HR1121

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HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
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    WHEREAS, The island nation of Haiti is steeped in a rich 
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culture and
history; on January 12, 2010, a magnitude-7.0 
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earthquake struck
Haiti, with its epicenter just outside the 
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capital and population center of
Port-au-Prince; and
  
 
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    WHEREAS, The Haitian government has confirmed a death toll 
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of
more than 230,000 persons as a result of the disaster; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Following the catastrophic damage to their 
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villages and
cities, many of the earthquake survivors now live 
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in tent cities and are
more vulnerable than ever to epidemics 
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of infectious disease, particularly
with the region's rainy 
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season approaching; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Due to many factors, including the 
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already-extreme
poverty of the nation, thousands of Haitian 
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children had been provably
and legally abandoned and 
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relinquished to the Haitian government by
their parents prior 
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to the devastation of that January day; and
 
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    WHEREAS, These children, known as "Category 3" orphans, are

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officially confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry 
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adoption but do
not meet the specific criteria outlined by the 
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United States Department of
Homeland Security that would allow 
 


 






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them to enter the United States; and
 
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    WHEREAS, An additional unknown number of "Category 2"

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orphans--those children who are both eligible for intercountry 
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adoption
and matched with American adoptive parents prior to 
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January 12,
2010--have yet to be allowed to join their new 
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families in the United
States; and
 
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    WHEREAS, At least twenty-one orphans are destined for 
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families in
the United States, though their adoptions have 
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since been mired in
unfortunate bureaucracy; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Twelve of these children remain in diplomatic 
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limbo in
a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania facility, while at least 
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nine remain at the God's
Littlest Angels orphanage near 
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Port-au-Prince, run by Dixie Bickel of Clinton, Illinois; and
 
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    WHEREAS, In 2007, the United Nations Children's Fund 
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numbered the
orphan population of Haiti at more than 380,000 
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children; following the
earthquake, some organizations 
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estimate that number to have more than
tripled; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Whatever the number of orphans, there are families 
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in
Illinois and throughout the United States who are ready, 
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willing, and
able to welcome these provably abandoned children 
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into loving homes;
and
 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, Every provably abandoned child who is taken into a

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home within the United States dramatically reduces the strain 
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on the
post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti; therefore, be 
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it




  
 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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remember the
victims and survivors of the Haiti earthquake 
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disaster; and be it further
 
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    RESOLVED, That we implore the United States government to 
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expedite the
approval of "Category 2" and "Category 3" orphans 
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so that the children
who are in need of loving homes may find 
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them quickly and safely; and
be it further
 
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    RESOLVED, That we applaud the efforts of organizations such 
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as God's littlest Angels orphanage, that are so dedicated to 
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important relief work in Haiti, and
we call on all Illinois 
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citizens to support such organizations in whatever
capacity 
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they are able; and be it further
  
 
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    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent 
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to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn; Hillary Clinton, United States 
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Secretary of State; Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the federal 
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Department of Health and Human Services; Julie Hamos, Director 
 


 






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of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois 
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congressional delegation.