Full Text of HR1121 96th General Assembly
HR1121 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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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| them to enter the United States; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, An additional unknown number of "Category 2"
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| 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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| WHEREAS, Every provably abandoned child who is taken into a
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| home within the United States dramatically reduces the strain | 3 |
| on the
post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti; therefore, be | 4 |
| it
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| 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
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| 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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| of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois | 2 |
| congressional delegation.
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