093_HJ0020
LRB093 10688 HSS 11046 r
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The prospective invasion of bighead carp and
3 silver carp has been identified as a major threat to the
4 Great Lakes ecosystem; and
5 WHEREAS, Bighead carp and silver carp were spotted in the
6 summer of 2002 within 55 miles of Lake Michigan in the
7 Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which connects to the
8 Mississippi River and the Great Lakes systems; and
9 WHEREAS, It is imperative that aggressive action be taken
10 to safeguard the ecological and economic integrity of the
11 Great Lakes from this threat; therefore, be it
12 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
14 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the members of the Illinois
15 General Assembly acknowledge the significance of the
16 ecological and economic damage associated with the
17 prospective invasion and spread of bighead and silver carp;
18 and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That the Illinois General Assembly urges the
20 United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and
21 Wildlife Service, to add bighead carp and silver carp to the
22 list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act, thereby
23 prohibiting the importation and interstate transportation of
24 live specimens or viable eggs of these two species; and be it
25 further
26 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be delivered to
27 Gale Norton, United States Secretary of the Interior, and to
28 each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.