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92_HR0556
LRB9211109RHrhA
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on
3 our nation, all Americans have been forced to reevaluate the
4 safety and security of our communities; and
5 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has had strong
6 anti-terrorism initiatives in place for some time, but the
7 new era America has now entered requires that we do much
8 more; and
9 WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly applauds Congress
10 for acting on an expedited and bipartisan basis to pass the
11 $40 billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriation to speed our
12 nation's recovery; and
13 WHEREAS, While many proposals are being discussed in
14 Congress to provide additional resources to address terrorism
15 concerns, it is crucial that these resources are allocated
16 not just at the federal and state government level, but that
17 a fair portion also be allocated directly to the local
18 governments to provide relief from all types of catastrophic
19 events; and
20 WHEREAS, As "first responders" in the event of terrorist
21 attacks and other catastrophic events, local governments are,
22 in a very real sense, on the front lines of our nation's
23 defense and disaster readiness; and
24 WHEREAS, In case of a local catastrophe from numerous
25 tornado touchdowns that occur every year within the State of
26 Illinois or a major earthquake originating from the New
27 Madrid Fault in southern Illinois, the closest FEMA Urban
28 Search and Rescue Team is located outside of our state; and
29 WHEREAS, Congressional assistance to local governments
30 should be distributed in as direct, expedited and flexible a
31 manner as possible, either through existing distribution
-2- LRB9211109RHrhA
1 systems, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency
2 (FEMA), or through the creation of a block grant program
3 directly for cities; and
4 WHEREAS, While the Illinois General Assembly is proud of
5 and has every confidence in its Police Departments, Fire
6 Departments and Department of Public Health, these
7 departments could benefit from enhanced resources to enable
8 them to better protect the citizens of the State; therefore,
9 be it
10 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12 we urge the United States to pass important and much-needed
13 legislation allocating funding locally to help combat the
14 scourge of terrorism; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That FEMA approve an Urban Search and Rescue
16 Team to be located within the State of Illinois; and be it
17 further
18 RESOLVED, That the United States Congress appropriate
19 funds by which a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team could be
20 located within the State of Illinois; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
22 presented to the Illinois Delegation to the United States
23 Congress as a sign of our dedication to and support of this
24 important issue.