SR0415 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0415 LRB098 12520 KTG 46939 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults and almost 17% of youth were obese in 2009-2010; over 78 million U.S. adults and about 12.5 million U.S. children and adolescents were obese; and

WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion in 2008; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight; and

WHEREAS, Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems; and

WHEREAS, The American Medical Association voted at its recent annual meeting in Chicago to recognize obesity as a disease and reported that obesity rates in our country have "doubled among adults in the last twenty years and tripled among children in a single generation"; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization recognize obesity as a disease; and

WHEREAS, A group of big city mayors of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and 15 other cities have sent a letter asking Congress to consider limiting the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits by excluding the purchases of soda and other sugary drinks; and

WHEREAS, In support of Governor Pat Quinn's June 8, 2013 promotional effort to encourage the use of LINK Cards at Illinois Farmers Markets and to promote the accessibility and affordability of healthy food options in Illinois, LINK Up Illinois aims to connect low-income residents with nutritious food options by providing farmers markets throughout the State with Double Value Coupons; and

WHEREAS, The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was designed to help end hunger and improve nutrition and health; the program helps low-income households buy the food they need for a nutritionally adequate diet; the program is managed by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture; the Department of Human Services administers the program in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The federal government mandates which foods may be purchased under the program; the federal government specifies that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits can be used to buy any food or food product for human consumption, plus seeds and plants for use in home gardens to produce food; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United States Congress to review the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and to improve the nutritional quality standards of the program by eliminating those food and beverage products that have minimal nutritional value as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the members of the Illinois congressional delegation.