HR0931

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Some 28 million school lunches are served up each 
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weekday across the country; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Since 1990, more than 5,000 students and workers 
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have gotten sick from eating what has been served in their 
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lunchrooms; and

 
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    WHEREAS, There are growing questions about food safety in 
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our nation's school cafeterias; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Health violations have included rats, mice, and 
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roaches in cafeterias, meat not cooked at the right 
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temperatures, foods not kept at the right temperatures on the 
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food service lines, the presence of toxic materials, like those 
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used for cleaning that are not labeled and property stored, 
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cafeteria workers not washing their hands, cafeteria workers 
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with illnesses working on the serving lines, unclean food 
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preparation area, utensils and equipments, and food 
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unprotected from cross-contamination; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The Chicago Tribune has previously reported on 
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problems in several Chicago schools; and

 
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    WHEREAS, NBC News has recently reported similar health 
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problems in other school districts located in St. Louis, New 
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York City, Washington D.C., Nashville, and San Diego; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Last year in response to this school health 
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crisis, United States Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois 
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introduced the Safe School Food Act into the United States 
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Senate; and
 
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    WHEREAS, The Safe School Food Act calls for better training 
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of cafeteria workers and higher standards for those who supply 
 


 






HR0931
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LRB093 22096 KEF 50810 r




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food to the school lunch program; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Taxpayer dollars are used to pay for school lunch 
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programs and should not be used for programs that are 
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substandard and lead to the illness of students; therefore, be 
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it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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call upon the United States Congress to immediately pass the 
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Safe School Food Act; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent 
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to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the 
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President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and to each member of the 
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Illinois congressional delegation.