HR0950 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0950 LRB101 23307 LAW 74464 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have, as a nation, been advised to adhere to all public health and CDC guidelines in order to prevent further spread; and

WHEREAS, While most have yielded and exercised responsibility, there are marginalized groups of workers in essential sectors all across the State who are inadvertently exempt and unable to adhere to the advisory; and

WHEREAS, Farm, agricultural, and manufacturing workers, all of whom must leave their homes day in and day out to assist in the cultivation, harvest, and preparation of the food and produce we put on our tables, find themselves within this unprotected marginalized group; and

WHEREAS, The nature of this painstaking and backbreaking work, in addition to the equipment necessary to perform it, makes social distancing impractical and impossible for workers, which puts them at a heightened risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus; and

WHEREAS, Since mid-March, President Donald J. Trump has correctly analogized the fight against the COVID-19 virus as a war and has since used presidential wartime powers to combat the virus; and

WHEREAS, Farm, agricultural, and manufacturing workers, especially those who cannot practice social distancing at work, as well as their immediate families, are arguably mirroring the risks taken by our military personnel during the COVID-19 crisis; and

WHEREAS, Federal law currently grants the right to naturalization and citizenship to all English-speaking persons of good moral character who serve in our armed forces during wartime or hostilities, even when undocumented; and

WHEREAS, Nearly fifty percent of farm, agricultural, and manufacturing workers currently laboring during this pandemic crisis have been labeled essential workers by state and federal governments alike; it is our duty to reciprocate their sacrifice by assisting and providing them with a path to residency followed by a path to naturalization; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge 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; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this right and privilege of residency should be granted without regard to previous immigration status; and be it further

RESOLVED, That, in order to facilitate the identification of these essential workers, employers and their agents should be granted immunity from any adverse action for having employed, or otherwise acquired the services of, persons who were identified as being essential workers during the COVID-19 crisis; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States and the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate.