Full Text of SR2152 100th General Assembly
SR2152 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SR2152 | | LRB100 24161 ALS 43317 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Fifty years ago, Bill Haine, a recent graduate | 3 | | from St. Louis University, enlisted in the United States Army | 4 | | and went to war in Vietnam, where he was a member of the 1st | 5 | | Cavalry Division Airmobile from 1967 until 1969; enlisting was | 6 | | the first step in a lifetime of distinguished public service | 7 | | that also includes a Bronze Star for combat services, election | 8 | | to the Madison County Board, 14 years as Madison County State's | 9 | | Attorney, and service in the Illinois Senate since 2002; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In 2017, Senator Haine announced that this would | 11 | | be his final term in the Illinois Senate, where he has loyally | 12 | | represented the 56th Senate District, which includes the | 13 | | communities of Caseyville, East Alton, Edwardsville, Granite | 14 | | City, Wood River, and his beloved hometown of Alton; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine has battled multiple myeloma, a form | 16 | | of blood cancer, and treatments kept him away from the Capitol | 17 | | for most of the 2017 legislative session; however, he returned | 18 | | to cast the deciding votes on a balanced budget, which ended | 19 | | the state's two-year financial impasse, and the Senate's | 20 | | override of the governor's veto of a historic school funding | 21 | | overhaul; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine is a true historian, who often |
| | | SR2152 | - 2 - | LRB100 24161 ALS 43317 r |
|
| 1 | | sprinkles legislative debates with rhetorical lessons and | 2 | | anecdotes from the works of Roman emperors, a litany of popes | 3 | | spanning civilized history, and the founding fathers; he has | 4 | | long been an advocate for the genius of American democracy and | 5 | | for what James Madison described as the ordered liberty of the | 6 | | legislative process as a constitutional foil to the corrupting | 7 | | evils of demagoguery and mob rule; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine's tenure in Springfield has been | 9 | | marked by practical politics rather than political agendas; at | 10 | | times, his focus has been big; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine was the legislative architect of a | 12 | | sweeping plan to modernize the levee system in the Metro East | 13 | | region, an effort that has helped protect homes and businesses | 14 | | from flood damage in recent years; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine helped win state investment in | 16 | | maintaining and expanding the growing Edwardsville campus of | 17 | | Southern Illinois University and other key infrastructures, | 18 | | including I-255; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine worked to keep the Wood River | 20 | | Refinery expansion on track and similarly led successful | 21 | | efforts to approve a Constitutional Amendment protecting the | 22 | | State's Road Fund from being raided for |
| | | SR2152 | - 3 - | LRB100 24161 ALS 43317 r |
|
| 1 | | non-transportation-related spending; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine drew upon his distinguished, | 3 | | award-winning law enforcement background from his time as | 4 | | Madison County State's Attorney to sponsor, negotiate, and win | 5 | | approval of the state's medical marijuana law that balanced | 6 | | compassionate use with stringent standards and regulations; | 7 | | and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, At the same time, Senator Haine kept an eye out | 9 | | for injustice at any level; in response to media reports of | 10 | | motorists being forced to pay outrageous fees to have towed | 11 | | vehicles released from impound lots, he sponsored and passed | 12 | | consumer protections limiting those charges and ending abuse; | 13 | | and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, To protect jobs at the US Steel plant in Granite | 15 | | City, Senator Haine rallied the Illinois Senate to protest | 16 | | China's dumping of low quality, cheap steel into the U.S. | 17 | | market; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Despite Senator Haine's many awards and | 19 | | accomplishments, he considers the crowning achievement of his | 20 | | life to be his marriage to his wife, Anna, whom he met in | 21 | | college, and the family they have built together; and
|
| | | SR2152 | - 4 - | LRB100 24161 ALS 43317 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine and Anna have seven children, | 2 | | Cecilia, Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, Alice, Thomas, and Joseph; | 3 | | at the time of this reading, they have 33 grandchildren, | 4 | | Alexander, Madeleine, Eleanor, Gabriel, Xavier, Leo, Helen, | 5 | | Emil, Karol, Mary, William, Margaret, Judith Anna, Rosaria, | 6 | | James, Stella, Faith, Edward, John, Peter, Agnes, Joseph, Jude, | 7 | | Mercea, Anna, Mary, James, Lucia, Peter, Cecilia, Anselm, | 8 | | Joseph, and Gabriel; they have one great-grandchild, Julian; | 9 | | and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Senator Haine's future plans include spending | 11 | | time with all of them; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Bill | 14 | | Haine for his dedicated service to the people of Illinois and | 15 | | honor him with this resolution; and be it further
| 16 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 17 | | presented to Senator Haine as an expression of our esteem and | 18 | | respect, and we send our best wishes as he sets forth on his | 19 | | next adventure.
|
|