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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Improving Illinois roads improves the quality of | ||||||
| 3 | life for the citizens of our State; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, The citizens of Jackson, Perry, Randolph, and | ||||||
| 5 | Monroe Counties have expressed a desire to expand Illinois | ||||||
| 6 | Routes 127/154/3 from two to four lanes; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Since 2018, these counties have advocated for | ||||||
| 8 | this expansion by forming the Four County Coalition, the | ||||||
| 9 | Southwest Connector Task Force, and now the Southwest | ||||||
| 10 | Connector Coalition; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, In 2019, the Southwest Connector Task Force, as | ||||||
| 12 | formed by a Senate Joint Resolution in the 100th General | ||||||
| 13 | Assembly, issued a 125-page report giving the justifications | ||||||
| 14 | for the project that included economic development, safety, | ||||||
| 15 | and national security concerns; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, The report is available for all to review at the | ||||||
| 17 | coalition's website, siconnector.com; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, This proposed highway expansion enjoys the | ||||||
| 19 | support of Laborers Local 773, the Illinois Retail Merchants | ||||||
| 20 | Association, the Jackson County NAACP, Southern Illinois | ||||||
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| 1 | University, dozens of municipalities, hundreds of private | ||||||
| 2 | businesses, and thousands of Southern Illinois residents; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, The Biden Administration has authorized historic | ||||||
| 4 | levels of federal spending to re-build and expand our nation's | ||||||
| 5 | infrastructure; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, The Southwest Connector Coalition is actively | ||||||
| 7 | pursuing federal funding that has the potential to inject | ||||||
| 8 | nearly a billion dollars into Illinois infrastructure, | ||||||
| 9 | creating hundreds of good paying union jobs, enhancing the | ||||||
| 10 | Illinois economy, and improving the safety of travel for all | ||||||
| 11 | Illinoisans; therefore, be it
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| 12 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | ||||||
| 13 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we express our support | ||||||
| 14 | for the Southwest Connector Coalition's efforts to keep this | ||||||
| 15 | project moving forward; and be it further
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| 16 | RESOLVED, That we encourage the members of the Southwest | ||||||
| 17 | Connector Coalition to remain engaged in their efforts to | ||||||
| 18 | improve the great State of Illinois; and be it further
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| 19 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 20 | presented to the Southwest Connector Coalition as a symbol of | ||||||
| 21 | our respect and esteem.
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