HR1561 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1561 LRB096 24354 KXB 43929 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to recognize State Representative Elizabeth Coulson for her outstanding service and hard work on behalf of the people of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Representative Coulson was first elected in 1997 to serve the people of the 57th District; after the 2001 remap of the State, Representative Coulson was asked by the people of the new 17th district to represent them in the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, She has received numerous awards during her years of service, including being named the Healthcare Council of Illinois' Legislator of the Year, the Action For Children, Ounce of Prevention and Voices for Illinois Children's Early Learning Leader Award, the Legislative Advocacy Award from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, and the 100 Percent Voting Record Award from the Illinois Environmental Council; and

WHEREAS, Perhaps her greatest achievement was to save 64 babies to date by creating the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act (often referred to as The Safe Haven Law, this Act has allowed mothers to leave infants up to 30 days old at safe places such as police stations, fire departments, and hospitals without fear of criminal action); this successful and carefully written legislation has led other states to follow suit; and

WHEREAS, Representative Coulson has been a champion for Ethics and Government Reform by sponsoring legislation to strengthen the Gift Ban Act, prohibit the appearance of public officials in public service announcements 60 days prior to the election, educate government employees on ethics provisions, and stop the revolving door of government employees into private insurance; and

WHEREAS, Representative Coulson sponsored several important legislative proposals to reform State government, including a prohibition on gubernatorial appointees and State department heads from soliciting contributions for a sitting governor, and mandating individuals who lobby members of a State board or commission to be registered under the Lobbyist Registration Act; and

WHEREAS, Representative Coulson also took the lead in sponsoring a package of bills that would amend State laws to provide prosecutors and investigators with many of the same tools available to federal authorities in the investigation and prosecution of public corruption cases; and

WHEREAS, She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education; she holds a Master's of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management; she is also a licensed Physical Therapist with a degree from Northwestern University Medical School and was a Professor and Department Chair at Chicago Medical School from 1981-2002; she is married to William Coulson; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Representative Elizabeth Coulson on her retirement from the Illinois House of Representatives and wish her the best in her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to State Representative Elizabeth Coulson as a symbol of respect and esteem.