Bill Text: IL SR0100 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Congress and the President of the United States to grant the right and privilege of United States residency to all farm, agricultural, and manufacturing workers who have served and labored during the COVID-19 crisis.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-05-31 - Resolution Adopted [SR0100 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-SR0100-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have, as | ||||||
3 | a nation, been advised to adhere to all public health and CDC | ||||||
4 | guidelines in order to prevent further spread; and
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5 | WHEREAS, While most have yielded and exercised | ||||||
6 | responsibility, there are marginalized groups of workers in | ||||||
7 | essential sectors all across the State who are inadvertently | ||||||
8 | exempt and unable to adhere to the advisory; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Farm, agricultural, and manufacturing workers, | ||||||
10 | all of whom must leave their homes day in and day out to assist | ||||||
11 | in the cultivation, harvest, and preparation of the food and | ||||||
12 | produce we put on our tables, find themselves within this | ||||||
13 | unprotected marginalized group; and
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14 | WHEREAS, The nature of this painstaking and backbreaking | ||||||
15 | work, in addition to the equipment necessary to perform it, | ||||||
16 | makes social distancing impractical and impossible for | ||||||
17 | workers, which puts them at a heightened risk of contracting | ||||||
18 | the COVID-19 virus; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Since mid-March 2020 through the remainder of his | ||||||
20 | presidency, Donald J. Trump correctly analogized the fight | ||||||
21 | against the COVID-19 virus as a war and used presidential |
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1 | wartime powers to combat the virus while in office; and
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2 | WHEREAS, Farm, agricultural, and manufacturing workers, | ||||||
3 | especially those who cannot practice social distancing at | ||||||
4 | work, as well as their immediate families, are arguably | ||||||
5 | mirroring the risks taken by our military personnel during the | ||||||
6 | COVID-19 crisis; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Federal law currently grants the right to | ||||||
8 | naturalization and citizenship to all English-speaking persons | ||||||
9 | of good moral character who serve in our armed forces during | ||||||
10 | wartime or hostilities, even when undocumented; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Nearly fifty percent of farm, agricultural, and | ||||||
12 | manufacturing workers currently laboring during this pandemic | ||||||
13 | crisis have been labeled essential workers by state and | ||||||
14 | federal governments alike; it is our duty to reciprocate their | ||||||
15 | sacrifice by assisting and providing them with a path to | ||||||
16 | residency followed by a path to naturalization; therefore, be | ||||||
17 | it
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18 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | ||||||
19 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress and | ||||||
20 | the President of the United States to grant the right and | ||||||
21 | privilege of United States residency to all farm, | ||||||
22 | agricultural, and manufacturing workers who have served and |
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1 | labored during the COVID-19 crisis; and be it further
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2 | RESOLVED, That this right and privilege of residency | ||||||
3 | should be granted without regard to previous immigration | ||||||
4 | status; and be it further
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5 | RESOLVED, That, in order to facilitate the identification | ||||||
6 | of these essential workers, employers and their agents should | ||||||
7 | be granted immunity from any adverse action for having | ||||||
8 | employed, or otherwise acquired the services of, persons who | ||||||
9 | were identified as being essential workers during the COVID-19 | ||||||
10 | crisis; and be it further
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11 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
12 | delivered to the President of the United States and the | ||||||
13 | leaders of the U.S. House and Senate.
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