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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as
3well as the Inflation Reduction Act and the Biden
4Administration's commitment to increasing conservation and
5protecting open space, gives states access to unprecedented
6federal funding that can change the landscape for agricultural
7conservation practices, habitat restoration, and climate
8resilience; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The America the Beautiful Plan and its commitment
10to conserving 30 percent of land and water in the U.S. by 2030
11provides much needed momentum to direct these funds to open
12space and natural resource protection; and
 
13    WHEREAS, It is urgent that Illinois access this funding
14since our planet is on the precipice of a massive extinction
15event and food web collapse in the wake of a changing climate;
16we have a moral obligation to do what we can to mitigate its
17worst effects; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a responsibility to
19protect its communities and to enable the use of these
20resources; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is presented with an

 

 

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1historic opportunity to become a national model for land,
2water, and wildlife protection as we look toward 2023 and the
3beginning of the 103rd General Assembly; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Working in tandem, the Illinois General Assembly
5and the Governor's Office can ensure that available federal
6programs can be easily accessed by both State agencies and
7non-governmental organizations, as many of the incoming
8dollars will require matching funds and/or statutory changes
9to enable the full utilization of those funds; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois must prepare to receive
11funding from the federal government by ensuring that agencies
12are adequately staffed and coordinating with each other;
13therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
15HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
16SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge state agencies, local
17governments, and other organizations to work together to
18identify and correct deficiencies that affect the State's
19eligibility for federal funding to fight climate change.