HONORING LISA MADIGAN FOR HER IMPACTFUL TENURE AS ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL 2003 - 2019
WHEREAS, in January 2019, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan concludes her highly regarded tenure as the state's top legal officer and consumer advocate for Illinois citizens and communities, a post she has held continuously since 2003; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago City Council has been informed of this special occasion by the Honorable Margaret Laurino, Alderman of the 39th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan's profoundly impactful record of accomplishments, accrued over an unprecedented four terms in office, has earned her the status of being the longest-serving Attorney General in Illinois history and the most senior female Attorney General to serve the nation; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan earned her bachelor's degree from Georgetown University_and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Loyola University Chicago.School of Law; and
WHEREAS, prior to embarking upon her legal career, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan, employed as a teacher, developed meaningful after-school programs for children to steer young people away from the menace of drugs and street gangs; and
WHEREAS, during the apartheid era, Lisa M. Madigan taught high school in South Africa, imparting the values of democracy and inclusion as a volunteer; and
WHEREAS, Lisa M. Madigan began her distinguished career in public service in 1998, when, at the age of thirty-two, the voters of the 17th Legislative District of Illinois recognized her dedication, commitment and passion to serve the community and elected her to the Illinois State Senate; and
WHEREAS, after five years of service in the General Assembly, Senator Lisa M. Madigan, declared her candidacy for the office of Illinois Attorney General, the chief protectorate for the people of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, in the November 2002 electoral season, Lisa M. Madigan won a close election, to become the first woman to hold the coveted position in the State of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, throughout her distinguished career in State government, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan championed her personal belief that holding public service is synonymous with a responsibility to exercise transformative leadership and foster sustainable change through policy-making, legislation, and in the judicial system; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan's legislative initiatives have made an enormous difference and positively impacted the quality of life for Illinois citizens; and
WHEREAS, since taking office in 2003, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan vigorously supported the strengthening of consumer protection measures; protecting communities from sex offenders and online predators; keeping seniors safe; protecting the environment; making healthcare more affordable and accessible; and ensuring that government is transparent, open and inclusive; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan's advocacy on behalf of all Illinois residents resulted in innumerable actions and significant pieces of legislation to benefit the common good; and
WHEREAS, among the most notable legal actions taken during Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan's seventeen-year tenure of office include: lawsuits to stop financial fraud and the recovery of losses inflicted upon consumers; mediating consumer complaints; educating consumers on prevalent financial scams and product recalls; suing some of the nation's largest mortgage lenders and obtaining more than twelve billion in damages and restitution for borrowers; reaching over a billion dollars in relief from banks and other financial institutions that contributed to the economic crisis; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan advanced consumer protection legislation including the High Risk Home Act, the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, and the Homeownership Preservation Act; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan testified before the United States Congress and federal commissions charged with strengthening consumer financial protections;
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan initiated the "Civil Legal Aid Mortgage Foreclosure Projects" fund established to create access to the justice system for thousands of Illinois homeowners and renters; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan secured over two billion dollars in savings and refunds for Illinois citizens through her opposition to exorbitant rate increase requests by the utilities before the Illinois Commerce Commission; by leading numerous multi-state investigations in an effort to thwart the rising threat of identity theft and protecting consumers' privacy; by establishing the Illinois Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Act and elevating Illinois' as a national model for ensuring the safety of women and children from sexual predators; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan directed the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children task force and established Operation Glass House which resulted in nearly eighty arrests of child pornography offenders across Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan hosted the first-ever Cyber Safety Summit, an intergovernmental and business partnership to ensure cyber safety and established the Resident's Right to Know Act conceived to improve information dispensed to nursing home residents and their families; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan introduced legislation to require nursing homes to file an annual Consumer Choice Information Report detailing the facility's standard of care, security and service issues; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan oversaw Operation Guardian, a multi-agency program ensure resident safety in nursing homes throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan advocated at the Federal and State levels to implement stronger emission standards for power plants and motor vehicles while holding polluters responsible for their actions; litigating the largest Clean Air Act enforcement case in Illinois history; and
WHEREAS, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan established one of the first Public Access Counselor positions in the nation to serve as a resource for citizens who have been denied access to public records and created a Public Integrity Unit to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse and exercise multiple efforts to strengthen government's transparency; and
WHEREAS, through Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan's dedicated work in litigating important issues and collections, the office of the Illinois Attorney General has generated in excess of ten billion dollars of revenue for the state; and
WHEREAS, throughout her tenure of office, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan's activism and accomplishments garnered national recognition and many prestigious awards from organizations across the United States including but not limited to: the 2017 Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, Distinguished Service Award; the 2017 Illinois Environmental Council, Environmental Leadership Award; the 2016 National Consumers League, Trumpeter Award; the 2016 Consumer Federation of America, Philip Hart Public Service Award; the 2013 Illinois State Bar Association, Presidential Commendation; the 2013 National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Outstanding Service Award; the 2012 National Association of Attorneys General, President's Award for lead work on national mortgage servicing settlement; the 2011 Illinois News Broadcasters Association, Illinoisan of the Year; the 2010 Illinois Executive Ethics Commission, Abraham Lincoln Ethics Award; the 2008 League of Women Voters of Illinois, Laura Polk Fisher Award for Excellence in Public Service; the 2007 Illinois Center for Violence Prevention, Policymaker Peace Leader Award; the 2006 Aspen Institute, Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership; the 2006 American Association of Retired Persons, Consumer Champion Award; the 2005 John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, presented annually to an American elected official whose contributions in office demonstrate value and impact commensurate with the spirit of President Kennedy; the 2005 Society of Professional Journalists, Sunshine Award; the 2005 Chiefs of Police, Public Official of the Year; 2004 Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, Abraham Lincoln Award; and, the 2003 Illinois Hunger Coalition, Paul Simon Public Service Award; and
WHEREAS, through her impressive career in public life, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan stands as an inspiring exemplar for young people aspiring to government service of what is possible when an elected official puts people and service first; and
WHEREAS, by doing so, Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan has restored and reinvigorated the fundamental ideal of public service as a noble profession worthy of the respect; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this twenty-third day of January 2019, do hereby commend and extend our deepest gratitude to Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan for seventeen-years of service as Illinois Attorney General, and also our best wishes for the next chapter of her life and career as she continues to go forth with her worthy mission of bettering our nation and the world; and
MARGARET LAURINO Alderman, 39th Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan as a sign of our honor and respect.
