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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The island nation of Haiti is steeped in a rich
3 culture and history; on January 12, 2010, a magnitude-7.0
4 earthquake struck Haiti, with its epicenter just outside the
5 capital and population center of Port-au-Prince; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Haitian government has confirmed a death toll
7 of more than 230,000 persons as a result of the disaster; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Following the catastrophic damage to their
9 villages and cities, many of the earthquake survivors now live
10 in tent cities and are more vulnerable than ever to epidemics
11 of infectious disease, particularly with the region's rainy
12 season approaching; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Due to many factors, including the
14 already-extreme poverty of the nation, thousands of Haitian
15 children had been provably and legally abandoned and
16 relinquished to the Haitian government by their parents prior
17 to the devastation of that January day; and
 
18     WHEREAS, These children, known as "Category 3" orphans, are
19 officially confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry
20 adoption but do not meet the specific criteria outlined by the
21 United States Department of Homeland Security that would allow

 

 

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1 them to enter the United States; and
 
2     WHEREAS, An additional unknown number of "Category 2"
3 orphans--those children who are both eligible for intercountry
4 adoption and matched with American adoptive parents prior to
5 January 12, 2010--have yet to be allowed to join their new
6 families in the United States; and
 
7     WHEREAS, At least twenty-one orphans are destined for
8 families in the United States, though their adoptions have
9 since been mired in unfortunate bureaucracy; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Twelve of these children remain in diplomatic
11 limbo in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania facility, while at least
12 nine remain at the God's Littlest Angels orphanage near
13 Port-au-Prince, run by Dixie Bickel of Clinton, Illinois; and
 
14     WHEREAS, In 2007, the United Nations Children's Fund
15 numbered the orphan population of Haiti at more than 380,000
16 children; following the earthquake, some organizations
17 estimate that number to have more than tripled; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Whatever the number of orphans, there are families
19 in Illinois and throughout the United States who are ready,
20 willing, and able to welcome these provably abandoned children
21 into loving homes; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Every provably abandoned child who is taken into a
2 home within the United States dramatically reduces the strain
3 on the post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti; therefore, be
4 it
 
5     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7 remember the victims and survivors of the Haiti earthquake
8 disaster; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That we implore the United States government to
10 expedite the approval of "Category 2" and "Category 3" orphans
11 so that the children who are in need of loving homes may find
12 them quickly and safely; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That we applaud the efforts of organizations such
14 as God's littlest Angels orphanage, that are so dedicated to
15 important relief work in Haiti, and we call on all Illinois
16 citizens to support such organizations in whatever capacity
17 they are able; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent
19 to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn; Hillary Clinton, United States
20 Secretary of State; Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the federal
21 Department of Health and Human Services; Julie Hamos, Director

 

 

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