Full Text of SJR0056 94th General Assembly
SJ0056 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The stability and livelihood of farms and family | 3 |
| farmers, the food and fiber industry, and the food processing, | 4 |
| commodity marketing, and agriculture-related industries of | 5 |
| this State have been endangered by severe drought conditions | 6 |
| during the 2005 growing season; and
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| WHEREAS, On July 27th, 2005, United States Department of | 8 |
| Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns designated 102 Illinois | 9 |
| counties as agriculture disaster areas due to the drought, and | 10 |
| the United States Drought Monitor indicates that Illinois | 11 |
| remains in an extreme drought that has greatly impacted the | 12 |
| productivity of Illinois crops and this State's economy; and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois' food and fiber industry employs nearly | 14 |
| one million people, food processing is the State's number-one | 15 |
| manufacturing activity adding almost $13.4 billion annually to | 16 |
| the value of Illinois' raw agricultural commodities, and the | 17 |
| marketing of Illinois' agricultural commodities generates more | 18 |
| than $9 billion annually for the State economy; and
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| WHEREAS, Billions more dollars flow into this State's | 20 |
| economy from agriculture-related industries, such as farm | 21 |
| machinery manufacturing, agricultural real estate, and | 22 |
| production and sale of value-added food products, which employ | 23 |
| millions of people; and
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| WHEREAS, The declaration of Illinois counties as | 25 |
| agriculture disaster areas due to the drought allows some | 26 |
| indirect relief to qualified producers in the form of | 27 |
| eligibility for low interest federal and State emergency loan | 28 |
| programs that allow producers to borrow moneys for production | 29 |
| and physical losses; notwithstanding these programs, a | 30 |
| comprehensive national Crop Disaster Program that authorizes | 31 |
| direct disaster payments to producers could provide better, |
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| more immediate, and more uniform protection to farmers against | 2 |
| natural disasters and drought conditions; and
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| WHEREAS, It is in the best interests of the State of | 4 |
| Illinois and the United States to provide the best protections | 5 |
| available to the vital agricultural sector of our economy; | 6 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 8 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 9 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the United States Congress to | 10 |
| promote and protect agriculture in Illinois and throughout the | 11 |
| United States by passing a comprehensive national Crop Disaster | 12 |
| Program that includes direct disaster payments to producers and | 13 |
| that includes disaster payments to Illinois producers who | 14 |
| suffered a loss during the 2005 growing season; and be it | 15 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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| presented to each member of the Illinois Congressional
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| delegation, the Speaker of the United States House of
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| Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States
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| Senate, and the President of the United States.
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