SR1071 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1071 LRB097 23774 GRL 72929 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Since his election in 1990 to the House of Representatives, Illinois State Senator Jeffrey M. Schoenberg has served his constituents and the State of Illinois in the General Assembly, completing 6 terms in the House and 3 terms in the Senate and establishing himself as one of this State's most accomplished legislators; and

WHEREAS, Having served on the Economic and Fiscal Commission for 10 years, Senator Schoenberg was appointed in 2003 to co-chair the Commission, which, in 2004, was given additional responsibilities and renamed the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA); he ably oversaw the bipartisan panel's evaluation of contentious issues, such as tollway privatization, State employee health insurance contracts, State pensions, and proposed facility closures, and ensured that COGFA remained a credible and reasonable voice in policy debates; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg has chaired the House Appropriations I Committee (1995-2002), the House Special Committee on State Procurement (1999-2000), the Senate State Government Committee (2003-2004) and the Senate Appropriations II Committee (2005-2008), and has served as vice-chair or member of numerous other House and Senate committees; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg has become an expert on contracting and procurement issues and, through his legislative efforts to make government more efficient, has saved the State of Illinois and its taxpayers millions of dollars; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg spearheaded the investigation into corruption surrounding the Illinois Toll Highway Authority and secured the enactment of accountability measures, citizen petition recognition, stricter ethics regulations, alignment of purchasing practices with the Illinois Procurement Code, and the open competitive bidding process; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg sponsored multiple components of a comprehensive ethics reform package to reform the State's approach to Freedom of Information Act requests, campaign contribution limits, and elected officials' pay; he also worked to restore public confidence in State government by dismantling the scandal-ridden legacies of 2 corrupt governors' administrations; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg has sought consistently to protect and improve health care in Illinois and was the chief architect of the Illinois Hospital Assessment Plan, which enables the State to leverage federal Medicaid dollars to pay health care providers; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg sponsored and successfully passed legislation requiring State pension funds to divest their holdings in foreign companies that do business with Iran's energy industry, the key source of financing for Iran's nuclear weapons program; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg sponsored legislation establishing a Budget Stabilization or "rainy day" fund to encourage fiscal responsibility in State government; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg supported the Illinois Safe Choice Zones Act, which establishes civil and criminal penalties for interfering with individuals entering or leaving medical facilities, including those that perform abortions; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg has advocated for stricter gun control measures limiting firearm purchases and enabling law enforcement officials to better trace firearm use among juveniles; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg has served as the Democratic Committeeman of Evanston Township, coordinator for Bill Bradley's 2000 presidential campaign, and a delegate to the 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg served as Senate Assistant Majority Leader from 2009 to 2012; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg has received numerous awards in recognition of his legislative accomplishments and commitment to his constituents and sound public policy; these include, most recently, Community Health's Public Service Award, a lifetime achievement award from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, the SHALVA Award for his opposition to domestic abuse, and the Illinois Environmental Council's highest rating for a State Senator; and

WHEREAS, Senator Schoenberg, having dedicated so much of his life to public service, nevertheless counts his family and his faith as his highest priorities and is honored to be the devoted husband of his wife, Lynne Sered, and proud father of his 2 children; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Jeffrey M. Schoenberg for his 22 years of service in the Illinois General Assembly, acknowledging the inestimable value of his institutional knowledge, innovative approaches, deeply-held principals, and boundless energy in pursuit of the public good; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senator Schoenberg as a symbol of our esteem and with our best wishes for his future endeavors.