HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	91
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

affirming that access to clean drinking water, education, and Healthcare are inherent and inalienable rights of all individuals.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the future health of the people and the economy of this state and country depend upon individual access to basic necessities including clean water, healthcare, and education; and

 

     WHEREAS, while the United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, many of the country's most critical resources, such as fresh and clean drinking water, have been compromised; and

 

     WHEREAS, over the years, cities across the country, such as Flint, Michigan, have experienced access to clean water being cut off, while towns across the country have experienced freshwater well contamination by chemical discharge as a result of fracking, among other things; and

 

WHEREAS, even in Hawaii, contamination of freshwater resources has occurred as a result of leaking cesspools and underground fuel storage tanks; and

 

     WHEREAS, despite education being declared a fundamental human right by the United Nations and a necessity for individuals and economies competing in a globalized world, the United States has been ranked among the lowest of all developed nations with regard to education.  In 2015, the United States ranked 40^th in math, 24^th in reading, and 25^th in science in the worldwide Program International Student Assessment, with Hawaii ranking consistently among the lowest of all fifty states in these categories; and

     WHEREAS, despite having the most expensive healthcare system in the world, with significantly more expensive prescription medication prices and hospital costs, the United States ranks as one of the worst in terms of healthcare outcomes of any developed nation; and

 

     WHEREAS, one in ten Americans remain uninsured despite various attempts, including the passage of the Affordable Care Act, to insure every American; and

 

     WHEREAS, the high cost of medical treatments, prescription medications, and overall medical care, coupled with a lack of adequate insurance coverage, has caused numerous families across the country to face tremendous financial difficulty, including bankruptcy; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt called for a "second bill of rights" to be enacted that included an individual's right to adequate medical care and a quality education; and

 

     WHEREAS, today, most modern western nations include an individual's right to healthcare, education, and clean water in their constitutions, finding that addressing these priorities has led to improvements in the quality of life for their citizenry; and

 

     WHEREAS, bold steps must be taken to address the priorities of clean water, adequate healthcare, and a quality education for all of the citizens of the United States; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature of the State of Hawaii affirms that clean water, adequate healthcare, and quality education are inherent and inalienable rights of all citizens of the United States; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, President of the United States Senate, and members of Hawaii's Congressional Delegation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Affirming that clean water, adequate healthcare, and quality education are inherent and inalienable rights of all citizens of the United States.