Public Act 098-0301
 
HB2428 EnrolledLRB098 08627 NHT 38746 b


  
    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended  by adding Section 
2-3.157 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.157 new)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on May 31, 2015)
    Sec. 2-3.157. Task Force on Civic Education.
    (a)  The State Board of Education shall establish the Task 
Force on Civic Education, to be comprised of all of the 
following members, with an emphasis on bipartisan legislative 
representation and diverse non-legislative stakeholder 
representation:
        (1)  One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
    Representatives.
        (2) One member appointed by the President of the 
    Senate.
        (3)  One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the 
    House of Representatives.
        (4)  One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the 
    Senate.
        (5)  One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing a teachers union.
        (6)  One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing the Chicago Teachers Union.
        (7)  One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing social studies teachers.
        (8)  One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing school boards.
        (9)  One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing the media.
        (10)  One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing the non-profit sector that promotes civic 
    education as a core mission.
        (11)  One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing the non-profit sector that promotes civic 
    engagement among the general public.
        (12) One member appointed by the president of an 
    institution of higher education who teaches college or 
    graduate-level government courses or facilitates a program 
    dedicated to cultivating civic leaders.
        (13) One member appointed by the head of an association 
    representing principals or district superintendents. 
    (b)  The members of the Task Force shall serve without 
compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and 
necessary expenses from funds appropriated to the State Board 
of Education for that purpose. The members of the Task Force 
shall be reimbursed for their travel expenses from 
appropriations to the State Board of Education available for 
that purpose and subject to the rules of the appropriate travel 
control board.
    (c)  The members of the Task Force shall be considered 
members with voting rights.  A quorum of the Task Force shall 
consist of a simple majority of the members of the Task Force.  
All actions and recommendations of the Task Force must be 
approved by a simple majority vote of the members.
    (d)  The Task Force shall meet initially at the call of the 
State Superintendent of Education, shall elect one member as 
chairperson at its initial meeting through a simple majority 
vote of the Task Force, and shall thereafter meet at the call 
of the chairperson.
    (e)  The State Board of Education shall provide 
administrative and other support to the Task Force.
    (f)  The Task Force is charged with all of the following 
tasks:
        (1)  To analyze the current state of civic education in 
    this State.
        (2)  To analyze current civic education laws in other 
    jurisdictions, both mandated and permissive.
        (3)  To identify best practices in civic education in 
    other jurisdictions.
        (4)  To make recommendations to the General Assembly 
    focused on substantially increasing civic literacy and the 
    capacity of youth to obtain the requisite knowledge, 
    skills, and practices to be civically informed members of 
    the public.
        (5)  To make funding recommendations if the Task Force's 
    recommendations to the General Assembly would require a 
    fiscal commitment.
    (g)  No later than May 31, 2014, the Task Force shall 
summarize its findings and recommendations in a report to the 
General Assembly, filed as provided in Section 3.1 of the 
General Assembly Organization Act.  Upon filing its report, the 
Task Force is dissolved.
    (h)  This Section is repealed on May 31, 2015.
 
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.