SR1567 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1567 LRB101 23185 LAW 74325 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of former State Senator Mary Margaret "Maggie" Crotty, who passed away on November 5, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was born in Chicago and graduated from Mercy High School; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty began her career in public service as a member of the District 145 school board in 1978 and served as board president from 1986 to 1993; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty served as a development coordinator in the Cook County Region for Infinite Southwest and the Southwest Cook County Cooperative for Special Education; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty continued serving her community on the District 228 Strategic Planning Committee and the Educational Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty began her legislative career as a State Representative and served from 1996 to 2002; she focused on education issues, senior advocacy, and consumer protections; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty sought and won election to the Illinois State Senate in 2002 and served until 2013, where she made it her mission to continue to help children, seniors, and families; and

WHEREAS, During her tenure in the General Assembly, Senator Crotty fought to maintain and improve critical State services, including human services and public safety, with an emphasis on seniors and Illinois veterans; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty demonstrated that education was the top priority of her legislative agenda by sponsoring initiatives to boost the State's share of education funding and to allow Illinois residents to rehabilitate their defaulted student loans; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty passed the Silver Alert system in Illinois that permits law enforcement to provide alerts for missing or abducted seniors and disabled persons, similar to the Amber Alert for children; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty waged a successful battle to close the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education, which was reckoning with allegations of corruption; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was always a vocal proponent of health and human services; she served as a lead advocate in requiring insurance companies to cover treatment for children with congenital or genetic disorders and increased the State's understanding of children with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty served on and led numerous committees in the General Assembly, including serving as chairperson of the Elections Committee, as vice-chairperson of the Local Government Committee, and as co-chairperson for the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules; she also served as a member of the Higher Education Committee, the Labor Committee, the Revenue Committee, the Joint Commission on Government Reform, the Executive Committee, the Executive Appointments Committee, the State Government and Veteran Affairs Committee, the Environment Committee, the Health & Human Services Committee, and the Licensed Activities Committee; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty also worked with many local organizations to improve the quality of life for the region and its citizens, including membership in many Chambers of Commerce and Kiwanis Clubs and as a member of the Oak Forest Civil Service Commission; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was the recipient of many awards for outstanding service to her community and the citizens of Illinois, including the Theresa Roedl Memorial Award for Volunteerism in 1988, the Outstanding Freshman Legislator of the Year for the Illinois Health Care Association in 1997, and numerous other awards from organizations across the State; and

WHEREAS, Senator Crotty was a dedicated, committed public servant and an even better person; she might have appeared as a nice, sweet grandmother, treating strangers as if they had been friends for years, but she was a skilled politician who had an instinct like no other; she worked tirelessly to help lift others, from local service agencies serving the homeless to senior citizens; her legacy and accomplishments, as well as warm memories of her positive attitude and endless energy, will last; and

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois State Senate appreciate everything former State Senator Maggie Crotty accomplished for the 19th Senate District, the Southland, and the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of former State Senator Mary Margaret "Maggie" Crotty and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Senator Crotty as an expression of our deepest sympathy.