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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Communities across the State of Illinois were
3devastated and 8 people were killed in tornadoes which struck
4the State on November 17, 2013; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or
6destroyed by the storm; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Local governments incurred millions in
8storm-related costs, including damage to public facilities,
9overtime, equipment rental, emergency sheltering and
10protective measures, and additional costs relating to cleanup
11and recovery; and
 
12    WHEREAS, On November 26, 2013, the President declared that
13the storms were "of sufficient severity and magnitude to
14warrant a major disaster declaration under the Robert T.
15Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act"; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The federal government subsequently disbursed
17more than $23.5 million in aid to assist individuals and
18businesses hit hardest by the storms; and
 
19    WHEREAS, On March 4, 2014, the federal government declared
20that the costs incurred by first responders and other State and

 

 

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1local government agencies were not sufficient to warrant
2federal help under the Public Assistance section of the
3Stafford Act; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The formula for determining eligibility under the
5Stafford Act is based on the population of a state, thereby
6setting Illinois' threshold much higher than the threshold of
7most other states in the nation; and
 
8    WHEREAS, This exceptionally high threshold has caused
9Illinois to be denied federal assistance for disasters striking
10in primarily rural areas frequently during the last decade; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Members of the Illinois congressional delegation
12have introduced legislation to correct this unfair federal
13disaster assistance threshold formula; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16we urge the members of the United States House of
17Representatives to correct this outdated and unfair system by
18passing H.R. 3925, the Fairness in Federal Disaster
19Declarations Act; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we urge the members of the United States
21Senate to pass S. 1960, the Fairness in Federal Disaster

 

 

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1Declarations Act; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
3delivered to the members of the Illinois congressional
4delegation.