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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Children and pregnant women are uniquely
3vulnerable to the health threats of toxic chemicals, and early
4life chemical exposures have been linked to chronic disease
5later in life; and
 
6    WHEREAS, A growing body of peer-reviewed scientific
7evidence links exposure to toxic chemicals to many diseases and
8health conditions that are rising in incidence, including
9childhood cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancer, learning
10and developmental disabilities, infertility, and obesity; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The President's Cancer Panel report released in
12May 2010, states, "The true burden of environmentally-induced
13cancers has been grossly underestimated," and the panel advised
14President Barack Obama "to use the power of your office to
15remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water,
16and air that needlessly increase health care cost, cripple our
17nation's productivity, and devastate American lives"; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Workers in a range of industries are exposed to
19toxic chemicals which pose threats to their health, increasing
20worker absenteeism, workers' compensation claims, and health
21care costs that burden the economy; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, A recent national poll found that 78% of American
2voters were seriously concerned about the threat to children's
3health from exposure to toxic chemicals in day-to-day life; and
 
4    WHEREAS, States bear an undue burden from toxic chemicals,
5including health care costs and environmental damages,
6disadvantaging businesses that lack information on chemicals
7in their supply chain, and increasing demands for state
8regulation; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The federal Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
10(15 U.S.C Sec. 2601, et seq.), the primary governing federal
11statute, was intended to authorize the United States
12Environmental Protection Agency to protect public health and
13the environment from toxic chemicals; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The federal Toxic Substances Control Act has been
15recognized as having challenges that prevent the Environmental
16Protection Agency from taking quick and effective regulatory
17action to protect the public against chemical threats; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In January 2009, the United States General
19Accountability Office added the Environmental Protection
20Agency's regulatory program for assessing and controlling
21toxic chemicals to its list of "high risk" government programs
22that may have some deficiencies; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The National Conference of State Legislatures
2unanimously adopted a resolution in July 2009, that articulated
3principles for the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act
4of 1976 and called on the United States Congress to update the
5law; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In August 2010, the Environmental Council of the
7States, the national association of state environmental agency
8directors, unanimously adopted a resolution entitled
9"Reforming the Toxic Substance Control Act", which endorsed
10specific policy reforms including making certain the
11Environmental Protection Agency has adequate authority to
12ensure existing new chemicals are safe; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Ten states have come together to launch the
14Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse to coordinate state
15chemical information management programs, and a coalition of 13
16states issued guiding principles for the reform of the Toxic
17Substances Control Act of 1976; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Seventy-one state laws on chemical safety have
19been enacted and signed into law in 18 states with broad
20bi-partisan support over the last 8 years; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The State of California's policy leadership

 

 

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1regarding chemical management is outstanding and warrants
2close examination by Illinois and other states; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976
4Modernization effort presents a rare opportunity to bolster
5sustainable innovation within the chemical sciences industry
6to create jobs and eliminate the toxicity of older, more
7harmful substances; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Legislation to substantially reform the Toxic
9Substances Control Act of 1976 was introduced during the 109th
10Congress in 2005, the 110th Congress in 2008, and again in the
11111th Congress in 2010; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14we support the efforts of the National Black Caucus of State
15Legislators in their efforts to modernize the Federal Toxic
16Substances Control Act of 1976 by strengthening chemical
17management through policy reforms; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the General
19Assembly to strengthen the State's chemical management
20statutes.