HR1367 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1367 LRB100 24424 MST 43738 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former Illinois State Representative and State Senator Tom Johnson, who passed away on December 3, 2018 at the age of 73; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson was born in California on April 30, 1945 and grew up in South Dakota and Illinois; he was raised in a Christian household, the son of an ordained minister, Wallace Johnson; he graduated from Oak Lawn Community High School in 1963; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson married his sweetheart, Virginia "Ginger" Van Der Molen; they began a life together that produced three sons, Soren, Derek, and Kirk, and grew to include three daughters-in-law and many grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968, which included service in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968; and

WHEREAS, After his military service, Sen. Johnson continued his education; he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan in 1970 and a doctorate of law from DePaul University in 1974; and

WHEREAS, As a young Illinois lawyer, Sen. Johnson joined the office of the DuPage County State's Attorney's office and gained experience as a prosecutor; he co-founded the partnership of Johnson & Westra in 1979; these were boom years in DuPage County, and he developed professional standing and provided for his family; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson entered politics and, in 1992, was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives; after taking office in January of 1993, he specialized in issues of criminal law; he served as chairman of the House Judiciary - Criminal Law Committee in the 89th General Assembly in 1995 and 1996; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure as chairman of this key committee, it moved numerous laws that remain on the statute books of Illinois, including the Sex Offender Registration Act; it pioneered laws to expand victim's rights and create the new offense of criminal streetgang racketeering; and

WHEREAS, One of the foremost achievements of Sen. Johnson's Judiciary Committee was the enactment of a Truth in Sentencing law to better match the public time of a sentence passed upon a defendant at trial with the actual length of time the defendant would actually serve in prison upon his or her final adjudication as a convicted person; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson continued his interest in criminal law after leaving the House of Representatives in 2003; he was appointed to serve on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, where he was able to not only hear from individual prisoners and their guards, but also to investigate operational problems of the Illinois Department of Corrections; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson combined being tough on crime with genuine compassion for those whose lives had gone wrong; he backed the award of good-conduct credits, a program of rewards for good conduct shown by some prisoners, that led to their early release from state prisons; and

WHEREAS, As a lawmaker and advocate, Sen. Johnson was a fighter for the Illinois pioneering system of juvenile justice, which has turned the lives of many troubled young Illinoisans around and given them the chance to set their feet on pathways that move away from lives of crime and despair; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson served not only in the Illinois House of Representatives, but also in the Illinois Senate from 2011 to 2013 as an appointed member following a vacancy; he was thus a member of both houses of the Illinois General Assembly and of the executive branch through his 14-year tenure on the Prisoner Review Board; and

WHEREAS, Sen. Johnson was a member of Wheaton Bible Church; his faith guided many of the policy decisions and advocacy points for which he fought throughout his life; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of former Illinois State Representative and State Senator Tom Johnson and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Virginia "Ginger" Van Der Molen Johnson, the wife of the late Sen. Johnson, and his family.