Full Text of SJR0072 96th General Assembly
SJ0072enr 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 72
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| WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has seen an alarming rise in | 3 |
| statistics for the growing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, | 4 |
| cancer, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension; and
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| WHEREAS, The rise of these diseases in the State of | 6 |
| Illinois is predominantly in disadvantaged neighborhoods | 7 |
| across the State; and
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| WHEREAS, Well documented research has shown the positive | 9 |
| correlation of these diseases with poor nutrition due to lack | 10 |
| of access to proper nutritional food in disadvantaged | 11 |
| neighborhoods; and
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| WHEREAS, The identified specific areas suffering from poor | 13 |
| access to proper nutritional food are designated as underserved | 14 |
| areas; and
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| WHEREAS, More than half a million Chicagoans live in three | 16 |
| areas of the city identified as "Underserved Areas" when it | 17 |
| comes to proper basic nutrition; and
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| WHEREAS, These respective underserved areas are | 19 |
| predominantly home to residents of African American descent, | 20 |
| where nearly 400,000 live in areas with an imbalance of food |
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| choices; and
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| WHEREAS, Residents of underserved areas are limited to food | 3 |
| choices such as readily accessible fast food and other fringe | 4 |
| retail outlets but very limited or no access to the fresh | 5 |
| healthy food available at grocery stores; and
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| WHEREAS, Research has indicated large increases in cancer | 7 |
| and diabetes in these respective populations; and
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| WHEREAS,
The Illinois Food Marketing Task Force comprised | 9 |
| of civic leaders, private organizations, and vendors has | 10 |
| continued to meet and has now formalized recommendations to | 11 |
| address the issue of improving children's health by drafting | 12 |
| policy recommendations for State and local government that | 13 |
| address barriers to supermarket and grocery store development | 14 |
| in underserved areas; and
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois Food Marketing Task Force has | 16 |
| recommended that a partnership of city and State government | 17 |
| leaders of Illinois, businesses leaders, and private | 18 |
| organizations come together to erase the disparity in nutrition | 19 |
| between low-income and high-income neighborhoods; and
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois Food Marketing Task Force has | 21 |
| specifically recommended the State of Illinois should |
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| encourage public investment to support local supermarket and | 2 |
| grocery store development projects; and
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois Food Marketing Task Force has | 4 |
| specifically recommended that State and local governments | 5 |
| should create a grant and loan program to support local | 6 |
| supermarket development projects in low-to-moderate-income | 7 |
| neighborhoods; and
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| WHEREAS, On May 19th, 2009, the Illinois Food Marketing | 9 |
| Task Force officially called upon legislators to establish an | 10 |
| Illinois Fresh Food Fund to stimulate supermarket development | 11 |
| statewide; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 13 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 14 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Illinois Food Marketing Task Force | 15 |
| be commended for its efforts to create an Illinois Fresh Food | 16 |
| Fund; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Illinois Food, Farms and Jobs Council | 18 |
| assist the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in | 19 |
| the implementation and distribution of the Illinois Fresh Food | 20 |
| Fund to stimulate supermarket development and promotion of | 21 |
| self-sustaining businesses for small grocers across Illinois.
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