HR0135 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0135 LRB098 11231 MST 42177 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois wish to honor Nancy Shier on the occasion of her retirement as vice-president of Illinois Policy for the Ounce of Prevention Fund; and

WHEREAS, The Ounce of Prevention Fund was established in 1982 to champion the healthy development of low-income young children and their families; Nancy Shier has been a part of the Ounce of Prevention Fund's policy division since 1987 and its leader since 1989; she is the principal strategist in the areas of Illinois policy and governmental relations and spearheads the agency's legislative and administrative advocacy activities; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Shier previously worked with the Illinois General Assembly to champion workers and women's rights; and

WHEREAS, Over the years Nancy Shier has been a leading advocate for programs that strengthen the growth and development of very young children, including education, health care, child care, mental health, child abuse prevention, welfare reform, and professional development of the early childhood workforce; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Shier has been a leader in efforts to expand access to healthcare for low-income and undocumented pregnant women, to improve access to and the quality of early childhood educational programs, and child care services for low-income children; and

WHEREAS, In Nancy's years of service, due to her effort and those of her allies, policies and funding to support the healthy development of young children and families have improved dramatically; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Shier has been the leading voice on behalf of at-risk infants and toddlers; she was instrumental in the creation of innovative services for those children, including the Healthy Families home visiting program and the creation of the landmark Birth-to-Three set-aside in the Early Childhood Block grant; she has made Illinois the first state in the country to invest in and grow services for infants and toddlers parallel with the growth of services and investments for preschool children; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Shier has served on countless boards and advisory bodies, including the State's Human Services Commission, the Child Care Advisory Board, and the board of the Midwest Academy; and

WHEREAS, Nancy Shier's reach and influence will continue to inspire for years to come as she has mentored numerous early childhood professionals who themselves will continue to inspire; and

WHEREAS, That Nancy Shier is a tenacious advocate for young children; her influence has improved the lot of young children in Illinois and across the country; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Nancy Shier on her retirement and thank her for the years of service to the citizens of Illinois and the country; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Nancy Shier as an expression of our esteem and gratitude for over a quarter century's work on behalf of women, children, and families.