Full Text of HR0886 98th General Assembly
HR0886 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Children and pregnant women are uniquely | 3 | | vulnerable to the health threats of toxic chemicals, and early | 4 | | life chemical exposures have been linked to chronic disease | 5 | | later in life; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, A growing body of peer-reviewed scientific | 7 | | evidence links exposure to toxic chemicals to many diseases and | 8 | | health conditions that are rising in incidence, including | 9 | | childhood cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancer, learning | 10 | | and developmental disabilities, infertility, and obesity; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The President's Cancer Panel report released in | 12 | | May 2010, states, "The true burden of environmentally-induced | 13 | | cancers has been grossly underestimated," and the panel advised | 14 | | President Barack Obama "to use the power of your office to | 15 | | remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, | 16 | | and air that needlessly increase health care cost, cripple our | 17 | | nation's productivity, and devastate American lives"; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Workers in a range of industries are exposed to | 19 | | toxic chemicals which pose threats to their health, increasing | 20 | | worker absenteeism, workers' compensation claims, and health | 21 | | care costs that burden the economy; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, A recent national poll found that 78% of American | 2 | | voters were seriously concerned about the threat to children's | 3 | | health from exposure to toxic chemicals in day-to-day life; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, States bear an undue burden from toxic chemicals, | 5 | | including health care costs and environmental damages, | 6 | | disadvantaging businesses that lack information on chemicals | 7 | | in their supply chain, and increasing demands for state | 8 | | regulation; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The federal Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 | 10 | | (15 U.S.C Sec. 2601, et seq.), the primary governing federal | 11 | | statute, was intended to authorize the United States | 12 | | Environmental Protection Agency to protect public health and | 13 | | the environment from toxic chemicals; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The federal Toxic Substances Control Act has been | 15 | | recognized as having challenges that prevent the Environmental | 16 | | Protection Agency from taking quick and effective regulatory | 17 | | action to protect the public against chemical threats; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, In January 2009, the United States General | 19 | | Accountability Office added the Environmental Protection | 20 | | Agency's regulatory program for assessing and controlling | 21 | | toxic chemicals to its list of "high risk" government programs | 22 | | that may have some deficiencies; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The National Conference of State Legislatures | 2 | | unanimously adopted a resolution in July 2009, that articulated | 3 | | principles for the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act | 4 | | of 1976 and called on the United States Congress to update the | 5 | | law; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In August 2010, the Environmental Council of the | 7 | | States, the national association of state environmental agency | 8 | | directors, unanimously adopted a resolution entitled | 9 | | "Reforming the Toxic Substance Control Act", which endorsed | 10 | | specific policy reforms including making certain the | 11 | | Environmental Protection Agency has adequate authority to | 12 | | ensure existing new chemicals are safe; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Ten states have come together to launch the | 14 | | Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse to coordinate state | 15 | | chemical information management programs, and a coalition of 13 | 16 | | states issued guiding principles for the reform of the Toxic | 17 | | Substances Control Act of 1976; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Seventy-one state laws on chemical safety have | 19 | | been enacted and signed into law in 18 states with broad | 20 | | bi-partisan support over the last 8 years; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, The State of California's policy leadership |
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| 1 | | regarding chemical management is outstanding and warrants | 2 | | close examination by Illinois and other states; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 | 4 | | Modernization effort presents a rare opportunity to bolster | 5 | | sustainable innovation within the chemical sciences industry | 6 | | to create jobs and eliminate the toxicity of older, more | 7 | | harmful substances; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Legislation to substantially reform the Toxic | 9 | | Substances Control Act of 1976 was introduced during the 109th | 10 | | Congress in 2005, the 110th Congress in 2008, and again in the | 11 | | 111th Congress in 2010; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 13 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we support the efforts of the National Black Caucus of State | 15 | | Legislators in their efforts to modernize the Federal Toxic | 16 | | Substances Control Act of 1976 by strengthening chemical | 17 | | management through policy reforms; and be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the General | 19 | | Assembly to strengthen the State's chemical management | 20 | | statutes.
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