Full Text of HR0105 94th General Assembly
HR0105 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to the brave | 3 |
| men and women who honorably serve in our nation's armed forces; | 4 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, The trials faced by our servicemen and women in | 6 |
| the field are shared by their families who endure for months or | 7 |
| years at a stretch the uncertainty of not knowing when, or if, | 8 |
| their loved ones will return; and
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| WHEREAS, The news to a family that their loved one has been | 10 |
| killed in service is, sadly, just the first terrible blow to | 11 |
| the survivors, for they often face long-term financial | 12 |
| struggles resulting from the loss of a wage-earning spouse or | 13 |
| family member; and
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| WHEREAS, Many surviving family members, veterans groups, | 15 |
| and legislators have long believed that the death payment | 16 |
| provided to service members' families, currently set at | 17 |
| $12,420, is woefully inadequate; and
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| WHEREAS, Properly taking care of service personnel and | 19 |
| their families will, over the long term, undoubtedly raise the | 20 |
| morale of our troops stationed all over the world by providing | 21 |
| them with the comfort of knowing their families will be taken | 22 |
| care of should they die while serving their country; and
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| WHEREAS, It is reported that President Bush will propose a | 24 |
| sizeable increase, to $100,000, of the death benefit payment as | 25 |
| part of the 2006 budget submitted to Congress; as part of this | 26 |
| proposal, the Pentagon would also increase life insurance | 27 |
| benefits from the current $250,000 of coverage to $400,000 and | 28 |
| troops in a combat zone would have the additional premiums paid | 29 |
| for by the government; the proposal would be retroactive to | 30 |
| October 7, 2001 and would apply to families of U.S. troops |
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HR0105 |
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| killed in war; and
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| WHEREAS, Even though no amount of money can replace a | 3 |
| spouse or loved one, an increase in the death payment and life | 4 |
| insurance benefits provided to the family members of those | 5 |
| servicemen and women who die while on active duty would help | 6 |
| alleviate the overwhelming impact their families face; and
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| WHEREAS, While the President's proposal is a much-needed | 8 |
| measure, the benefits for surviving families should not be | 9 |
| determined by mere geography of where death occurred, but | 10 |
| rather, benefits should be extended to all servicemen and women | 11 |
| who equally defend the freedom of this country in a profession | 12 |
| fraught with danger no matter where they are stationed; | 13 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 15 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 |
| we hereby commend the President on his initiative to increase | 17 |
| the death payment and the life insurance benefit package to | 18 |
| assist families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice; | 19 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That we urge the President and the Congress to | 21 |
| broaden the President's budget proposal to provide the same | 22 |
| financial increases to all military personnel who die in the | 23 |
| line of duty while performing military service for our country, | 24 |
| whether here or on foreign soil; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 26 |
| delivered to President Bush and the Illinois Congressional | 27 |
| Delegation as a sign of our commitment to this important issue.
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