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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Honorable Monique D. Davis retired as the |
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| 6 | 7 | | representative for Illinois House District 27 on January 6, 2017, |
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| 7 | 8 | | drawing to a close an outstanding career in state government that |
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| 8 | 9 | | spanned nearly three decades; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, A native of Chicago, Monique Davis graduated from |
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| 10 | 11 | | Calumet High School and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees |
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| 11 | 12 | | from Chicago State University; she went on to teach in the city's |
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| 12 | 13 | | public school system for 18 years before becoming an administrator; |
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| 13 | 14 | | her engagement with politics began with her work on the campaigns of |
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| 14 | 15 | | U.S. Representative Gus Savage and Chicago mayor Harold Washington, |
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| 15 | 16 | | and in 1986, she was elected to represent the South Side of Chicago |
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| 16 | 17 | | in the Illinois House; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Over the course of her exemplary 29-year tenure as a |
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| 18 | 19 | | state legislator, Representative Davis gained a reputation as a |
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| 19 | 20 | | tireless advocate for education through her efforts to increase |
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| 20 | 21 | | funding for schools, support local libraries, and improve the |
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| 21 | 22 | | infrastructure at Chicago State University, and she led the charge |
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| 22 | 23 | | in addressing the HIV crisis plaguing the African American |
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| 23 | 24 | | community; she also served on the Public Utilities, Elementary and |
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| 24 | 25 | | Secondary Education, Juvenile Justice Reform, and State Government |
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| 25 | 26 | | Administration Committees, among many others; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, In 2003, Representative Davis sponsored a bill |
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| 27 | 28 | | requiring insurance companies in Illinois to publish all their |
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| 28 | 29 | | records from the 19th century pertaining to slaves, making a wealth |
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| 29 | 30 | | of genealogical information available to African American |
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| 30 | 31 | | families; that same year, she and then-State Senator Barack Obama |
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| 31 | 32 | | cosponsored legislation mandating that all interrogations for |
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| 32 | 33 | | homicide investigations be videotaped and that the race of all |
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| 33 | 34 | | people stopped for traffic violations be recorded in order to help |
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| 34 | 35 | | prevent racial profiling; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, Strong in her faith, Representative Davis is a |
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| 36 | 37 | | member of Trinity United Church of Christ; retirement will allow |
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| 37 | 38 | | her to spend more time with her treasured family, which includes her |
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| 38 | 39 | | two children, Robert and Monique; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, Through her dedication, hard work, and commitment to |
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| 40 | 41 | | public service, Representative Monique Davis has greatly benefited |
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| 41 | 42 | | the people of Illinois and earned the respect and admiration of her |
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| 42 | 43 | | fellow legislators, and she may indeed reflect with pride on her |
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| 43 | 44 | | record of achievement as an elected official; now, therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 45 | 46 | | Legislature hereby commend the Honorable Monique D. Davis for her |
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| 46 | 47 | | outstanding service as a member of the Illinois Legislature and |
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| 47 | 48 | | extend to her sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 48 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 49 | 50 | | prepared for Ms. Davis as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 50 | 51 | | House of Representatives. |
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