Full Text of HR0343 096th General Assembly
HR0343 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, During the last several decades, women have made | 3 |
| tremendous progress in Illinois and the United States toward | 4 |
| gaining economic and social equality; and
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| WHEREAS, Women enjoy several safeguards against | 6 |
| discrimination, a high level of economic security, and | 7 |
| substantial protections against violence and exploitation; and
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| WHEREAS, Despite this significant progress, the State must | 9 |
| continue to ensure that women enjoy opportunities for equality, | 10 |
| health care, safety, economic security, and career | 11 |
| development; and
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| WHEREAS, Women continue to earn less wages than men; women | 13 |
| are less likely to own a business and more likely to live in | 14 |
| poverty than men; gender based economic disparities abound | 15 |
| regionally in Illinois, and, even more profoundly, race and | 16 |
| ethnicity continue to shape women's economic opportunities; | 17 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Women constitute a growing segment in our nation's | 19 |
| economy; businesses owned and managed primarily by women | 20 |
| contribute approximately $2.46 billion to the nation's economy | 21 |
| and employ more than 19 million Americans; and
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| WHEREAS, In 2006, the last year of available data, Illinois | 2 |
| women-owned businesses numbered 285,000, representing 29.7 | 3 |
| percent of the State's businesses; and
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| WHEREAS, Educational achievement is foundational to | 5 |
| economic opportunity for women and provides women with access | 6 |
| to good-paying and technology based jobs in Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, The State needs to (1) be proactive in educating | 8 |
| the next generation of women in the fields of science, | 9 |
| technology, engineering, and mathematics, (2) create | 10 |
| incentives for all Illinois citizens to obtain a postsecondary | 11 |
| education, and (3) increase workforce development | 12 |
| opportunities, particularly for women who are underrepresented | 13 |
| in the higher education population; and
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| WHEREAS, Women's health issues need to be prioritized to | 15 |
| help prevent, diagnose, and treat illnesses commonly suffered | 16 |
| by women including heart disease, ovarian cancer, cervical | 17 |
| cancer, breast cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, and | 18 |
| chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and
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| WHEREAS, Nationwide heart disease is the number one cause | 20 |
| of fatality in women; one in five females has some form of | 21 |
| heart or blood vessel disease; approximately 42,540 Illinois |
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| citizens, about half of whom are women, will die of | 2 |
| cardiovascular disease; and 38 percent of women die within a | 3 |
| year after having a heart attack, as compared to 25 percent of | 4 |
| men; and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois is at the forefront of preventative | 6 |
| health care for women, but gender specific research and | 7 |
| technological efforts should be escalated to make certain our | 8 |
| progress continues; and
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| WHEREAS, In 2004, the Governor's Commission of the Status | 10 |
| of Women, created by an Executive Order in 1999, was abolished | 11 |
| in favor of the creation of the Governor's Office of Women's | 12 |
| Affairs; and
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| WHEREAS, The Office of Women's Affairs has been effective | 14 |
| in disseminating information on State agency programs, | 15 |
| advocating for legislation affecting women and their families, | 16 |
| and serving as an information center on government services, | 17 |
| private services, and resources available to women; however, a | 18 |
| strategic planning process should be set up in the State on | 19 |
| behalf of women and their families; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 21 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 22 |
| urge Governor Pat Quinn to establish and appoint members to a |
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| Commission on the Status of Women in order to continue progress | 2 |
| on issues impacting women in the State of Illinois; and be it | 3 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That the Governor urge the Commission to focus | 5 |
| its efforts on helping women attain economic independence, | 6 |
| lifelong equality, health care, safety, and career development | 7 |
| opportunities; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 |
| presented to the Governor of the State of Illinois.
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