Full Text of HR0900 94th General Assembly
HR0900 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Women have served in all of America's major | 3 |
| conflicts, beginning with the American Revolution when some | 4 |
| women disguised themselves as men to join the Continental Army; | 5 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Women were hired in medical service in the wars of | 7 |
| the 18th and 19th centuries and, during the Civil War, were | 8 |
| also hired as cooks, seamstresses, saboteurs, scouts, | 9 |
| couriers, and foragers for supplies; and
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| WHEREAS, In the Spanish-American War, a typhoid fever | 11 |
| emergency forced the United States Army to recruit 1,500 women | 12 |
| under a civilian contract, which is considered the event that | 13 |
| established women as a formal part of the military; and
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| WHEREAS, In spite of the secondary status of women in the | 15 |
| military at the time, more than 35,000 women served in roles | 16 |
| ranging from nurses to telephone operators to clerks in World | 17 |
| War I, which was the first war in which American women served | 18 |
| overseas; and
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| WHEREAS, More than 350,000 women served in World War II, | 20 |
| including the first female officers, who responded to an | 21 |
| all-out mobilization because of a desperate need for personnel; | 22 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, the military opened up | 24 |
| many other positions to women as a result of not only personnel | 25 |
| shortages but also general societal changes in the role of | 26 |
| women; and | 27 |
| WHEREAS, Between 1990 and 2000, the female veterans' | 28 |
| population in the United States increased by 33.3% from 1.2 | 29 |
| million to 1.6 million, representing approximately 7% of the |
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| total veteran population; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2001, approximately 203,000 women | 3 |
| were serving in the United States military and made up 15% of | 4 |
| the active duty force and about 23% of the reserve force; and | 5 |
| WHEREAS, By the year 2010, it is projected that female | 6 |
| veterans will comprise well over 10% of the veteran population; | 7 |
| and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, Female service members are currently stationed | 9 |
| throughout the world and are proudly serving their country in | 10 |
| many operations including Operation Enduring Freedom and | 11 |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom; and | 12 |
| WHEREAS, Veteran services and health systems should | 13 |
| reflect the increasing population change of women in military | 14 |
| service; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, There are only 8 Women Veterans' Comprehensive | 16 |
| Health Centers in the federal Veterans' Affairs system that | 17 |
| serve as health care centers for female veterans and develop | 18 |
| new and enhanced programs focusing on the unique health care | 19 |
| needs of female veterans, including research on medical and | 20 |
| psychosocial issues of female veterans; and | 21 |
| WHEREAS, These services should be expanded to all veteran | 22 |
| health care systems, including the Veterans' Affairs Illiana | 23 |
| Heath Care System in Danville, Illinois, which provides care to | 24 |
| approximately 150,000 veterans primarily residing in central | 25 |
| Illinois and west central Indiana; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 27 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 28 |
| we urge the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs to | 29 |
| consider the increasing needs of female veterans and to expand |
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| services to women throughout the Veterans' Health | 2 |
| Administration, especially at the Veterans' Affairs Illiana | 3 |
| Heath Care System in Danville, Illinois; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 5 |
| delivered to the Secretary of the United States Department of | 6 |
| Veterans' Affairs and to all of the members of the Illinois | 7 |
| Congressional delegation.
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