Public Act 0360 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1547 Enrolled LRB097 08750 RLJ 48879 b

Public Act 097-0360

AN ACT concerning State government.

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 to End the Disparities Facing the African-American Community Act.

Section 5. Commission; creation; members. There is created a Commission to End the Disparities Facing the African-American Community, to consist of members as follows:

(1) 2 members of the Senate appointed by the Senate President, one of whom the President shall designate to serve as co-chair, and 2 members of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(2) 2 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom the Speaker shall designate to serve as co-chair, and 2 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

(3) the following Illinois officials or their designees:

(i) the Director of Human Services,

(ii) the Director of Healthcare and Family Services,

(iii) the Director of Children and Family Services,

(iv) the Director of Public Health,

(v) the Director of Aging,

(vi) the Director of Labor,

(vii) the Director of Employment Security,

(viii) the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity,

(ix) the State Superintendent of Education,

(x) the Executive Director of the Board of Higher Education,

(xi) the Director of Corrections,

(xii) the Director of Juvenile Justice, and

(xiii) the Executive Director of the Illinois African-American Family Commission; and

(4) up to 10 persons, named by the co-chairs, representing African-American communities within Illinois in the areas of healthcare, healthcare services, employment, education, criminal justice, housing, and other interested parties.

Section 10. Compensation; support. The members of the Commission shall serve without compensation. The Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago shall provide staff and administrative support services to the Commission. Other academic, civic, and not-for-profit organizations may be called on to assist as determined by the Commission.

Section 15. Meetings; report. The Commission shall:

(1) research the disparities facing African-Americans in the areas of healthcare, healthcare services, employment, education, criminal justice, housing, and other social and economic issues;

(2) hold one or more public hearings, at which public testimony shall be heard; and

(3) report its findings and specific recommendations to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2013, after which the Commission shall dissolve.

Section 95. Repeal. This Act is repealed on July 1, 2014.

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