Bill Text: IL HR1389 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Rep. Sidney Mathias on his time in the General Assembly.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2013-01-08 - Resolution Adopted [HR1389 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-HR1389-Introduced.html

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HR1389 LRB097 23869 MST 73152 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate Representative Sidney
Mathias on his distinguished service to the Illinois 51st and
53rd Legislative Districts and the people of the State of
Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has been a member of the
Illinois House since 1999 and has served this body with honor
and distinction; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias graduated from South Shore
High School in 1962, earned a bachelor of science degree in
Mathematics from Roosevelt University in 1966, and a juris
doctorate degree from DePaul University's College of Law in
1968; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias is a recently-retired
attorney who practiced in Arlington Heights for 40 years; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has been married to his
wife, Rita for 40 years, and has two adult sons, Rabbi Elliot
and Rabbi Scott, and has 6 grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias began his 30-years of

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community service in 1983 as a member of the Buffalo Grove
Zoning Board of Appeals; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias continued his community
service as a village trustee in Buffalo Grove from 1988-1991;
and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias was elected by the people
of Buffalo Grove to serve as their village president from
1991-1999, where he became a leading voice on transportation
issues and was a driving force behind bringing the North
Central Line and the Sidney H. Mathias Transit Center to
Buffalo Grove; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias was first elected to the
Illinois House in 1998 and is completing 7 consecutive two-year
terms in office; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has represented with
distinction the people of Cook and Lake Counties in the
communities of Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling,
Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Palatine, Long Grove, Deer
Park, Hawthorn Woods, Lake Zurich, Barrington, Hoffman
Estates, Mundelein, Vernon Hills, Kildeer, and Inverness; and
WHEREAS, Since being elected to the House of

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Representatives, Representative Mathias has served with
distinction on the Mass Transit committee as the Republican
Spokesperson, the Local Government committee as the Republican
Spokesperson, the Cities & Villages committee as the Republican
Spokesperson, the Tollway Oversight committee as the
Republican Spokesperson, and the Mass Transit for Northeastern
Illinois committee as the Republican Spokesperson; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has also served as a member
in good standing of the Judiciary I-Civil Law committee, the
State Government Administration committee, the Select
Committee on Discipline, the Appropriations-General Service
committee, the Railroad Industry committee, the Health Care
Availability Access committee, the Transportation & Motor
Vehicles committee, the subcommittee on Railroads, the
Adoption Reform committee, the Transit Management and
Performance committee, the Appropriations-Public Safety
committee, the Aging committee, the Financial Institutions
committee, the Airports committee, and the Illinois State Toll
Highway Authority committee; and
WHEREAS, During his 14-year term as a State Representative
Mathias served as a chief sponsor of more than 120 public acts
and as a chief co-sponsor or co-sponsor of hundreds of
additional public acts; and

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WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has been a vocal opponent
of tax increases during his 14 years in office; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has been a tireless
advocate for children and adults with disabilities as well as
special needs children; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias had a key role in reforming
the State's Regional Transportation Authority by helping to
bring financial stability and continuity of service to CTA,
Metra and Pace; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias was deeply involved with
bringing significant transportation improvements to his
region, including the Route 22 bypass in Lake Zurich; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias fought with determination
for the extension of Route 53 into Lake County by bringing key
decision-makers together to build consensus for the project; he
has also served on various councils instrumental in determining
the feasibility for the extension of Route 53; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has made other innumerable
contributions to the public good through his service to the
Northwest Municipal Conference, the Northwest Council of
Mayors, the Illinois Alzheimer's Legislators Alliance, the

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Illinois Holocaust and Genocide Commission, the Lake County
Municipal League, the Illinois Municipal League, the North
Central Metra Service Mayoral Task Force, the Corridor Planning
Council of Central Lake County, the National Conference of
State Legislatures Transportation committee, the National
League of Cities Transportation & Communications committees,
the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, the Solid Waste
Agency of Northern Cook County, the Cook County Circuit Court,
the College of Lake County's Southeast Regional Planning
Council, Roosevelt University's Community Advisory Board, the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, the Northwest
Suburban Jewish Community Center, and to the Buffalo Grove Park
District; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has been a long-standing
member of the Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, and
Wheeling/Prospect Heights Chambers of Commerce; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias has received numerous
awards and recognitions, including the Outstanding Legislator
of the Year Award and the Community Service Award from the
Illinois Association of Park Districts, the Friend of
Agriculture Award from the Lake County Farm Bureau, the
Legislator of the Year Award from the Illinois Psychological
Association, the Lung Health Champion Award from the
Respiratory Health Association, and Legislator of the Year from

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the Illinois Child Care Association; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias traveled to Israel in 2012
as part of a delegation of Illinois leaders to advance the
economic and cultural ties between Illinois and Israel; and
WHEREAS, Representative Mathias and his family understand
firsthand the suffering and challenges faced by the Jewish
community; his father, Ernest Mathias, was a Holocaust survivor
who was arrested on Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) in
Germany and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp; his
father was able to secure safe passage to America where he
worked in Chicago stockyards until becoming a business owner;
tragically, Ernest Mathias' parents and 3 sisters were murdered
in concentration camps during World War II; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we wish Representative Mathias all the best in his future
endeavors and congratulate him on a job well done in the
General Assembly; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Representative Mathias, his wife Rita, and their
family, as an expression of our esteem and respect for our
colleague and friend.