Public Act 095-0781
 		





HB4456 Enrolled
LRB095 15576 RCE 41575 b






    AN ACT concerning children.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:



 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 
Commission on Children and Youth Act.
 
    Section 5. Legislative findings.  The General Assembly 
finds that positive development opportunities for children and 
youth are an essential investment in the future well-being of 
our State. Over the past decade Illinois has invested 
significant resources in programs and services for children and 
youth in areas such as education, health care, delinquency 
prevention, and child welfare. Recent initiatives to expand 
health care and preschool for all children statewide are 
significant steps toward establishing Illinois as a national 
leader in providing foundational services to its youngest 
residents. These investments have supported important 
opportunities for healthy development, yet there continue to be 
unmet needs, service gaps, and other challenges facing 
children, youth and young adults across Illinois. It has been 
over 22 years since Illinois has had a commission to explore 
how the State serves its children and youth and allocates its 
resources in a manner that most effectively supports children 
and youth. Illinois is committed to being a model state in 
forging innovative life development opportunities for all 
children and youth and needs to develop a vision and strategic 
plan to achieve this goal.     
 
    Section 10. Commission on Children and Youth.  The 
Commission on Children and Youth is established. Under the 
leadership of the Office of the Governor, the Department of 
Human Services shall provide administrative support to the 
Commission, subject to appropriations. The purposes of the 
Commission are to (1) create a comprehensive 5-year strategic 
plan for providing services to children, youth and young adults 
ages birth to 24 in Illinois, (2) monitor the implementation of 
the strategic plan, and (3) review and, if deemed appropriate, 
revise the strategic plan. 
 
    Section 15. Commission members; appointments.  The 
Commission shall be composed of the following members, to be 
appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this Act:
    
    (a) Four members of the General Assembly: 2 members of the

Illinois Senate, one member appointed by the President of the

Senate and one member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;

2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives, one member 
appointed by the Speaker of the House and one member appointed 
by the House Minority Leader.
    (b) A member of the Governor's leadership team appointed by 
the Governor, who shall serve as one of the co-chairs of the 
Commission.
    
    (c) Up to 30 public members appointed by the Governor with 
demonstrated interest and expertise in children and youth 
across the major stages of child and adolescent development.  
Public members shall include rural, suburban and urban 
entities; direct service providers; child advocates; human 
rights organizations; faith-based service providers; 
philanthropic organizations that invest in children and youth; 
at least 3 parents of children under the age of 16; and at 
least 3 young people between the ages of 16 and 24. A second 
co-chair of the Commission shall be elected from among the 
public members of the Commission by the public members.
    
    (d) The following shall serve as ex-officio members of the 
Commission: the Director of Children and Family Services or his 
or her designee; the Director of Commerce and Economic 
Opportunity or his or her designee; the Director of Corrections 
or his or her designee; the Director of Employment Security or 
his or her designee; the Director of Healthcare and Family 
Services or his or her designee; the Secretary of Human 
Services or his or her designee; the Director of Juvenile 
Justice or his or her designee; the Director of Public Health 
or his or her designee; the State Superintendent of Education 
or his or her designee; the Commissioner of the Chicago 
Department of Children and Youth Services or his or her 
designee; the Executive Director of the Illinois Violence 
Prevention Authority or his or her designee; the Chair of the 
Illinois African-American Family Commission or his or her 
designee; and the Chair of the Latino Family Commission or his 
or her designee.
In addition, there shall be a representative 
of a local government entity coordinating services for children 
and youth and a representative of the Illinois Early Learning 
Council, to be chosen by the chairs.
 
    Section 20. Strategic plan; desired outcomes.  The 
Commission shall develop a 5-year strategic plan that includes 
specific recommendations to enhance coordination of existing 
State programs and services and innovative strategies to 
achieve the following outcomes:
    (1) Thriving: preventive health. All children and youth 
should have access to adequate health care and be educated on 
healthy lifestyle choices to prevent future illness and 
disease.
    
    (2) Learning: education completion. All children and youth 
should have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and 
should receive appropriate individualized supports when they 
face challenges in doing so.
    
    (3) Working: workforce development. All children and youth 
should have an opportunity for education, skill building, and 
work experience to prepare them for success in the workforce.
    
    (4) Connecting: social and emotional development. All 
children and youth should have opportunities to develop 
essential social and emotional skills that allow them to 
communicate effectively, resolve conflict, and manage stress.
    
    (5) Leading: civic engagement. All children and youth 
should have opportunities to build relationships with adults 
and their peers as well as cultivate leadership skills through 
service learning, mentoring, and other safe activities in their 
communities.

 
    Section 25. Strategic plan; responsibilities.  The 5-year 
strategic plan shall be developed by the Commission in 
collaboration with other children and youth experts and service 
providers as needed. Commission members, Commission staff, or 
both may confer and collaborate with relevant State and 
national organizations with expertise in child and youth 
development. The Illinois Early Learning Council shall have 
primary responsibility for development of the strategic plan 
pertaining to children birth to 5 and shall collaborate with 
the Commission on creation of the final plan. The Commission 
may establish committees that address specific issues or 
populations and may appoint individuals with relevant 
expertise who are not appointed members of the Commission to 
serve on committees as needed.
 
    Section 30. Recommendations; factors.  The Commission shall 
address all of the following factors in developing the 5-year 
strategic plan:
    (1) Strategies to broaden access to programs and services 
to youth up through age 24.
    
    (2) Disparities in access and outcomes that may be present 
based on racial, ethnic, geographic, gender, sexual 
orientation, disability, incarceration status, medically 
fragile health conditions, or other variables.
    
    (3) The role of and supports for families and communities 
in achieving successful outcomes for children, youth and young 
adults.
    
    (4) Mechanisms for data collection and tracking that 
integrate data across programs and funding streams when 
possible.
    
    (5) All other factors the Commission deems relevant to the 
positive development of children, youth and young adults.

 
    Section 35. Reporting; timelines.  The Commission shall 
issue an interim report to the Governor and to the General 
Assembly on the Commission's activities on or before December 
31, 2009. A draft strategic plan shall be submitted to the 
Governor and to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 
2010. The final strategic plan shall be submitted to the 
Governor and to the General Assembly on or before June 1, 2011. 
Any subsequent revisions to the strategic plan shall be 
submitted to the Governor and to the General Assembly within 30 
days after the revisions are approved by the Commission.


 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.