Bill Text: IL HR0547 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Declares February 2, 2024 as "World Wetlands Day" in the State of Illinois. Urges state agencies, local governments, and other organizations to work together to preserve and protect wetlands.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-06-29 - Rule 19(b) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HR0547 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0547-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, Wetlands, including marshes, swamps, and bogs, | ||||||
| 3 | play a critical role in reducing flooding, recharging | ||||||
| 4 | groundwater supplies, and filtering pollutants and nutrients; | ||||||
| 5 | and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Illinois contains hundreds of ecologically | ||||||
| 7 | significant wetlands that provide habitat for a rich array of | ||||||
| 8 | wildlife, including endangered species, and that are critical | ||||||
| 9 | for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds due to their location | ||||||
| 10 | within the Mississippi Flyway; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has played an | ||||||
| 12 | essential role in protecting aquatic environments from | ||||||
| 13 | pollution and maintaining their role in providing drinking | ||||||
| 14 | water, recreation, and wildlife habitats; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court dramatically | ||||||
| 16 | weakened the Clean Water Act in its ruling in the Sackett v. | ||||||
| 17 | Environmental Protection Agency case; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, Sackett concluded that the Clean Water Act does | ||||||
| 19 | not protect wetlands that do not have a continuous surface | ||||||
| 20 | connection to a federally protected body of water; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Illinois has lost 90% of its original wetlands; | ||||||
| 2 | and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Illinois has a goal of reducing phosphorus and | ||||||
| 4 | nitrogen levels by 30% by 2035; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Illinois landowners are taking proactive steps to | ||||||
| 6 | protect and install wetlands and buffer habitats; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a responsibility to | ||||||
| 8 | protect its remaining wetlands and reduce pollution; | ||||||
| 9 | therefore, be it
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| 10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 11 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 12 | we declare February 2, 2024 as "World Wetlands Day" in the | ||||||
| 13 | State of Illinois; and be it further
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