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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Defend the | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | Guard Act. | |||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. The Military Code of Illinois is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||
7 | adding Section 10.5 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | (20 ILCS 1805/10.5 new) | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | Sec. 10.5. Mobilization of Illinois National Guard into | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | active duty combat. | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | (a) Findings. The General Assembly finds the following: | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | (1) Article I, Section 8 of the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | Constitution vests in the United States Congress the | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | exclusive power of war. | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | (2) In spite of the clear language of the United | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | States Constitution, vesting the power over war | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | exclusively in the United States Congress, the United | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | States Executive Branch has unconstitutionally assumed | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | that power while the United States Congress has abdicated | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | its constitutional duty. | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | (3) Although the United States Congress has not | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | declared war in over 70 years, the nation has since gone to |
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1 | war repeatedly at the whim of the United States Executive | ||||||
2 | Branch. | ||||||
3 | (4) When such unconstitutional actions are taken by | ||||||
4 | the federal government, it is the proper role of the | ||||||
5 | states themselves to take action to remedy such | ||||||
6 | situations, as outlined in the Kentucky and Virginia | ||||||
7 | Resolutions of 1798. | ||||||
8 | (5) A founder of this country, George Washington, once | ||||||
9 | wrote: "The Constitution vests the power of declaring war | ||||||
10 | in Congress; therefore, no offensive expedition of | ||||||
11 | importance can be undertaken until after they shall have | ||||||
12 | deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a | ||||||
13 | measure". | ||||||
14 | (6) The Father of the Constitution, James Madison, | ||||||
15 | once wrote: "The Constitution supposes, what the History | ||||||
16 | of all Governments demonstrates, that the Executive is the | ||||||
17 | branch of power most interested in war, and most prone to | ||||||
18 | it. It has accordingly with studied care vested the | ||||||
19 | question of war to the Legislature". | ||||||
20 | (7) The author of the Declaration of Independence, | ||||||
21 | Thomas Jefferson, once wrote: "We have already given in | ||||||
22 | example one effectual check to the dog of war by | ||||||
23 | transferring the power of letting him loose from the | ||||||
24 | Executive to the Legislative body. . ." and "Considering | ||||||
25 | that Congress alone is constitutionally invested with the | ||||||
26 | power of changing our condition from peace to war, I have |
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1 | thought it my duty to await their authority for using | ||||||
2 | force in any degree which could be avoided". | ||||||
3 | (8) Another Constitutional framer, Alexander Hamilton, | ||||||
4 | once wrote: "'The Congress shall have the power to declare | ||||||
5 | war'; the plain meaning of which is, that it is the | ||||||
6 | peculiar and exclusive duty of Congress, when the nation | ||||||
7 | is at peace, to change that state into a state of war. . | ||||||
8 | .". | ||||||
9 | (b) Definitions. As used in this Section: | ||||||
10 | (1) "Active duty combat" means performing the | ||||||
11 | following services in the active federal military service | ||||||
12 | of the United States: | ||||||
13 | (A) participation in an armed conflict; | ||||||
14 | (B) performance of a hazardous service in a | ||||||
15 | foreign state; or | ||||||
16 | (C) performance of a duty through an | ||||||
17 | instrumentality of war. | ||||||
18 | (2) "Official declaration of war" means an official | ||||||
19 | declaration of war made by the United States Congress in | ||||||
20 | accordance with Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the | ||||||
21 | United States Constitution. | ||||||
22 | (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, the | ||||||
23 | Illinois National Guard and any member thereof shall not be | ||||||
24 | released from the State into active duty combat unless the | ||||||
25 | United States Congress has passed an official declaration of | ||||||
26 | war or has taken an official action in accordance with Article |
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1 | I, Section 8, Clause 15 of the United States Constitution to | ||||||
2 | explicitly call forth the Illinois National Guard and any | ||||||
3 | member thereof for the enumerated purposes to expressly | ||||||
4 | execute the laws of the union, repel an invasion, or suppress | ||||||
5 | an insurrection. The Governor shall take all actions necessary | ||||||
6 | to comply with the requirements of this Section.
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