Senate Resolution 121 - Introduced SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 121 BY COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION A Resolution honoring Senator Amanda Ragan for her 1 service in the Iowa Senate. 2 WHEREAS, Senator Amanda Ragan, having been raised in 3 a tight-knit north Iowa community on a cattle farm near 4 Rockwell, and earning her A.A. degree from North Iowa 5 Community College and her B.A. degree, graduating cum 6 laude, from Buena Vista University while balancing work 7 and family commitments, learned the value of hard work 8 and resilience as well as the importance of helping 9 others, especially in times of need; and 10 WHEREAS, guided by these lessons and reflecting 11 Virginia Woolf’s maxim that “One cannot think well, 12 love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”, 13 Senator Ragan became the executive director of both 14 Mason City Meals on Wheels and the Community Kitchen 15 of North Iowa, Inc., an independent nonprofit with a 16 mission of working to meet the nutritional, social, 17 emotional, and educational hungers of people in the 18 north Iowa area; and 19 WHEREAS, Senator Ragan, recognizing that these 20 basic hungers are universal and resonate with 21 Iowans across the state, ran for and was elected 22 to the Iowa Senate in a special election in 2002, 23 and during her six terms has served as a member of 24 the Agriculture, Appropriations, Economic Growth, 25 Education, Human Resources, Local Government, Natural 26 Resources, Natural Resources and Environment, Rules and 27 Administration, State Government, and Veterans Affairs 28 -1- LSB 6263SV (6) 89 pf/rn 1/ 3

S.R. 121 standing committees and the Health and Human Services 1 Appropriations Subcommittee, and has held the positions 2 of Senate Democratic Whip, Assistant Majority Leader, 3 Assistant Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Agriculture 4 Committee Vice Chairperson, and Human Resources 5 Committee and Health and Human Services Appropriations 6 Subcommittee Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Ranking 7 Member; and 8 WHEREAS, among other issues, Senator Ragan has 9 focused on expanding affordable health care; protecting 10 the rights of workers and raising the state’s minimum 11 wage; improving the lives of seniors, low-income 12 Iowans, and Iowans with disabilities; expanding 13 services and protections for veterans and service 14 members; expanding access to quality and affordable 15 child care, early childhood programs, and higher 16 education and boosting funding to K-12 public schools; 17 increasing voter registration and participation; and 18 expanding civil rights for Iowans; and 19 WHEREAS, Senator Ragan has served on innumerable 20 committees, boards, and commissions and has been 21 recognized by a wide range of entities as, among 22 other accolades, a champion, protector, voice for, 23 and hero of children, the underserved, persons with 24 disabilities, and seniors; a friend of agriculture; a 25 champion of renewable fuels; the Iowa Public Health 26 Official of the Year; and the Herbert Hoover Library 27 Association Uncommon Public Servant of the Year; and 28 WHEREAS, Senator Ragan is known to be one of the 29 first to arrive at and one of the last to leave the 30 -2- LSB 6263SV (6) 89 pf/rn 2/ 3

S.R. 121 Senate chamber each day, relishing the privilege of 1 serving the constituents she has met at the tens of 2 thousands of doors knocked in her community; and 3 WHEREAS, unlike those River City self-described 4 “Iowa stubborn” who can stand touching noses for a week 5 at a time and never see eye-to-eye, Senator Ragan has 6 always been willing to listen and to reach across the 7 aisle, demonstrating the rare mixture in policymaking 8 of pragmatism and real-world experience with an 9 empathetic voice, all laced with a dry wit; and 10 WHEREAS, as Senator Ragan retires from the Senate, 11 also having recently retired from her dual executive 12 director roles, she will have more time to spend with 13 her husband Jim Ragan, a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. 14 Col., their two children, Edith (Joe) and Charles 15 (Kate), and their four grandchildren, Amanda, William, 16 Isaac, and Ivy, while continuing to advocate for her 17 beloved north Iowa community and make Iowa a better 18 place; NOW THEREFORE, 19 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate honors 20 Senator Amanda Ragan for her years of service in the 21 Senate, and wishes her and her family all the best in 22 the years to come. 23 -3- LSB 6263SV (6) 89 pf/rn 3/ 3