Bill Text: IL HR1368 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourns the death of former Illinois State Representative Vincent A. Persico.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-03 - Rule 19(b) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HR1368 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HR1368-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of former
Illinois State Representative Vincent A. "Vince" Persico, who
passed away on July 21, 2016; and
WHEREAS, Vincent Persico was born on December 9, 1948 in
Oak Park; studying in his native state, he earned a bachelor's
degree from the University of Illinois in 1971; pursuing
credentials as a teacher, he earned a master's degree from
Northern Illinois University in 1986; and
WHEREAS, Vince Persico instructed young people in history
and government as a Hadley Junior High School teacher for many
years until 1988; and
WHEREAS, Vince Persico was an involved member of the Glen
Ellyn community; he was a member of the Kiwanis Club, the
Glenbard West Booster Club, the Hadley Junior High School PTA,
and many other clubs and groups, and was active in Glen Ellyn
boys' baseball leagues; and
WHEREAS, Vince Persico began his life of public service by
joining the boards of directors of Glen Ellyn Family Services
and the Milton Township Committee on Youth; he also became a

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trustee for Milton Township, which in the 1980s was a
fast-growing township within central DuPage County that was
enjoying many challenges and opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Seeking to move his public service to the next
level, Vince Persico chose to run for election to the Illinois
House of Representatives; in an example of persistence in
action, he sought the seat and lost twice, in 1986 and in 1988,
before winning unanimous election to the House in November of
1990 without general-election opposition; in January of 1991,
he took his seat in the Illinois House of Representatives,
where he would serve for 11 years; and
WHEREAS, As a member of the Republican Party, Vince Persico
quickly showed an aptitude for bipartisan committee work,
serving with colleagues from both parties on the House
Committees on Aging, Environment and Energy, Financial
Institutions, and Labor; when he began his service in the
Illinois General Assembly, the State laws governing relations
between Illinois residents and regulated utilities had become
suboptimal, especially in the areas of electricity and
telecommunications; Illinois laws continued to assume there
would be only one big supplier of services in any geographic
area and customers would have to take it or leave it; and
WHEREAS, As a key member of the House Telecommunications

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Rewrite Committee, Vince Persico helped to rewrite the Illinois
Telecommunications Law; he played a major role in opening up
Illinois telecommunications services to consumer-friendly
competition and in moving the law from a paradigm based on
wireline telecommunications toward the wireless services of
the future; the cell phone shops and advertisements that have
become ubiquitous features of Illinois life are a tribute to
the success of his work; and
WHEREAS, As the selected co-chairperson of the Electric
Utility Deregulation Committee, Vince Persico played a major
role in deregulating supplies of Illinois electricity; one of
the most significant legislative achievements he achieved with
the help of chosen colleagues, the Illinois Electric Service
Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997, restructured the
customer side of the Illinois electric utility industry to
offer many Illinois customers a choice between electric
suppliers while retaining the right of owners of the "last
mile" of electric delivery wire to earn a fair return on their
investments; and
WHEREAS, In January of 2002, Vince Persico retired from the
Illinois House of Representatives to join the private sector;
in the private sector, he remained a familiar figure in the
Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, educating lawmakers on a
wide variety of issues; and

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WHEREAS, In late 2015, Vince Persico was diagnosed with
terminal brain cancer; during his final months of life, he and
his wife Donna set an example of courage and fortitude for the
members of the Illinois House of Representatives, including his
former colleagues; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
pay tribute to the memory of former Illinois State
Representative Vincent A. Persico and his life of courage, hard
work, and public service; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we express our appreciation for the support
given to Vince Persico by his wife Donna and his son Derek
Persico, House Republican Senior Legal Counselor and District
Office Director in the office of House Republican Leader Jim
Durkin; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
delivered to the family of Vincent "Vince" Persico as a symbol
of our sympathy and appreciation for his service to the State
of Illinois.