Bill Text: IL HR0219 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges federal and other state lawmakers to enact policies to preserve the health, safety, and well-being of women during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 41-3)

Status: (Passed) 2021-05-21 - Resolution Adopted [HR0219 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-HR0219-Introduced.html

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HR0219 LRB102 17819 ECR 24187 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an
economic crisis that has affected working Americans and has
had a disproportionate effect on women, especially women of
color; and
WHEREAS, Women have suffered the full force of this crisis
because of inadequate childcare, instability in hard-hit
industries, and insufficient health and safety resources; and
WHEREAS, The unpaid domestic work and the essential care
work performed by women sustains societies and has immense
economic value, yet recovery policies do not adequately
support women; and
WHEREAS, Women comprise a majority of workers in
industries impacted by COVID-19, including the hospitality,
entertainment, healthcare, and restaurant industries; women
comprise the majority of midwives, cleaners, launderers,
nurses, and other community health workers; and
WHEREAS, Over 50 percent of all essential workers are
women, including 78 percent of social workers and 77 percent
of healthcare workers; and

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WHEREAS, Despite the fact that women are at the forefront
of exposure, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not
designed to fit them; surveys have found that less than 30
percent of PPE fits women correctly; and
WHEREAS, When schools are closed to reduce virus
transmission, many women are forced to choose between
childcare and staying in the workforce; many women have left
their jobs or shifted to part-time work to accommodate for
school and daycare closings; and
WHEREAS, Women make up the majority of single-parent
households and perform 76 percent of unpaid care work; and
WHEREAS, 1 in 4 women who lost their jobs during the
COVID-19 pandemic have reported that they lost their jobs due
to a lack of childcare; and
WHEREAS, Women have been disproportionately affected by
unemployment, with women suffering 60 percent of
pandemic-related job losses; the unemployment rate for women
reached a staggering 16 percent with most of the women
affected being Black, Latinx, and disabled women; and
WHEREAS, Forcing women, who already have less savings than
men, to drop out of the labor force to perform care work

HR0219 - 3 - LRB102 17819 ECR 24187 r
reduces their life-time income by 65 percent, which in turn
exacerbates gaps in life-time income; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19-related restrictions also came at the
expense of women's health and safety as women's shelters close
and resources are reallocated to pandemic response; and
WHEREAS, Economic stress and social stress, coupled with
restricted movement and social isolation, have led to an
exponential increase in gender-based violence; without the
economic and social resources that shelters and crisis centers
provide, women are unable to escape abusive partners and face
a greater threat of sexual exploitation and trafficking; and
WHEREAS, Pandemic-related restrictions have made it harder
for women to seek health services as health clinics close and
postpone or restrict non-emergency medical care for pandemic
response; and
WHEREAS, The diversion of healthcare resources for the
pandemic has exacerbated maternal mortality and morbidity; and
WHEREAS, Transgender women have faced more barriers to
gender-affirming medical care, and individuals with uteruses
face more difficulties getting gynecological care since the
beginning of the pandemic; and

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WHEREAS, It is essential that the General Assembly and the
Governor fix the unemployment system, fully fund the Child
Care Assistance Program, and institute policies that make it
easier for caregivers to participate and stay in the
workforce; and
WHEREAS, Economic and social policies cannot neglect the
work women perform and the issues they face; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we urge state lawmakers to enact policies, such as
prioritizing funding and supporting education including the
evidence-based funding formula passed by the General Assembly,
Paid Family Leave, Paid Sick Leave, and support programs
dedicated to providing women with accessible healthcare and
safety resources, including those that address the rate of
maternal mortality, especially for Black and Latinx women, to
preserve the health, safety, and well-being of women during
the COVID-19 Pandemic; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
presented to Governor JB Pritzker and all members of the
Illinois General Assembly.