Full Text of SR1693 98th General Assembly
SR1693 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SR1693 | | LRB098 23492 GRL 62662 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Illinois State Senator Mike Jacobs has | 3 | | represented the citizens of the State of Illinois and the | 4 | | families of the 36th Senate District since 2005; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Mike Jacobs joined the Illinois Senate in | 6 | | May of 2005 as the unanimous choice to fill the vacancy created | 7 | | when his father, Senator Denny Jacobs, stepped down from public | 8 | | office after serving the Quad Cities for 14 years; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs learned the strong values of public | 10 | | service and giving back to his community through the selfless | 11 | | examples provided by his grandmother Caroline "Ma" Jacobs, | 12 | | known for serving plentiful portions of generosity, regardless | 13 | | of a customer's skin color; she is believed to be the first | 14 | | white restaurant owner in Illinois to serve African-Americans | 15 | | at her restaurant, Jake's Cafe; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs was elected to the Illinois Senate | 17 | | by the voters of the 36th Senate District in 2006, 2008, and | 18 | | 2012; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs previously served as the downstate | 20 | | liaison for Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, where he | 21 | | managed driver facilities and operations for 14 counties across |
| | | SR1693 | - 2 - | LRB098 23492 GRL 62662 r |
|
| 1 | | northwest Illinois; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Understanding the importance of job creation to | 3 | | improve the region's economy, Senator Jacobs worked to make | 4 | | sure the Western Illinois University Riverfront Campus became a | 5 | | reality; Senator Jacobs, together with Representative Pat | 6 | | Verschoore, worked to secure $62 million to fund the expansion; | 7 | | and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs worked hard to enhance | 9 | | transportation and economic development opportunities in the | 10 | | Quad Cities area by securing direct flights from the Quad | 11 | | Cities to Washington, DC and by keeping the doors of the Rock | 12 | | Island Arsenal open, thereby securing employment for 7,000 | 13 | | employees at the Arsenal; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs worked diligently to secure $150 | 15 | | million to expand Amtrak service to the Quad Cities, providing | 16 | | a direct connection between the Quad Cities and Chicago, which | 17 | | will benefit the region for years to come; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs saw the Thomson Correctional | 19 | | Center as an economic opportunity for Carroll and Henry | 20 | | Counties and worked with leaders at the federal, State, and | 21 | | local levels to secure the sale of the Thomson Correctional | 22 | | Center to the federal government, which resulted in an influx |
| | | SR1693 | - 3 - | LRB098 23492 GRL 62662 r |
|
| 1 | | of over 2,000 long-term jobs in the 36th Senate District and | 2 | | $165 million in revenue to help balance the State's budget; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs helped secure vital funds for the | 4 | | construction of the newly-opened $40 million KONE Centre | 5 | | development in downtown Moline to create good-paying and stable | 6 | | construction jobs for the residents of the region for years to | 7 | | come; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs has been a strong advocate for job | 9 | | creation throughout his career; he worked to amend the Quad | 10 | | Cities Regional Economic Development Authority Act by | 11 | | extending its geographic area to include Jo Daviess, Carroll, | 12 | | Whiteside, Stephenson, and Lee counties; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, As the Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, | 14 | | Senator Jacobs worked to bring more than a thousand jobs and | 15 | | additional clean energy to Illinois by securing an agreement | 16 | | that required the State to push green energy usage from 3% to | 17 | | 5% and promoting an initiative to support wind turbine and | 18 | | transmission manufacturing that resulted in over 1,450 union | 19 | | jobs and approximately $7 billion worth of investments in | 20 | | innovative wind energy projects; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs was honored by the Illinois | 22 | | Committee of Blind Vendors for securing the passage of the |
| | | SR1693 | - 4 - | LRB098 23492 GRL 62662 r |
|
