SR0415LRB098 12520 KTG 46939 r

1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, According to statistics from the Centers for
3Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults
4and almost 17% of youth were obese in 2009-2010; over 78
5million U.S. adults and about 12.5 million U.S. children and
6adolescents were obese; and
 
7    WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
8Prevention, medical costs associated with obesity were
9estimated at $147 billion in 2008; the medical costs for people
10who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight;
11and
 
12    WHEREAS, Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart
13disease, stroke, and other health problems; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The American Medical Association voted at its
15recent annual meeting in Chicago to recognize obesity as a
16disease and reported that obesity rates in our country have
17"doubled among adults in the last twenty years and tripled
18among children in a single generation"; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the
20World Health Organization recognize obesity as a disease; and
 

 

 

SR0415- 2 -LRB098 12520 KTG 46939 r

1    WHEREAS, A group of big city mayors of Chicago, New York,
2Los Angeles, and 15 other cities have sent a letter asking
3Congress to consider limiting the use of Supplemental Nutrition
4Assistance Program benefits by excluding the purchases of soda
5and other sugary drinks; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In support of Governor Pat Quinn's June 8, 2013
7promotional effort to encourage the use of LINK Cards at
8Illinois Farmers Markets and to promote the accessibility and
9affordability of healthy food options in Illinois, LINK Up
10Illinois aims to connect low-income residents with nutritious
11food options by providing farmers markets throughout the State
12with Double Value Coupons; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
14Program was designed to help end hunger and improve nutrition
15and health; the program helps low-income households buy the
16food they need for a nutritionally adequate diet; the program
17is managed by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the
18United States Department of Agriculture; the Department of
19Human Services administers the program in Illinois; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The federal government mandates which foods may be
21purchased under the program; the federal government specifies
22that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits can be
23used to buy any food or food product for human consumption,

 

 

SR0415- 3 -LRB098 12520 KTG 46939 r

1plus seeds and plants for use in home gardens to produce food;
2therefore, be it
 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
4ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United
5States Congress to review the Supplemental Nutrition
6Assistance Program and to improve the nutritional quality
7standards of the program by eliminating those food and beverage
8products that have minimal nutritional value as defined by the
9U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service;
10and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
12presented to the members of the Illinois congressional
13delegation.