Full Text of HR0219 102nd General Assembly
HR0219 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an | 3 | | economic crisis that has affected working Americans and has | 4 | | had a disproportionate effect on women, especially women of | 5 | | color; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Women have suffered the full force of this crisis | 7 | | because of inadequate childcare, instability in hard-hit | 8 | | industries, and insufficient health and safety resources; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The unpaid domestic work and the essential care | 10 | | work performed by women sustains societies and has immense | 11 | | economic value, yet recovery policies do not adequately | 12 | | support women; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Women comprise a majority of workers in | 14 | | industries impacted by COVID-19, including the hospitality, | 15 | | entertainment, healthcare, and restaurant industries; women | 16 | | comprise the majority of midwives, cleaners, launderers, | 17 | | nurses, and other community health workers; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Over 50 percent of all essential workers are | 19 | | women, including 78 percent of social workers and 77 percent | 20 | | of healthcare workers; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Despite the fact that women are at the forefront | 2 | | of exposure, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not | 3 | | designed to fit them; surveys have found that less than 30 | 4 | | percent of PPE fits women correctly; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, When schools are closed to reduce virus | 6 | | transmission, many women are forced to choose between | 7 | | childcare and staying in the workforce; many women have left | 8 | | their jobs or shifted to part-time work to accommodate for | 9 | | school and daycare closings; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Women make up the majority of single-parent | 11 | | households and perform 76 percent of unpaid care work; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, 1 in 4 women who lost their jobs during the | 13 | | COVID-19 pandemic have reported that they lost their jobs due | 14 | | to a lack of childcare; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Women have been disproportionately affected by | 16 | | unemployment, with women suffering 60 percent of | 17 | | pandemic-related job losses; the unemployment rate for women | 18 | | reached a staggering 16 percent with most of the women | 19 | | affected being Black, Latinx, and disabled women; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Forcing women, who already have less savings than | 21 | | men, to drop out of the labor force to perform care work |
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| 1 | | reduces their life-time income by 65 percent, which in turn | 2 | | exacerbates gaps in life-time income; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, COVID-19-related restrictions also came at the | 4 | | expense of women's health and safety as women's shelters close | 5 | | and resources are reallocated to pandemic response; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Economic stress and social stress, coupled with | 7 | | restricted movement and social isolation, have led to an | 8 | | exponential increase in gender-based violence; without the | 9 | | economic and social resources that shelters and crisis centers | 10 | | provide, women are unable to escape abusive partners and face | 11 | | a greater threat of sexual exploitation and trafficking; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Pandemic-related restrictions have made it harder | 13 | | for women to seek health services as health clinics close and | 14 | | postpone or restrict non-emergency medical care for pandemic | 15 | | response; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, The diversion of healthcare resources for the | 17 | | pandemic has exacerbated maternal mortality and morbidity; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Transgender women have faced more barriers to | 19 | | gender-affirming medical care, and individuals with uteruses | 20 | | face more difficulties getting gynecological care since the | 21 | | beginning of the pandemic; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, It is essential that the General Assembly and the | 2 | | Governor fix the unemployment system, fully fund the Child | 3 | | Care Assistance Program, and institute policies that make it | 4 | | easier for caregivers to participate and stay in the | 5 | | workforce; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Economic and social policies cannot neglect the | 7 | | work women perform and the issues they face; therefore, be it | 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 9 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 10 | | we urge state lawmakers to enact policies, such as | 11 | | prioritizing funding and supporting education including the | 12 | | evidence-based funding formula passed by the General Assembly, | 13 | | Paid Family Leave, Paid Sick Leave, and support programs | 14 | | dedicated to providing women with accessible healthcare and | 15 | | safety resources, including those that address the rate of | 16 | | maternal mortality, especially for Black and Latinx women, to | 17 | | preserve the health, safety, and well-being of women during | 18 | | the COVID-19 Pandemic; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to Governor JB Pritzker and all members of the | 21 | | Illinois General Assembly.
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