Bill Text: IL HJR0007 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Supports the passing of the Abolition Amendment by Congress.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-05 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Lakesia Collins [HJR0007 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HJR0007-Introduced.html
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, With the adoption and ratification of the 13th | ||||||
3 | Amendment 155 years ago, the practice of slavery formally | ||||||
4 | ended in the United States, but it did not strip away all | ||||||
5 | aspects of involuntary servitude; and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Lawmakers in Congress are pushing to remove the | ||||||
7 | so-called slavery loophole from the U.S. Constitution, a | ||||||
8 | loophole which has been exploited to criminalize and | ||||||
9 | incarcerate Black and Brown Americans; and
| ||||||
10 | WHEREAS, A joint resolution dubbed the Abolition Amendment | ||||||
11 | seeks to remove the "punishment" clause from the amendment, | ||||||
12 | which effectively allows members of prison populations to be | ||||||
13 | used as cheap and free labor; and
| ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Prison labor has been a part of the U.S. economy | ||||||
15 | since at least the late 19th century; and
| ||||||
16 | WHEREAS, Reliance on prison labor is generally touted as a | ||||||
17 | way to rehabilitate inmates and provide an environment for | ||||||
18 | teaching them new trade skills; inmates make little to no | ||||||
19 | money for their efforts; and
| ||||||
20 | WHEREAS, According to the nonprofit Prison Policy |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Initiative, the minimum estimated annual value of incarcerated | ||||||
2 | labor from U.S. prisons and jails is $2 billion; and
| ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, In July 2020, NPR reported that companies, | ||||||
4 | including Walmart, AT&T, Whole Foods, and Victoria's Secret, | ||||||
5 | have used incarcerated populations for their business | ||||||
6 | operations; and
| ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, No American should ever be subject to involuntary | ||||||
8 | servitude, even if they are incarcerated; and
| ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, Ending the slavery loophole in the 13th Amendment | ||||||
10 | would be a critical step towards taking on the long and | ||||||
11 | difficult challenge of rooting out systemic racism in our | ||||||
12 | nation; therefore, be it
| ||||||
13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
14 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
15 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we support the passing of the | ||||||
16 | Abolition Amendment by Congress; and be it further
| ||||||
17 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies be delivered to all members | ||||||
18 | of the President, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. | ||||||
19 | Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House, the | ||||||
20 | U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, and all members | ||||||
21 | of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.
|