HR0474 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0474 LRB100 13034 MST 27337 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Monique D. Davis on the occasion of her retirement as State Representative for the 27th District; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Davis was born and raised on the south side of Chicago; she earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education and her master's degree in guidance and supervision from Chicago State University; she earned graduate hours in administration supervision and special education and credits toward her doctoral degree in administration supervision from Roosevelt University; she taught for 18 years in the Chicago Public School system and then served as an administrator for the Chicago Board of Education and as a training specialist for the City Colleges of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Davis entered politics as a volunteer, working on campaigns for Monica Faith Stewart, Congressman Gus Savage, and Harold Washington; in 1983, she coordinated the 21st Ward for Harold Washington and the Second Congressional District for him in 1987; she was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1987 and has served 15 terms; she has received many awards and acknowledgements; in 1990, she received the Dollars and Sense award for legislative excellence as one of the 100 best and brightest professionals in the country; she was listed in Who's Who in African American Biography from 1988 to 1993; she is currently among The History Makers archive in the Library of Congress; she is a champion of educational programs throughout the State of Illinois; her district began on the south side of Chicago and she has maintained her constituent services office there for nearly 30 years; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, Rep. Davis sponsored legislation, which forced insurance companies that do business in Illinois to publish all records on the historical insuring of slaves as property; she co-sponsored two bills in 2003 with Illinois Senator Barack Obama; the first mandated that all police interrogations on homicide investigations be recorded; the second, required police in Illinois to record the race of all people subjected to traffic stops to prevent racial profiling; in 2004, she sponsored a bill to limit low-income household electricity or natural gas bills to no more than 6% of the household income; she later passed legislation that allowed individual public schools in Illinois to decide if their students should wear uniforms; in 2014, she co-sponsored legislation requiring training for law enforcement officers use of Tasers; and

WHEREAS, Rep. Davis has served on numerous committees including, Insurance (Chairperson); Financial Institutions; Elementary & Secondary Education (Vice-Chairperson); State Government Administration; Appropriations - General Service (Chairperson); Gaming; Juvenile Justice Reform; Appropriations - Higher Education; Disparities in Educational Achievement; Special Investigative Committee; Community College Access & Affordability; Museum, Arts & Cultural Enhancements; and Restorative Justice; she also co-chaired the Commission to End Disparities Facing the African American Community (2011 to 2013); and

WHEREAS, Rep. Davis is a member of Trinity United Church of Christ, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the NAACP, and Operation PUSH; she is a mother of two, Robert Davis and Monique "Twinkle" (Julius) Conway; grandmother of four, Jules (Alonya) Conway, Yaasiel (Sunserai) Davis, Akinjobi (Toni) Davis, and D'Javan Conway; and great-grandmother of seven, Samara Davis, Symone Conway, Asar Davis, Layla Conway, Dior Davis, Mila Conway, and Quari Davis; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Monique D. Davis on her retirement as State Representative for the 27th District, and we wish her the best in all her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rep. Davis as a symbol of our respect and esteem.