Full Text of SJR0071 97th General Assembly
SJ0071 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Forty years ago, with the passage of the National | 3 | | Cancer Act of 1971 (P.L. 92-218), leaders of the United States | 4 | | came together to establish cancer research and patient care as | 5 | | public health priorities; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In 2011, an estimated 571,950 Americans, or more | 7 | | than 1,500 people a day, were expected to die of cancer; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Cancer is the second most common cause of death in | 9 | | the United States, exceeded only by heart disease; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, In the United States, cancer accounts for nearly 1 | 11 | | in every 4 deaths; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The risk of being diagnosed with cancer increases | 13 | | with age, with the majority of cases occurring in middle-aged | 14 | | and older adults; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, In the United States, men have slightly less than | 16 | | a 1-in-2 lifetime risk of developing cancer; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, In the United States, women have slightly more | 18 | | than a 1-in-3 lifetime risk of developing cancer; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, A total of 65,610 new cases of cancer among | 2 | | Illinois residents were reported in 2011; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, In 2011, the American Cancer Society reported an | 4 | | estimated 23,140 cancer deaths in Illinois; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Cancer touches everyone, either through a direct, | 6 | | personal diagnosis or indirectly through the diagnosis of a | 7 | | family member or friend; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, According to the American Association for Cancer | 9 | | Research, the Human Genome Project has identified more than 290 | 10 | | cancer-related genes, and the list of those genes will continue | 11 | | growing as researchers continue identifying genomic changes | 12 | | associated with different types of cancer; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Other external factors affect cancer risks, | 14 | | including, but not limited to, differences in occupational | 15 | | hazards, environmental exposure to pollution and other toxins, | 16 | | access to education, nutrition, physical activity, safe | 17 | | neighborhoods, and healthy foods; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Scientific achievements have resulted in the U.S. | 19 | | Food and Drug Administration's approval of 39 targeted cancer | 20 | | therapies; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, According to the American Association for Cancer | 2 | | Research, advances in chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and | 3 | | palliative care have led to important improvements in patient | 4 | | care and, as a result, increases in survival rates associated | 5 | | with many cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, | 6 | | Hodgkin's disease, aggressive lymphomas, and testicular | 7 | | cancer; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Advances in cancer care, including early | 9 | | detection and high-quality treatment programs, and access to | 10 | | health care coverage are necessary to provide cancer patients | 11 | | with an efficient and effective continuum of care; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Public policy can influence and support efficient | 13 | | cancer care by mitigating some of the economic and public | 14 | | health burdens on State agencies, including the Department of | 15 | | Public Health, the Department of Healthcare and Family | 16 | | Services, and the Department of Human Services; therefore, be | 17 | | it
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL | 19 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 20 | | CONCURRING HEREIN, that an urgent and significant need exists | 21 | | to discuss and evaluate public policies affecting cancer | 22 | | research, treatment, education, and prevention efforts; and be | 23 | | it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Senate and the Illinois House | 2 | | of Representatives, by this resolution, express their support | 3 | | for the establishment of a joint legislative cancer caucus, to | 4 | | be formally known as the Illinois Legislative Cancer Caucus; | 5 | | and be it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Legislative Cancer Caucus | 7 | | shall act as a forum for legislators and affiliate members to | 8 | | learn about important public health issues related to cancer | 9 | | and to evaluate legislative proposals concerning those issues; | 10 | | and be it further | 11 | | RESOLVED, That the members and affiliate members of the | 12 | | Illinois Legislative Cancer Caucus shall work to increase | 13 | | awareness and promote policies to prevent, treat, and educate | 14 | | the public about cancer, with the ultimate goal of identifying | 15 | | solutions to unmet needs; and be it further | 16 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Legislative Cancer Caucus | 17 | | shall work to strengthen community support programs, to meet | 18 | | the diverse needs of Illinois's citizens, and to support | 19 | | programs that make treatment options available to the medically | 20 | | indigent; and be it further | 21 | | RESOLVED, That the organizing members of the Illinois |
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| 1 | | General Assembly respectfully request recognition within the | 2 | | Illinois General Assembly as the official caucus for issues | 3 | | related to cancer prevention, treatment, and education | 4 | | efforts; and be it further | 5 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 6 | | distributed to the members of the General Assembly, the | 7 | | Governor, the Director of Public Health, the Director of | 8 | | Healthcare and Family Services, and the Secretary of Human | 9 | | Services.
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