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SR 437

MEMORIAL-LORI F. CANNON

104th Regular Session Introduced by Sara Feigenholtz

An Illinois Senate memorial mourning Lori F. Cannon, honoring her LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS advocacy in Chicago; offers condolences to her family and presents a copy of the resolution.

Resolution Adopted
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Bill Summary · SR 437

Summary — SR 437: Memorial for Lori F. Cannon

Status: Resolution Adopted
Introduced: April 17, 2025
Sponsor(s): (file shows Senator Sara Feigenholtz as a primary sponsor; file also includes other unrelated sponsor names)
Classification: Memorial resolution (ceremonial)

Purpose and intent

SR 437 is a memorial resolution by the Illinois Senate mourning the death of Lori F. Cannon (passed August 3, 2025) and formally recognizing her decades of service to Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV/AIDS. The resolution expresses the Senate’s condolences and honors Cannon’s civic, volunteer, and advocacy accomplishments.

Key provisions and recognitions

  • Records Cannon’s leadership and volunteer roles, including:
    • Early volunteer with Chicago House (housing services for people with HIV/AIDS).
    • Co-founder of ACT UP Chicago (grassroots advocacy for improved HIV/AIDS care and treatment).
    • Early involvement with the NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt and organizer bringing the Quilt to Chicago (1988, 1990, 1994).
    • Founding board member of Open Hand Chicago (meals-on-wheels program for people with HIV/AIDS) and contribution to the development of the GroceryLand pantry network.
    • Founder of the Legacy Project (documenting and honoring LGBTQ+ contributions to history and culture).
    • Volunteer service with AIDS Legal Counsel of Chicago, STOP AIDS Chicago, Howard Brown Health, AIDS Walk Chicago, and the AIDS care unit at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
  • Notes achievements and honors:
    • Inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1994.
    • Cites Open Hand/GroceryLand’s long-term impact — the resolution attributes the preparation/distribution of nearly 20,000,000 meals over 37 years (ascribed to programs she helped establish).
    • Describes Cannon as “Chicago’s AIDS angel,” emphasizing her dedication to care and activism.
  • Formal actions requested by the resolution:
    • The Senate mourns her passing and extends condolences to family and friends.
    • Directs that “a suitable copy” of the resolution be presented to Cannon’s family as an expression of sympathy.

Who is affected

  • Primarily ceremonial: Cannon’s family, friends, and the communities she served (LGBTQ+ and people living with HIV/AIDS in Chicago).
  • The resolution creates no legal obligations, funding changes, or regulatory effects.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Senate read and referred: March 21, 2025 (file indicates initial actions in March–April 2025).
  • Received by Secretary of the Senate: April 17, 2025 (listed introduction date).
  • Read & adopted and reported enrolled: April 22, 2025 (vote recorded in the Journal that day).
  • Additional entries in the record show actions on October 14–15, 2025 (filed with Secretary, referred to Resolutions Consent Calendar, co-sponsored by all senators, and resolution adopted Oct 15) — indicating final processing/filing steps and broad cosponsorship were completed in October 2025.

Impact and significance

  • SR 437 is a non-binding, honorific resolution that documents the Illinois Senate’s formal recognition of Lori Cannon’s lifetime service and activism.
  • It preserves an official legislative record of her contributions, offers public condolence, and supplies a copy of the resolution to her family. There are no fiscal or regulatory consequences.

Note: The submitted file also contains text from an unrelated Georgia Senate resolution dedicating an intersection to a Georgia senator; the summary above pertains to the Illinois memorial for Lori F. Cannon.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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