HJ0007 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0007 LRB102 03820 LAW 13834 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, With the adoption and ratification of the 13th Amendment 155 years ago, the practice of slavery formally ended in the United States, but it did not strip away all aspects of involuntary servitude; and

WHEREAS, Lawmakers in Congress are pushing to remove the so-called slavery loophole from the U.S. Constitution, a loophole which has been exploited to criminalize and incarcerate Black and Brown Americans; and

WHEREAS, A joint resolution dubbed the Abolition Amendment seeks to remove the "punishment" clause from the amendment, which effectively allows members of prison populations to be used as cheap and free labor; and

WHEREAS, Prison labor has been a part of the U.S. economy since at least the late 19th century; and

WHEREAS, Reliance on prison labor is generally touted as a way to rehabilitate inmates and provide an environment for teaching them new trade skills; inmates make little to no money for their efforts; and

WHEREAS, According to the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative, the minimum estimated annual value of incarcerated labor from U.S. prisons and jails is $2 billion; and

WHEREAS, In July 2020, NPR reported that companies, including Walmart, AT&T, Whole Foods, and Victoria's Secret, have used incarcerated populations for their business operations; and

WHEREAS, No American should ever be subject to involuntary servitude, even if they are incarcerated; and

WHEREAS, Ending the slavery loophole in the 13th Amendment would be a critical step towards taking on the long and difficult challenge of rooting out systemic racism in our nation; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we support the passing of the Abolition Amendment by Congress; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies be delivered to all members of the President, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.