Public Act 096-0068
 
SB1404 Enrolled LRB096 10080 RCE 20245 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is amended
by adding Section 1-35 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 1305/1-35 new)
    Sec. 1-35. Families of incarcerated parents. The
Department of Human Services and the Illinois Department of
Corrections shall work cooperatively with community
organizations and service providers to identify local
providers of services and to develop informational materials
for families and children of incarcerated parents.
    The Department of Human Services shall develop
informational materials for families and children of
incarcerated parents. The materials shall be designed to inform
children and families of incarcerated parents about the social
services that are available to them, including visitation
programs, family counseling, mentoring, school-based programs,
and other programs identified by community organizations that
work with families of prisoners. The materials shall be
designed to reduce stigma and to provide support for children
of incarcerated parents. The materials shall (i) provide
telephone and Internet contacts for the children's caregivers
with further information and (ii) assist the children's
caregivers in locating and accessing services for the children.
The Department shall make this information available through
its website and through its existing toll-free telephone
numbers.
    The Department of Corrections shall provide the materials
to inmates during orientation. The Department of Corrections
shall provide one sealed envelope containing the public
information to the inmate so that the inmate may address it to
the inmate's children's caregiver. The Department of
Corrections shall mail that envelope to the address provided by
the inmate. The cost of postage will be charged to the inmate's
trust account. If the inmate is indigent, the Department of
Corrections shall pay the postage fees for mailing the
informational material to the inmate's children's caregiver.
The informational materials shall also be made available within
the Department of Corrections' facility visiting rooms and
waiting areas.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.