State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HR0556

 
                                              LRB9211109RHrhA

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on
 3    our nation, all Americans have been forced to reevaluate  the
 4    safety and security of our communities; and

 5        WHEREAS,   The   State   of   Illinois   has  had  strong
 6    anti-terrorism initiatives in place for some  time,  but  the
 7    new  era  America  has  now  entered requires that we do much
 8    more; and

 9        WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly applauds  Congress
10    for  acting  on an expedited and bipartisan basis to pass the
11    $40 billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriation to speed our
12    nation's recovery; and

13        WHEREAS, While many  proposals  are  being  discussed  in
14    Congress to provide additional resources to address terrorism
15    concerns,  it  is  crucial that these resources are allocated
16    not just at the federal and state government level, but  that
17    a  fair  portion  also  be  allocated  directly  to the local
18    governments to provide relief from all types of  catastrophic
19    events; and

20        WHEREAS,  As "first responders" in the event of terrorist
21    attacks and other catastrophic events, local governments are,
22    in a very real sense, on the  front  lines  of  our  nation's
23    defense and disaster readiness; and

24        WHEREAS,  In  case  of  a local catastrophe from numerous
25    tornado touchdowns that occur every year within the State  of
26    Illinois  or  a  major  earthquake  originating  from the New
27    Madrid Fault in southern Illinois,  the  closest  FEMA  Urban
28    Search and Rescue Team is located outside of our state; and

29        WHEREAS,  Congressional  assistance  to local governments
30    should be distributed in as direct, expedited and flexible  a
31    manner  as  possible,  either  through  existing distribution
 
                            -2-               LRB9211109RHrhA
 1    systems, such as  the  Federal  Emergency  Management  Agency
 2    (FEMA),  or  through  the  creation  of a block grant program
 3    directly for cities; and

 4        WHEREAS, While the Illinois General Assembly is proud  of
 5    and  has  every  confidence  in  its Police Departments, Fire
 6    Departments  and   Department   of   Public   Health,   these
 7    departments  could  benefit from enhanced resources to enable
 8    them to better protect the citizens of the State;  therefore,
 9    be it

10        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
11    NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12    we urge the United States to pass important  and  much-needed
13    legislation  allocating  funding  locally  to help combat the
14    scourge of terrorism; and be it further

15        RESOLVED, That FEMA approve an Urban  Search  and  Rescue
16    Team  to  be  located within the State of Illinois; and be it
17    further

18        RESOLVED, That the  United  States  Congress  appropriate
19    funds  by  which a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team could be
20    located within the State of Illinois; and be it further

21        RESOLVED, That suitable  copies  of  this  resolution  be
22    presented  to  the  Illinois  Delegation to the United States
23    Congress as a sign of our dedication to and support  of  this
24    important issue.

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