Bill Text: IL HR0886 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges the Governor and the General Assembly to strengthen the State's chemical management statutes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-05-09 - Resolution Adopted [HR0886 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR0886-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Children and pregnant women are uniquely
vulnerable to the health threats of toxic chemicals, and early
life chemical exposures have been linked to chronic disease
later in life; and
WHEREAS, A growing body of peer-reviewed scientific
evidence links exposure to toxic chemicals to many diseases and
health conditions that are rising in incidence, including
childhood cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancer, learning
and developmental disabilities, infertility, and obesity; and
WHEREAS, The President's Cancer Panel report released in
May 2010, states, "The true burden of environmentally-induced
cancers has been grossly underestimated," and the panel advised
President Barack Obama "to use the power of your office to
remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water,
and air that needlessly increase health care cost, cripple our
nation's productivity, and devastate American lives"; and
WHEREAS, Workers in a range of industries are exposed to
toxic chemicals which pose threats to their health, increasing
worker absenteeism, workers' compensation claims, and health
care costs that burden the economy; and

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WHEREAS, A recent national poll found that 78% of American
voters were seriously concerned about the threat to children's
health from exposure to toxic chemicals in day-to-day life; and
WHEREAS, States bear an undue burden from toxic chemicals,
including health care costs and environmental damages,
disadvantaging businesses that lack information on chemicals
in their supply chain, and increasing demands for state
regulation; and
WHEREAS, The federal Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
(15 U.S.C Sec. 2601, et seq.), the primary governing federal
statute, was intended to authorize the United States
Environmental Protection Agency to protect public health and
the environment from toxic chemicals; and
WHEREAS, The federal Toxic Substances Control Act has been
recognized as having challenges that prevent the Environmental
Protection Agency from taking quick and effective regulatory
action to protect the public against chemical threats; and
WHEREAS, In January 2009, the United States General
Accountability Office added the Environmental Protection
Agency's regulatory program for assessing and controlling
toxic chemicals to its list of "high risk" government programs
that may have some deficiencies; and

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WHEREAS, The National Conference of State Legislatures
unanimously adopted a resolution in July 2009, that articulated
principles for the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act
of 1976 and called on the United States Congress to update the
law; and
WHEREAS, In August 2010, the Environmental Council of the
States, the national association of state environmental agency
directors, unanimously adopted a resolution entitled
"Reforming the Toxic Substance Control Act", which endorsed
specific policy reforms including making certain the
Environmental Protection Agency has adequate authority to
ensure existing new chemicals are safe; and
WHEREAS, Ten states have come together to launch the
Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse to coordinate state
chemical information management programs, and a coalition of 13
states issued guiding principles for the reform of the Toxic
Substances Control Act of 1976; and
WHEREAS, Seventy-one state laws on chemical safety have
been enacted and signed into law in 18 states with broad
bi-partisan support over the last 8 years; and
WHEREAS, The State of California's policy leadership

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regarding chemical management is outstanding and warrants
close examination by Illinois and other states; and
WHEREAS, The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
Modernization effort presents a rare opportunity to bolster
sustainable innovation within the chemical sciences industry
to create jobs and eliminate the toxicity of older, more
harmful substances; and
WHEREAS, Legislation to substantially reform the Toxic
Substances Control Act of 1976 was introduced during the 109th
Congress in 2005, the 110th Congress in 2008, and again in the
111th Congress in 2010; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we support the efforts of the National Black Caucus of State
Legislators in their efforts to modernize the Federal Toxic
Substances Control Act of 1976 by strengthening chemical
management through policy reforms; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the General
Assembly to strengthen the State's chemical management
statutes.