Bill Text: IL HR0078 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Mourns the death of Lynda DeLaforgue of Chicago.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-02-05 - Resolution Adopted [HR0078 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HR0078-Introduced.html

---

HR0078 LRB101 08178 ALS 53244 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Lynda
DeLaforgue of Chicago, who passed away on January 12, 2019; and
WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue was born in Chicago to James and
June DeLaforgue on February 18, 1958; she was raised in
Franklin Park; her father was a tuck pointer and a village
firefighter, and her mother was employed in the business office
of a local paper company; she graduated from Rockford College
in 1980, where she majored in theater and was active in local
community productions; in 1985, she married Hans Hintzen, and
they settled in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood; they later
divorced; and
WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue was working as an actress and
looking for part-time work when she took a job fundraising for
the relatively new Illinois Public Action Council; effective as
a door-to-door canvasser and recruiter, she soon became the
group's Rockford office manager and helped organize a voter
registration drive leading up to the 1984 election; she then
became the group's statewide canvass manager and helped set up
similar canvass operations in other states; she also took an
increasing role in the organization's issue work, especially
around health policy and consumer protection; she was

HR0078 - 2 - LRB101 08178 ALS 53244 r
simultaneously involved in many progressive political
campaigns and helped elect Paul Simon to the U.S. Senate in
1984, reelect Mayor Harold Washington in 1987, and send Jan
Schakowsky to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1990;
after the Illinois Public Action Council closed in 1997, she
became the associate director of the newly constituted Citizen
Action/Illinois; three years later she became its co-director,
a position she held until her death; and
WHEREAS, Over the past two decades, Lynda DeLaforgue was
the day-to-day driving force behind Citizen Action/Illinois
and its work; she oversaw its finances while supervising and
mentoring young staff members; she was a regular presence at
Chicago City Hall and the Cook County Building, as well as in
Springfield and in Washington, where she served on the board of
Citizen Action's national federation; she was the chief
strategist for many of the organization's biggest policy
battles, including regulating predatory payday loans, ensuring
food safety, opposing Social Security privatization, winning
marriage equality, and ensuring the rights of consumers to
affordable energy and health insurance; she was also at the
helm of the Citizen Action's electoral efforts that registered
new voters, turned out the vote, and rallied other progressives
behind Barack Obama's run for the U.S. Senate in 2004; her
efforts also helped elect many other progressive candidates,
including Governor JB Pritzker; and

HR0078 - 3 - LRB101 08178 ALS 53244 r
WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue had a wide variety of other
interests; she was passionate about her garden, enjoyed combing
estate sales for vintage clothing and jewelry, and traveled
widely, frequently visiting her sister in Italy, and
corresponding with distant relations in France; and
WHEREAS, Lynda DeLaforgue is survived by her life partner,
Brian Reizfeld; her mother, June Kaczur-Tate; her daughter,
Katy; her son, Jordan; and her sister, Laura; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we mourn the passing of Lynda DeLaforgue and extend our sincere
condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved
her; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to the family of Lynda DeLaforgue as an expression of
our deepest sympathy.