Bill Text: IL HR0094 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Designates the 16th of every month in 2011 as Premature Birth Prevention and Awareness Day in the State of Illinois.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2011-03-08 - Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Patricia R. Bellock [HR0094 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-HR0094-Introduced.html


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HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Premature birth is a serious and growing problem
3that affects families from every walk of life and in every
4corner of the country; and
5 WHEREAS, 12.8%, or one of every eight, of all babies born
6in the United States are born prematurely; and
7 WHEREAS, Premature births have increased by 36% since the
8early 1980s; and
9 WHEREAS, In the United States, prematurity/low birthweight
10is the second leading cause of all infant deaths in the first
11year of life and the leading cause of infant death among black
12infants; and
13 WHEREAS, Premature babies who survive may suffer life-long
14consequences, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation,
15chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing loss; and
16 WHEREAS, Preterm birth and low birth weight are a
17significant financial burden in health care; and
18 WHEREAS, The medical, educational, and lost of
19productivity costs associated with preterm birth in the United

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1States was at least $26 billion in 2005; and
2 WHEREAS, Low birth weight, especially in conjunction with
3environmental stress, is associated with the development of
4diabetes and other chronic diseases later in life; and
5 WHEREAS, It is a fact that pre-term infants are more likely
6to have health problems that result in re-hospitalization; and
7 WHEREAS, The causes of premature births are not fully
8understood; and
9 WHEREAS, The cause of approximately half of all preterm
10births is completely unknown; and
11 WHEREAS, To reduce the rates of preterm labor and delivery,
12more research and funding is needed on the underlying causes of
13preterm delivery, the prevention of preterm birth so that
14babies are born full-term, and treatments improving outcomes
15for infants born prematurely; therefore, be it
16 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18we recognize activities and programs that promote awareness of
19and solutions to the dangers of premature birth across the
20United States; and be it further

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1 RESOLVED, That we designate the 16th of every month in 2011
2as Premature Birth Prevention and Awareness Day in the State of
3Illinois; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That we encourage Congress to reauthorize the
5PREEMIE Act, which is currently scheduled to expire at the end
6of fiscal year 2011, to continue and enhance federal support
7for research into the causes and prevention of premature birth
8and to reduce infant mortality caused by prematurity; and be it
9further
10 RESOLVED, That we dedicate this resolution to the memory of
11Leilani Marie Decker and her courageous struggle; and be it
12further
13 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
14presented to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of
15the Illinois House of Representatives, the President and
16Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, and the members of the
17Illinois congressional delegation.
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