Bill Text: IL HR0016 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Francis N. "Frank" Kopel.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-01-28 - Resolution Adopted [HR0016 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HR0016-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the passing of a | ||||||
4 | respected former State employee, Francis N. "Frank" Kopel, on | ||||||
5 | November 30, 2014; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel was born on May 28, 1949 in Moline; | ||||||
7 | and
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8 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel graduated from United Township High | ||||||
9 | School in 1967; he subsequently studied Political Science at | ||||||
10 | Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he earned his | ||||||
11 | Bachelor of Arts degree in Government in 1971 and Master of | ||||||
12 | Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in | ||||||
13 | International Law in 1976; he later continued his formal | ||||||
14 | education at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, | ||||||
15 | earning a Master of Arts degree in Urban Politics in 1978 and | ||||||
16 | completing Ph.D. coursework related to municipal finance; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel began his public service as a | ||||||
18 | caseworker with the Cook County Department of Public Aid in | ||||||
19 | Chicago in 1972; in 1979, he began working as a research | ||||||
20 | analyst for the United States House of Representatives' | ||||||
21 | Committee on House Administration in Washington, D.C.; later | ||||||
22 | that year, he began his long career with the Illinois |
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1 | Department of Public Aid (now the Illinois Department of | ||||||
2 | Healthcare and Family Services) as an Assistant Manager of the | ||||||
3 | Bureau of Planning and Evaluation; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Over the years, Francis Kopel took on added | ||||||
5 | responsibility in the Department of Public Aid's Divisions of | ||||||
6 | Medical Programs and Finance; he was selected to be Deputy | ||||||
7 | Administrator of Medical Programs in 2009 and Administrator of | ||||||
8 | the Division of Finance in 2011; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel's tenure at the Department spanned | ||||||
10 | the administrations of several Governors, including Daniel | ||||||
11 | Walker, James Thompson, Jim Edgar, George Ryan, Rod | ||||||
12 | Blagojevich, and Pat Quinn, as well as many agency Directors, | ||||||
13 | including Jeffrey C. Miller, Carl Mankowicz, Gregory Coler, | ||||||
14 | Michael Taylor, Edward Duffy, Kathleen Briedert-Kustra, Susan | ||||||
15 | Suter, Phillip Bradley, Robert W. Wright, Linda Renee Baker, | ||||||
16 | Joan Walters, Theron Aslaksen, Ann Patla, Jackie Garner, A. | ||||||
17 | George Hovanec, Barry S. Maram, and Julie Hamos; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel assisted in the development and | ||||||
19 | implementation of major welfare reform initiatives, including | ||||||
20 | the landmark 2012 Save Medicaid Access and Resources Together | ||||||
21 | Act and nursing home and hospital reimbursement methodologies | ||||||
22 | that were critical to Illinois being able to provide services | ||||||
23 | efficiently and effectively to millions of children, adults, |
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1 | seniors, and persons with disabilities; he also aided in the | ||||||
2 | development of provider assessment programs that have brought | ||||||
3 | additional billions of dollars and additional resources for the | ||||||
4 | State's Medicaid Program; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel was a Bureau Chief responsible for | ||||||
6 | reimbursement and analysis for many years; he taught and | ||||||
7 | mentored many employees in federal financing, local government | ||||||
8 | Medicaid financing, intergovernmental agreements, rate | ||||||
9 | methodologies, and other intricacies of the Medicaid program; | ||||||
10 | and
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11 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel will be remembered by his colleagues | ||||||
12 | at the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services and | ||||||
13 | within the administrations of many Governors as an intelligent, | ||||||
14 | caring, skillful, and thoughtful analyst, administrator, | ||||||
15 | supervisor, and friend whose input was always valued; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel's colleagues report that one of his | ||||||
17 | greatest strengths was his ability to make sense of computer | ||||||
18 | systems that were used for eligibility determination and | ||||||
19 | benefits processing, to the extent that he could understand | ||||||
20 | those systems and write the computer programs that made it | ||||||
21 | possible for him to independently retrieve data from the | ||||||
22 | systems quickly and provide top agency administrators more | ||||||
23 | immediate access to data they needed for program and policy |
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1 | planning; he could then pass on that knowledge and skill to | ||||||
2 | other employees and colleagues; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel loved a challenge to think | ||||||
4 | creatively and take on big problems, including a 1987 original | ||||||
5 | proposal for comprehensive national welfare reform; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel's creativity, ability, and | ||||||
7 | dedication to public service also contributed to his effective | ||||||
8 | consultation and collaboration with others outside of the | ||||||
9 | Department, including social and medical service organizations | ||||||
10 | and the Illinois General Assembly; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Upon his retirement on December 31, 2012, Francis | ||||||
12 | Kopel's record of public service and accomplishments were | ||||||
13 | recognized by Governor Pat Quinn in a special Proclamation | ||||||
14 | issued on December 13, 2012; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel was preceded in death by his father, | ||||||
16 | Francis Kopel, and his father-in-law, Ralph Voigts; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel is survived by his wife, Carolyn | ||||||
18 | Cochran-Kopel; his mother, Margaret (nee Adamson) Kopel; 3 | ||||||
19 | children, Kendra (William "BJ") Jahn, Kelly (Michael) Cohlman, | ||||||
20 | and Jason (Laura) Cochran; 6 grandchildren, Jordy, Charles, | ||||||
21 | Ruth, Matthew, Kyle, and Maxwell; 3 siblings, Edward (Martina) |
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1 | Kopel, Karen (Dan) Bystrom, and Rick Kopel; his mother-in-law, | ||||||
2 | Louise Voigts; his in-laws, Greg Voigts, Jeff (Karen) Voigts, | ||||||
3 | Sherry (Brian) Friedman, and Lisa Leonard; 13 nieces and | ||||||
4 | nephews, Christina (Seth) Kopel, Ryan (Debbie) Hageman, Aaron | ||||||
5 | (Kristen) Kopel, Ben (Nicole) Kopel, Sara Samolitis, Zelig | ||||||
6 | Kopel, Tiffany (Jerry) Sullivan, Brittany (Korey) Lyons, | ||||||
7 | Trevor (Laura) Leonard, Ryan (Alicia) Voigts, Adam Voigts, and | ||||||
8 | Lindsay and Alex Friedman; and his many great-nieces, | ||||||
9 | great-nephews, friends, neighbors, and colleagues; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Francis Kopel will also be remembered as a devoted | ||||||
11 | and kind husband who traveled the world with his beloved wife, | ||||||
12 | as a caring father who could answer any question, a playful and | ||||||
13 | loving grandfather, a wonderful son, brother, and friend, and | ||||||
14 | the attentive caretaker of Squeaky the cat and countless | ||||||
15 | backyard birds and squirrels; his presence will be felt when we | ||||||
16 | see an Indiana Jones hat, smell fresh coffee, tend our gardens, | ||||||
17 | hear a dry yet witty joke, or pass by Washington Park, where he | ||||||
18 | and his wife were married 25 years ago; he will be deeply | ||||||
19 | missed by all who were fortunate to have known and loved him; | ||||||
20 | therefore, be it
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21 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
22 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
23 | we, along with his family and friends, honor and mourn the | ||||||
24 | passing of Francis N. "Frank" Kopel; and be it further
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1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | presented to the family of Frank Kopel as a symbol of our deep | ||||||
3 | appreciation of his service to the State of Illinois and our | ||||||
4 | sympathy for his passing.
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