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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Many veterans in Illinois and across the United
3States have committed their lives to protecting our nation and
4its interest; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In pursuit of that service, veterans who served in
6the vicinity of Vietnam and Thailand from January 9, 1962 to
7May 7, 1975 and in the Korean demilitarized zone from September
81, 1967 to August 31, 1971 were exposed to a chemical known as
9"Agent Orange"; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Agent Orange is an herbicide that is known for its
11use by the United States military as part of its warfare
12program; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Agent Orange was sprayed on more than 12,000
14square miles of Vietnam, nearly ten percent of the country; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The chemical found its way into inland and
16offshore water, and to this day the most heavily contaminated
17areas are the 28 remaining U.S. air bases where the chemicals
18were stored; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Up to four million people were exposed to the
20chemical and as many as three million of those exposed have

 

 

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1reported health problems, including birth defects, mental
2disabilities, and cancers; and
 
3    WHEREAS, In 1978, the United States Army buried 250 drums
4of Agent Orange in the Korean demilitarized zone; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Veterans who served in or near the Korean
6demilitarized zone have also received treatment for a disease
7associated with Agent Orange exposure during their service in
8Korea; and
 
9    WHEREAS, In January 2017, H.R. 299 was introduced in the
10United States Congress to expand the presumption of service
11connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide
12exposure related to veterans who served in the Republic of
13Vietnam and the Korean demilitarized zone for treatment
14purposes; and
 
15    WHEREAS, H.R. 299 passed the house, but it stalled in the
16Senate; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
18HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we urge Congress to pass legislation in support of the
20expansion of the presumptions for Agent Orange exposure for
21veteran treatment purposes; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2delivered to the President of the United States, the U.S.
3Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the
4U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives
5Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional
6Delegation.