7esteem.