Remembering Rosemary Mulligan

Today the Illinois of Representatives will pause to remember the late State Rep. Rosemary Mulligan (R-Des Plaines) who passed away on December 30, 2014.

Rosemary Mulligan served in the General Assembly for 20 years (1993-2013) and throughout that time she never lost sight of why she came to Springfield – to be a voice and an advocate for children, for the disabled, for the elderly, for women, for our state’s veterans, for improving access to quality health care and to strengthen public education in the State of Illinois.

A former Chairman of the House Human Services-Appropriations Committee, some of Rep. Mulligan’s key accomplishments include passage of a bill making female genital mutilation illegal in Illinois, the establishment of the veterans' scratch-off lottery card to fund veteran's programs in Illinois, a bill to allow for an income tax check-off to help pay for prosthesis replacements for veterans, securing funding  for fighting flooding issues in the Des Plaines River area, instituting programs to fight compulsive gambling and other addictions.

Rep. Mulligan was known for her tenacity and her extraordinary compassion for the most vulnerable families in Illinois; particularly those with developmental disabilities, mental health issues and various addictions.

House Resolution 76 honors the life and career of our former colleague and friend Rosemary Mulligan, whose contributions to the State of Illinois and dedication to the communities of Chicago’s northwest suburbs will be long remembered.