Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HR0059 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	HR0059LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r HR0059 LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
2	2	HR0059 LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
3	3	1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
4	4	2 WHEREAS, The profound impacts of military toxic exposures
5	5	3 on generations of veterans and military families have created
6	6	4 the persistent and urgent need for enhanced public awareness
7	7	5 and preventative health measures; and
8	8	6 WHEREAS, The history of military toxic exposures dates
9	9	7 back more than a century, particularly with the use of
10	10	8 chemical warfare in World War I; and
11	11	9 WHEREAS, Despite reductions in certain chemical agents
12	12	10 during World War II, members of the Armed Forces continued to
13	13	11 face significant toxic exposures, including hazardous
14	14	12 substances from naval vessels and herbicides during the Korean
15	15	13 War and Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides during the
16	16	14 Vietnam War; and
17	17	15 WHEREAS, The impact of toxic exposure is not limited to
18	18	16 veterans alone but can also affect their families, including
19	19	17 their children with medical conditions potentially related to
20	20	18 their parents' service, such as children born with health
21	21	19 issues following the Vietnam War; and
22	22	20 WHEREAS, The legacy of toxic exposure extends to veterans
23	23	21 known as "atomic veterans", who experienced hazardous
24	24
25	25
26	26
27	27	HR0059 LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
28	28
29	29
30	30	HR0059- 2 -LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r HR0059 - 2 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
31	31	HR0059 - 2 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
32	32	1 radiation exposure, further compounding the health risks
33	33	2 associated with service in the Armed Forces; and
34	34	3 WHEREAS, Generations of veterans have faced toxic
35	35	4 exposures while serving abroad; and
36	36	5 WHEREAS, Veterans have encountered other toxic exposures
37	37	6 and environmental hazards during service in the Armed Forces,
38	38	7 including contaminated drinking water, asbestos,
39	39	8 polychlorinated biphenyl, lead, and radiation; and
40	40	9 WHEREAS, In 1991, the Vietnam Veterans of America achieved
41	41	10 a significant legislative victory when congress passed the
42	42	11 Agent Orange Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-4), leading to the
43	43	12 recognition of Agent Orange as a presumptive hazard and paving
44	44	13 the way for benefits for affected veterans; and
45	45	14 WHEREAS, Subsequent conflicts, including the Persian Gulf
46	46	15 War, have seen soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines facing
47	47	16 similar debilitating health issues due to toxic exposures,
48	48	17 reinforcing the need for continued advocacy and research; and
49	49	18 WHEREAS, Multiple veterans service organizations,
50	50	19 including Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, the
51	51	20 American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed
52	52	21 Veterans of America, the Vietnam Veterans of America, and
53	53
54	54
55	55
56	56
57	57
58	58	HR0059 - 2 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
59	59
60	60
61	61	HR0059- 3 -LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r HR0059 - 3 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
62	62	HR0059 - 3 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
63	63	1 others, have worked tirelessly to secure legislative
64	64	2 improvements, including studies on the effects of toxic
65	65	3 exposure and the passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath
66	66	4 Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics
67	67	5 Act of 2022 (Public Law 117- 168), also known as the PACT Act;
68	68	6 and
69	69	7 WHEREAS, The PACT Act expanded eligibility for benefits
70	70	8 and health care to veterans of all eras who were exposed to
71	71	9 toxic substances; and
72	72	10 WHEREAS, The PACT Act established a new, responsive
73	73	11 framework so that the Department of Veterans Affairs could
74	74	12 more rapidly and transparently make decisions on the
75	75	13 presumption of connection to service in the Armed Forces for
76	76	14 illnesses and other conditions associated with toxic exposure;
77	77	15 and
78	78	16 WHEREAS, Burn pits, hazardous particulate matter, Agent
79	79	17 Orange, oil well fires, fuel leaks, and other toxic events
80	80	18 present in various conflicts have emerged as significant
81	81	19 health concerns, necessitating research into their long-term
82	82	20 effects on veterans and their families; and
83	83	21 WHEREAS, The lessons from toxic exposures guide the work
84	84	22 and research of the Department of Defense, the Department of
85	85
86	86
87	87
88	88
89	89
90	90	HR0059 - 3 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
91	91
92	92
93	93	HR0059- 4 -LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r HR0059 - 4 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
94	94	HR0059 - 4 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r
95	95	1 Veterans Affairs, and Congress; and
96	96	2 WHEREAS, The effects of toxic exposure are not only
97	97	3 confined to members of the Armed Forces and their family
98	98	4 members but also can impact civilian workers and residents of
99	99	5 military installations exposed to hazardous materials; and
100	100	6 WHEREAS, Continued vigilance is necessary to prevent
101	101	7 future incidents of toxic exposure; therefore, be it
102	102	8 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
103	103	9 HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
104	104	10 we declare October 2025 as Military Toxic Exposures Awareness
105	105	11 Month in the State of Illinois; and be it further
106	106	12 RESOLVED, That we recognize the profound impact toxic
107	107	13 exposures have had on veterans, members of the Armed Forces,
108	108	14 their families, and their survivors; and be it further
109	109
110	110
111	111
112	112
113	113
114	114	HR0059 - 4 - LRB104 08212 MST 18262 r