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| | HR0787 | | LRB099 14217 GRL 38281 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a rich and storied |
| 3 | | tradition of hunting and angling that dates back further than |
| 4 | | the State itself and carries forward to this day; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Illinois' sportsmen and women were among the first |
| 6 | | conservationists to support the establishment of the Illinois |
| 7 | | Department of Natural Resources to conserve fish, wildlife, and |
| 8 | | their habitat, and, through their license fees, helped fund |
| 9 | | State efforts to provide for healthy and sustainable natural |
| 10 | | resources; and
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| 11 | | WHEREAS, Upon realizing that license fees alone were |
| 12 | | insufficient to restore and sustain healthy fish and wildlife |
| 13 | | populations, sportsmen and women supported self-imposed excise |
| 14 | | taxes on hunting, fishing, and boating equipment to raise |
| 15 | | additional conservation funds; and
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| 16 | | WHEREAS, To this day, the Illinois Department of Natural |
| 17 | | Resources is funded primarily by sportsmen and women through |
| 18 | | the American System of Conservation Funding - a "user pays - |
| 19 | | public benefits" approach that is widely recognized as the most |
| 20 | | successful model of fish and wildlife management in the world; |
| 21 | | and
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| | HR0787 | - 2 - | LRB099 14217 GRL 38281 r |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In 2013 alone, Illinois's sportsmen and women |
| 2 | | generated $63,419,348 through this System to support the |
| 3 | | conservation efforts of the Illinois Department of Natural |
| 4 | | Resources; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Illinois' 1,309,000 hunters and anglers support |
| 6 | | the State's economy through spending more than $2.34 billion |
| 7 | | while engaged in their pursuits; this spending supports over |
| 8 | | 31,597 jobs in Illinois and generates $277 million in State and |
| 9 | | local taxes; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, National Hunting and Fishing Day was established |
| 11 | | in 1972 to celebrate and recognize hunters and anglers for |
| 12 | | their immense contributions to fish and wildlife conservation |
| 13 | | and to our society; therefore, be it
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| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
| 15 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
| 16 | | designate September 26, 2015 as National Hunting and Fishing |
| 17 | | Day in Illinois, a day to be set aside in celebration of |
| 18 | | Illinois's sportsmen and women; and be it further
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| 19 | | RESOLVED, That we recognize the many and varied social, |
| 20 | | cultural, economic, and ecological benefits of our |
| 21 | | time-honored traditions of hunting and angling.
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