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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious | ||||||
| 3 | neurological disease affecting members of the cervid family, | ||||||
| 4 | including deer, elk, and moose; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Once contracted, the disease is always fatal; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, CWD has continued to spread throughout the nation | ||||||
| 7 | since its first detection, and cases of CWD have been confirmed | ||||||
| 8 | in Illinois and its neighboring states of Iowa, Missouri, and | ||||||
| 9 | Wisconsin; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Today, the health of deer herds in Illinois is | ||||||
| 11 | threatened by the spread of CWD, as is the State's storied | ||||||
| 12 | hunting tradition and the economic and conservation benefits it | ||||||
| 13 | provides; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Hunting is a vital economic force in Illinois, | ||||||
| 15 | with hunters in Illinois accounting for over $1.32 billion in | ||||||
| 16 | annual spending and supporting 18,049 jobs; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, In 2017 alone, the sale of hunting licenses | ||||||
| 18 | brought in over $32 million for conservation efforts in the | ||||||
| 19 | State, while excise taxes paid on hunting equipment and | ||||||
| 20 | associated goods, which were distributed to Illinois through | ||||||
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| 1 | the Wildlife Restoration Program that year, provided more than | ||||||
| 2 | $16 million in additional funds; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, House Resolution 4454, the Chronic Wasting | ||||||
| 4 | Disease Management Act, and Senate Bill 2252, The Chronic | ||||||
| 5 | Wasting Disease Support for States Act, were recently | ||||||
| 6 | introduced, respectively, in the United States House of | ||||||
| 7 | Representatives and the United States Senate, as a means of | ||||||
| 8 | providing states with additional resources to fight this | ||||||
| 9 | disease and provide support for research; therefore, be it
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| 10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 11 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 12 | encourage all members of Illinois's Congressional Delegation | ||||||
| 13 | to support and co-sponsor this essential legislation that will | ||||||
| 14 | help protect the hunting heritage of Illinois and the immense | ||||||
| 15 | conservation and economic benefits it provides; and be it | ||||||
| 16 | further
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| 17 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 18 | presented to all members of Illinois's Congressional | ||||||
| 19 | Delegation, Governor Bruce Rauner, and the Illinois Department | ||||||
| 20 | of Natural Resources so that all may know the critical | ||||||
| 21 | importance of House Resolution 4454 and Senate Bill 2252.
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