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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, According to the 2005 American Community Survey,
3over 12 million people lived in Illinois; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Of the people living in Illinois, 72 percent are
5White, 15 percent are African-American, 4 percent are Asian,
6and 9 percent are of Other Races; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Of the citizens in Illinois, 15 percent are of
8Hispanic or Latino origin and 85 percent are not of Hispanic or
9Latino origin; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Seven percent of the population is under 5 years
11of age, 19 percent is between 5 and 17 years of age, 58 percent
12is between 18 and 64 years of age, and 16 percent of the
13population is 65 years of age or older; and
 
14    WHEREAS, There are 3,229,558 children under 18 years of age
15living in households in Illinois; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Of the children living in Illinois, 65 percent are
17White, 18 percent are African-American, 4 percent are Asian,
18and 13 percent are Other Races; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Of the children in Illinois, 20 percent are of

 

 

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1Hispanic or Latino origin and 80 percent are not Hispanic or
2Latino; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Eighty-eight percent of children live in the same
4household as their parents, 7 percent live with grandparents, 3
5percent live with other relatives, and 2 percent live with
6unrelated foster parents; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Of the 4,691,020 households in Illinois, 50
8percent are defined as married-couple family household, 4
9percent are defined as male householder - no wife present, 13
10percent are defined as female householder - no husband present,
11and 33 percent are defined as non-family household; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Eight percent of children who live in
13married-couple family households received public assistance in
14the past 12 months; 21 percent of children who live in male
15householder - no wife present family households received public
16assistance in the past 12 months; and 43 percent of children
17who live in female householder - no husband present family
18household received public assistance in the past 12 months; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Of the low-income households in Illinois, 78
20percent experienced housing problems; and 23 percent of White
21households experienced housing problems compared to 42 percent
22of African-American households and 53 percent of Hispanic

 

 

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1households; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Examination of educational achievement for
3Illinois residents 25 years and older reveals that 15 percent
4have achieved less than a high school diploma, 28 percent
5graduated from high school, 28 percent attended college or
6received an associated degree, 18 percent received a bachelor's
7degree, and 11 percent have attained a graduate degree or
8higher or professional degree; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Fifty-four percent of low-income households pay
10more than 50 percent of their household income for housing; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Over 44,000 adults are in prison, and 94 percent
12are male and 6 percent are female; 60 percent are
13African-American, 11 percent are Hispanic, and 28 percent are
14White; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Of the more than 1,400 juveniles in prison, 92
16percent are male and 8 percent are female; and 54 percent are
17African-American, 11 percent are Hispanic, and 34 percent are
18White; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Children reared by single parents are more likely
20to drop out of high school, commit criminal acts, and become
21homeless; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Since 2002, over 26,000 children per year are
2indicated for abuse or neglect and are living with parents more
3likely to be identified as the perpetrator; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The socioeconomic status of the parents affects
5the risk of children experiencing violent acts, growing up in
6violent communities, and not having access to a quality
7education or affordable and quality health care; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Families are under stress and are increasingly
9unable to protect or provide for their children; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Family violence, including domestic violence,
11negatively affects children's emotional and psychological
12well-being; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Families living below poverty and middle income
14earners are more likely to become homeless as there is a severe
15shortage of affordable housing; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The family is the primary institution for caring
17and providing for the emotional, physical, and social
18well-being of children and assuring that they receive the moral
19guidance and social skills to successfully reach their
20potential and contribute as citizens; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Many children live in communities where food
2deserts exist - they are unable to access healthy food; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Children living in some urban communities are
4frequently exposed to different levels of assorted toxic
5chemicals both inside and outside the home; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Low-income children and their parents are less
7likely to have access to quality health care, less likely to
8have incomes to secure safe and affordable housing, and less
9likely to have community schools with certified teachers than
10affluent families; and
 
11    WHEREAS, There is a relationship between child well-being,
12family well-being, and a community's social and economic
13strength; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Parents are primarily responsible for instilling
15in their children moral, community, civic, and social
16responsibility; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Community institutions, agencies, and
18organizations have a moral and social responsibility to assist
19their members in achieving optimal well-being; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
2ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
3CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Parents and
4Community Accountability Study Committee, hereafter referred
5to as the Committee, consisting of 29 members appointed as
6follows:
7        (1) Three members appointed by the President of the
8    Senate;
9        (2) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the
10    Senate;
11        (3) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House
12    of Representatives;
13        (4) Two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the
14    House of Representatives;
15        (5) One member of the Governor's staff appointed by the
16    Governor;
17        (6) Two members appointed by the Chair of the Illinois
18    African-American Family Commission;
19        (7) Two members appointed by the Joint Chair of an
20    association that represents Illinois African American
21    legislators;
22        (8) One member appointed by the Chair of the Illinois
23    Prisoner Review Board;
24        (9) One member from each of the following State
25    agencies appointed by their respective heads: Department
26    of Children and Family Services, Department of Human

 

 

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1    Services, Department on Aging, Illinois State Board of
2    Education, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of
3    Healthcare and Family Services, and Department of
4    Corrections; and
5        (10) Six public members representing the interests of
6    child welfare advocates, public health researchers, the
7    general public, the formerly incarcerated, faith-based
8    community, and court personnel - each appointed by the
9    Governor; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That the Department of Human Services in
11conjunction with the Department of Children and Family Services
12shall provide staff and administrative support to the
13Committee; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That the Committee shall examine issues related
15to racial and socioeconomic disparities affecting the
16pro-social development of children and youth; shall identify
17ways to engage more parents in being accountable for the
18actions of their children; and shall identify ways to engage
19more communities in being accountable for investing in
20pro-social development of children and families; the Committee
21shall also research the types of supports needed to help
22parents develop the necessary skills to ensure that their
23children achieve positive youth development and to reduce
24factors that lead to violence in the community, home, and

 

 

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1school; the Committee shall also study what systems are needed
2to assist communities to reinvest in and support children and
3families; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That the Committee shall hold public hearings in
5every Legislative District it deems necessary and present a
6report of its findings and recommendations to the 97th General
7Assembly before December 31, 2012.