Bill Text: IL HR0169 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Declares the month of September 2023 as River Clean Up Month. Encourages chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, local economic development organizations, area groups and associations, and local schools and colleges to organize and coordinate local cleanup activities along portions of rivers and waterways in their area. Encourages the State of Illinois to promote September as River Clean Up Month.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2023-05-15 - Resolution Adopted [HR0169 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0169-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Illinois rivers were once a vital part of the | ||||||
| 3 | culture and lives of the
Peoria, Kaskaskia, Piankashaw, Wea, | ||||||
| 4 | Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki,
Kickapoo, Potawatomi, | ||||||
| 5 | Ojibwe, and Chickasaw peoples who inhabited the land, which | ||||||
| 6 | continues to carry their stories; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Illinois rivers have been a vital part of the | ||||||
| 8 | State's history since statehood,
including the life of the | ||||||
| 9 | 16th President Abraham Lincoln, the story of the
Underground | ||||||
| 10 | Railroad up to and during the Civil War, and part of the | ||||||
| 11 | development
story of the City of Chicago; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Rivers throughout Illinois are premier natural | ||||||
| 13 | resources,
providing water for agriculture, wildlife, | ||||||
| 14 | recreation, and residential and industrial uses; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, Illinois contains more miles of rivers than any | ||||||
| 16 | other state east of the
Mississippi River, and Illinoisans | ||||||
| 17 | throughout the State enjoy recreation on Illinois
rivers, | ||||||
| 18 | including boating, fishing, angling, kayaking, canoeing, | ||||||
| 19 | paddleboarding,
tubing, and many other sports; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Agriculture, water recreation, and water-related | ||||||
| 21 | tourism are key
economic drivers in the State, and the values | ||||||
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| 1 | and services associated with
watersheds such as clean water | ||||||
| 2 | and energy are critical to the State's overall
economic | ||||||
| 3 | health; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Tons of trash, junk, and debris are annually | ||||||
| 5 | dumped into Illinois Rivers
along its banks, negatively | ||||||
| 6 | impacting riparian wildlife, damaging both the aesthetic
and | ||||||
| 7 | biological qualities of a river; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Various state legislatures have encouraged | ||||||
| 9 | waterway clean-up activities
by designating September as River | ||||||
| 10 | Clean Up Month; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, During the month of September, water levels are | ||||||
| 12 | usually low,
temperatures are warm, and colleges and schools | ||||||
| 13 | are in session, all of which present an educational | ||||||
| 14 | opportunity to involve area youth and to highlight the | ||||||
| 15 | importance of clean
rivers and waterways; therefore, be it
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| 16 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 17 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 18 | we declare the month of September 2023 as
River Clean Up Month | ||||||
| 19 | in the State of Illinois; and be it further
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| 20 | RESOLVED, That we encourage chambers of commerce, | ||||||
| 21 | convention and visitors bureaus, local
economic development | ||||||
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| 1 | organizations, area groups and associations, and local
schools | ||||||
| 2 | and colleges to organize and coordinate local
cleanup | ||||||
| 3 | activities along portions of rivers and waterways in their | ||||||
| 4 | area; and be it further
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| 5 | RESOLVED, That the State of Illinois is encouraged to | ||||||
| 6 | promote September as River Clean Up Month.
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