Full Text of HR0312 103rd General Assembly
HR0312 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Martin "Marty" Matthews | 4 | | on his retirement from full-time employment as Director of | 5 | | Government Affairs with Merck & Company, Inc. and to commend | 6 | | him for his unwavering commitment to improving the health of | 7 | | residents of Illinois; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews is a native of Pittsburg, | 9 | | Pennsylvania, where he attended Schenley High School; he | 10 | | earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology, Chemistry, and | 11 | | Psychology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where | 12 | | he was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, In 1989, Martin Matthews commenced his | 14 | | professional career with Merck & Company, Inc. as a | 15 | | professional sales representative, focusing on cardiovascular, | 16 | | osteoarthritis, Parkinson's, and ophthalmic diseases and | 17 | | pharmaceuticals to treat and manage the health of the | 18 | | afflicted; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews was subsequently promoted to | 20 | | serve as Merck & Company's national coordinator for health | 21 | | education from 1991 to 1992, where he managed a $23 million | 22 | | dollar health education budget for cardiovascular marketing |
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| 1 | | teams; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews then transitioned to a new role | 3 | | in 1992 as sales training manager for new representatives in | 4 | | the Ohio and Seattle regions, serving an even greater | 5 | | responsibility within Merck & Company; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews assumed the key position of | 7 | | Director of Government Affairs for Merck & Company in 1993, | 8 | | becoming responsible for all legislative and regulatory issues | 9 | | affecting the company in the states of Illinois, Indiana, | 10 | | Iowa, and South Dakota; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, From 1993 to 2023, Martin Matthews was a member | 12 | | of the Illinois PhRMA Task Force, sharing his insights with | 13 | | association members and leadership on Medicaid, Medicare, and | 14 | | health care reform legislation being considered for enactment | 15 | | by the Illinois General Assembly; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews also served on several | 17 | | professional bodies, including the Illinois Chamber Health | 18 | | Care Council, the Illinois Hepatitis C Task Force, the | 19 | | Illinois Diabetes Policy Coalition as legislative chairman, | 20 | | and the Illinois Diabetes Caucus Foundation Board; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews developed an expertise on a |
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| 1 | | multitude of key Merck & Company policy issues, from varicella | 2 | | and human papillomavirus (HPV)
vaccines to diabetes drug | 3 | | access; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, During his service as Director of Government | 5 | | Affairs for Merck & Company, Martin Matthews has received | 6 | | numerous professional corporate recognitions, including the | 7 | | Masters Club Distinguished Service Award in 1998, the Vice | 8 | | President's Distinguished Service Award in 2002, the Merck | 9 | | Special Achievement Award in both 2001 and 2002, the Merck | 10 | | Masters Club Award in 2008, 2011, and 2013, and installation | 11 | | in the Hall of Fame, as well as numerous Awards of Excellence | 12 | | from Merck Sales, the Vaccine Division, and the Merck Schering | 13 | | Plough Joint Venture; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure, Martin Matthews has worked | 15 | | in a bipartisan manner to advocate for the passage of over 200 | 16 | | pieces of legislation designed to improve healthcare and | 17 | | access to affordable drugs and vaccines for Illinoisans; his | 18 | | greatest legislative accomplishment occurred in 2002, when he | 19 | | provided testimony and guidance to Illinois lawmakers and the | 20 | | State Board of Public Health on treatment options for the | 21 | | eradication of chicken pox, also known as the varicella-zoster | 22 | | virus, among Illinois school children, leading to the | 23 | | implementation of a groundbreaking law; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews is the longest tenured Director | 2 | | of Government Affairs for Merck & Company in Illinois history, | 3 | | with a career spanning 30-plus years of service; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Martin Matthews is the husband of Timoli, the son | 5 | | of Lela Matthews, and the father of Aja, Lela, and Mariah; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In retirement, Martin Matthews looks forward to | 7 | | spending more time with his family and to perfecting his golf | 8 | | game and grilling skills with friends and colleagues; | 9 | | therefore, be it
| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 11 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 12 | | we congratulate Martin "Marty" Matthews on his retirement from | 13 | | full-time employment as Director of Government Relations at | 14 | | Merck & Company, and we commend him on his many years of | 15 | | service on behalf of patients in the State of Illinois and | 16 | | beyond; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented Martin Matthews as a symbol of our esteem and | 19 | | respect.
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