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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
3Representatives are pleased to honor our former colleague, 
4State Representative Charles "Chuck" Jefferson, on  his service 
5of more than 13 years in the Illinois House of Representatives 
6and thank him for his dedication to the State and the Rockford 
7community; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, Rep. Jefferson was born in 1945 in Waco, Texas and 
9served honorably in the United States Army from 1965 to 1971; 
10and
  
 
11    WHEREAS, In 1967, Rep. Jefferson married his late wife, 
12Genell, and they raised 3 sons, Carl Edward, Curtis Lamar, and 
13Charles, Jr., in Rockford; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Prior to becoming a member of the Illinois House 
15of Representatives, Rep. Jefferson served as a member of the 
16Winnebago County Board, sitting on the Economic Development, 
17Zoning, Forest Preserve, and Legislative committees and 
18chairing the Public Works Committee; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Rep. Jefferson began his service in the General 
20Assembly with his appointment to the Illinois House of 
21Representatives in April of 2001 following the retirement of 
 
 
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1former State Rep. Doug Scott; Rep. Jefferson retired as an 
2Assistant House Majority Leader; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Rep. Jefferson was a strong advocate for his 
4community; he worked to ensure that a new judicial circuit was 
5created to increase minority representation on the bench; he 
6brought capital construction projects to his district to create 
7local jobs and repair Rockford's infrastructure and roadways, 
8and he spearheaded a  funding project to provide passenger rail 
9service between Rockford and Chicago; he tirelessly advocated 
10for the rights of veterans and seniors, and he was always 
11fighting to ensure that Rockford schools and seniors received 
12their fair share; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Rep. Jefferson was an unrelenting activist for the 
14public safety of Rockford, supporting several initiatives to 
15crack down on gang violence and fighting to protect Rockford's 
16CeaseFire program and the Booker Washington Center; and
  
 
17    WHEREAS, Maintaining a close relationship with the 
18community was always Rep. Jefferson's first priority; he 
19provided a professional and responsive constituent service 
20office to help residents navigate through government programs; 
21he hosted his annual Mother's Day Luncheon as a tribute to 
22local mothers, and he raised money for local food pantries; and
  
 
 
 
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1    WHEREAS, Rep. Jefferson  was known throughout the Rockford 
2area and the Illinois  House of Representatives for his warm and 
3approachable nature, his wisdom and genuine understanding, and 
4his care for the concerns of Illinois and his community; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, Those who served with Rep. Jefferson will dearly 
6miss his kind and unwavering friendship, his guidance, and his 
7dedicated and sincere spirit for public service that he brought 
8to the chamber; therefore, be it
  
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
10NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
11we honor and thank State Representative Charles "Chuck" 
12Jefferson for his years of dedicated service; and be it further
  
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
14presented to Rep. Jefferson as an expression of our respect and 
15esteem with our best wishes for his future success.