Bill Text: IL HR0009 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Declares the month of July 2025 as Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) Awareness Month in the State of Illinois. Encourages funding for research organizations working towards finding the cause and the cure of SJIA in order to prevent this disease and offer successful treatment options.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (N/A) 2025-01-09 - Referred to Rules Committee [HR0009 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HR0009-Introduced.html

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HR0009 LRB104 06226 LAW 16261 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most
common childhood chronic rheumatologic disorder; and
WHEREAS, JIA has a yearly incidence of 2 to 20 cases per
100,000 individuals and strikes an estimated total of 294,000
children in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) is
a serious subtype of JIA and the most common type of arthritis
in children and teens, affecting about 10% to 20% of children
with JIA; and
WHEREAS, Systemic means it may affect not only the joints
but other parts of the body, including the liver, lungs, and
heart; and
WHEREAS, The most serious potential complication of SJIA
is macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), a massive
inflammatory response that overwhelms the whole body; and
WHEREAS, SJIA, sometimes referred to as Still's disease,
affects boys and girls equally and can occur at any time during
childhood, but it most commonly starts at approximately two
years of age; and

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WHEREAS, SJIA differs from other subtypes of JIA because
it is autoinflammatory rather than autoimmune, more severe,
and more challenging to diagnose and treat than other types of
JIA; and
WHEREAS, The main cause of SJIA is unknown, but it is
generally believed to be triggered by something in the
environment of a child that has a genetic predisposition; and
WHEREAS, The symptoms of SJIA are fever, rash, and joint
pain; a high, recurring fever, often coupled with a rash, is
one of the first signs of the disease, with this fever usually
following a pattern in which a child's temperature reaches 103
degrees Fahrenheit or higher, generally in the evening, and
then drops within a few hours; and
WHEREAS, According to the International League of
Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR), a diagnosis of SJIA
requires a high fever for at least two weeks and arthritis,
such as joint pain and inflammation, in one or more joints for
at least six weeks; and
WHEREAS, There are no specific tests for SJIA; instead,
doctors have to rely on their experience and expertise as well
as the child's medical history, a comprehensive physical exam,

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and laboratory medical equipment to identify the disease; and
WHEREAS, While there is no known cure for SJIA, remission
is possible through early aggressive treatment and non-drug
therapies; and
WHEREAS, Increasing awareness among patients, parents, and
healthcare providers alike regarding Systemic Juvenile
Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) is a key component in safeguarding
children's health; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we declare the month of July 2025 as Systemic Juvenile
Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) Awareness Month in the State of
Illinois; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage funding for research
organizations working towards finding the cause and the cure
of SJIA in order to prevent this disease and offer successful
treatment options.