| 1 | | Blind Vendors Act, which helped to create vending and | 2 | | concession businesses and provide new opportunities for blind | 3 | | women and men in Illinois to allow them to be self-sufficient | 4 | | and self-employed; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Acting to promote the independence of our most | 6 | | vulnerable populations, Senator Jacobs worked to pass a law | 7 | | that requires gas stations to make sure there are easily | 8 | | accessible fueling stations for those with disabilities by | 9 | | requiring gas stations to have a call device that allows | 10 | | motorists with disabilities to request assistance; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, To raise cancer awareness, Senator Jacobs worked | 12 | | to pass "Brandon's Law" to raise awareness of testicular cancer | 13 | | in high school health classes; Brandon Ballard died from | 14 | | testicular cancer at the age of 19, and his parents worked with | 15 | | Senator Jacobs to craft legislation to promote cancer awareness | 16 | | to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs understood the importance of | 18 | | honoring our veterans for the tireless sacrifices they have | 19 | | made for our country; he was recognized by the American Legion | 20 | | Department of Illinois for his commitment to the Veterans | 21 | | Special Programs American National Network; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, To provide the children of the 36th Senate |
| | | SR1693 | - 5 - | LRB098 23492 GRL 62662 r |
|
| 1 | | District with excellent educational opportunities, Senator | 2 | | Jacobs fought to secure funding for Silvis School District 34, | 3 | | securing $11.4 million to construct Northeast Junior High | 4 | | School and renovate the George O. Barr Elementary School; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs understood the long-term benefits | 6 | | of providing children with after-school programs; he worked to | 7 | | secure $600,000 for construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. | 8 | | Park and $88,000 for renovations to the organizations' center | 9 | | to strengthen schools, families, and communities and to create | 10 | | additional outlets for children to thrive; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs received the 2014 YMCA Legislative | 12 | | Hero Award for his work to secure $175,000 in funding for | 13 | | renovations to the Two Rivers YMCA and as a symbol of their | 14 | | gratitude for his years of dedication to the YMCA, local youth | 15 | | and teens, and his community; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs led the passage of a major State | 17 | | construction plan that brought $563 million to northwest | 18 | | Illinois, which has been invested in infrastructure, job | 19 | | creation, future construction, and railroad expansion and has | 20 | | provided hundreds of immediate jobs for area residents; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, To help keep businesses open in the 36th Senate | 22 | | District, Senator Jacobs worked with the Wahl Clipper |
| | | SR1693 | - 6 - | LRB098 23492 GRL 62662 r |
|
| 1 | | Corporation to secure an incentive package to guarantee that | 2 | | the company would be able to keep up with the growing worldwide | 3 | | demand for its products; when Wahl Clipper discussed moving out | 4 | | of the region to meet its growing business needs, Senator | 5 | | Jacobs worked to ensure that the company kept over 1,000 jobs | 6 | | in Sterling and created additional jobs for local residents; | 7 | | and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs is the fourth member of his family | 9 | | to serve in the General Assembly; his great-uncle, Charles | 10 | | Carpentier, was a former Illinois Secretary of State, State | 11 | | Senator, and Mayor of East Moline; his grandfather, Oral "Jake" | 12 | | Jacobs, served in the Illinois House of Representatives, on the | 13 | | Rock Island County Board, and as an East Moline Alderman; most | 14 | | recently, his father Denny Jacobs served as Mayor of East | 15 | | Moline and as a State Senator; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs is an advocate for labor unions and | 17 | | working families throughout the State and is a former member of | 18 | | 3 Quad City area unions: American Federation of State, County | 19 | | and Municipal Employees Local 2025; United Automobile Workers | 20 | | Local 1304; and Laborers' Local Union 309; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs' commitment to his district and its | 22 | | communities is demonstrated by the excellent job he has done as | 23 | | a State Senator and by the recognition he has received from |
| | | SR1693 | - 7 - | LRB098 23492 GRL 62662 r |
|
| 1 | | numerous groups and organizations, including the Illinois Farm | 2 | | Bureau ACTIVATOR, the Readers' Choice Award in recognition of | 3 | | Best Local Politician, the Downstate Democrat Bald Eagle Award, | 4 | | the Illinois Committee of Blind Vendors' Randolph Sheppard | 5 | | Advocate Award, the Illinois Association of Regional | 6 | | Superintendents of Schools' recognition of Outstanding Service | 7 | | to the schools of the State of Illinois in 2006 and 2011, the | 8 | | Illinois Public Transportation Association's Legislator of the | 9 | | Year Award, and the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois' | 10 | | Legislative Award for Outstanding Leadership; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Senator Jacobs is the father of his loving son, | 12 | | Elliott, and the son of Mary Ellen and Denny Jacobs; he will be | 13 | | deeply missed by all in this chamber; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | 15 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank State Senator | 16 | | Mike Jacobs for his dedicated service to the people of Illinois | 17 | | and honor him with this resolution; and be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | presented to Senator Jacobs with our best wishes for his future | 20 | | endeavors.
|
|