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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to honor
3 our colleague, State Senator Daniel "Dan" McConchie, on his
4 esteemed service as a member of the Illinois General Assembly
5 and to thank him for his dedication to the State and his
6 community; and
7 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie grew up in rural Indiana as the
8 oldest of four boys, joined the Army National Guard on his 17th
9 birthday, and served for nine years in the infantry and
10 military police while simultaneously going to college in
11 Springfield, Missouri and then to graduate school outside of
12 Chicago; and
13 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie met his future wife, Milena, in
14 Prague, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and together, they
15 raised two daughters; and
16 WHEREAS, Milena's childhood experiences growing up under
17 an authoritarian communist government that put politicians and
18 ideology over people inspired Senator McConchie to pursue a
19 life of public service; and
20 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie worked in the non-profit sector
21 as a public policy expert for 18 years before being asked to
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1 run for elected office and being elected as an Illinois State
2 Senator; and
3 WHEREAS, In 2007, Senator McConchie was in a hit-and-run
4 accident that left him with a spinal cord injury and no use of
5 his legs, resulting in him becoming the first paraplegic to
6 win a state-level office in Illinois when he ran for the
7 Illinois Senate in 2016; and
8 WHEREAS, As a freshman legislator in 2017, Senator
9 McConchie helped lead negotiations resulting in bipartisan
10 legislation to establish a more equitable elementary and
11 secondary education funding formula, and he was integral in
12 creating the successful Invest in Kids scholarship program to
13 give underprivileged children the opportunity to pursue a
14 great education; and
15 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie's colleagues voted to elect him
16 Leader of the Senate Republican Caucus in 2020 with a mandate
17 to streamline operations and implement reforms to enable the
18 caucus to better represent and serve the people of Illinois;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie, believing that the people of
21 Illinois deserved better than the existing status quo,
22 implemented bold and strategic reforms of caucus operations
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1 and provided a strategic vision to guide staff efforts; and
2 WHEREAS, Under Senator McConchie's leadership, caucus
3 staff were expected to collaborate, empowered to challenge
4 decisions, and encouraged to think beyond the status quo; and
5 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie placed significant importance
6 on community engagement and service opportunities, hosting
7 dozens of in-district events for his constituents to have
8 their voices heard, and providing caucus resources for all
9 caucus members to do the same; and
10 WHEREAS, While serving as minority leader, Senator
11 McConchie successfully fought against executive and
12 legislative abuses of power, including government overreach
13 during the COVID-19 pandemic, controversial executive
14 appointments, and gerrymandered legislative and judicial maps;
15 and
16 WHEREAS, During his time as a State Senator, Senator
17 McConchie championed a myriad of issues, including expanded
18 accessibility for the disabled, the right of hospitalized
19 individuals to be with their families, and increased
20 accountability for the unelected Prisoner Review Board; and
21 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie is a bold visionary, who, as
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1 Theodore Roosevelt said, dares greatly, with the courage,
2 creativity, and discipline to turn dreams into reality; and
3 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie is a bold visionary, willing to
4 put into action what others only dream of; and
5 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie has been a tireless public
6 servant, laboring on behalf of the people of the 26 Senate
7 District and the People of Illinois, mindful of the impact of
8 public policy on the working families of this State; and
9 WHEREAS, Senator McConchie plans to continue his public
10 service through advocacy for expanded accessibility for the
11 disabled across the country; therefore, be it
12 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
13 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Dan
14 McConchie for his dedicated service to the people of Illinois
15 and his contributions to the State; and be it further
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