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Sen. John J. Cullerton
Filed: 3/5/2004
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| AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2517
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| AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2517 by replacing |
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| everything after the enacting clause with the following:
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| "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the |
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| Accessible Electronic Information Act. |
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| Section 5. Legislative findings. The Legislature finds and |
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| declares all of the following: |
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| (a) Thousands of citizens in this State have disabilities |
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| (including blindness or visual impairment) that prevent them |
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| from using conventional print material. |
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| (b) The State fulfills an important responsibility by |
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| providing books and magazines prepared in Braille, audio, and |
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| large-type formats made available to eligible blind and |
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| disabled persons. |
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| (c) The technology, transcription methods, and means of |
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| distribution used for these materials are labor-intensive and |
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| cannot support rapid dissemination to individuals in rural and |
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| urban areas throughout the State.
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| (d) Lack of direct and prompt access to information |
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| included in newspapers, magazines, newsletters, schedules, |
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| announcements, and other time-sensitive materials limits |
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| educational opportunities, literacy, and full participation in |
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| society by blind and disabled persons. |
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| Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act: |
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| "Accessible electronic information service" means news and |
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| other timely information (including newspapers) provided to |
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| eligible individuals from a multi-state service center, using |
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| high-speed computers and telecommunications technology for |
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| interstate acquisition of content and rapid distribution in a |
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| form appropriate for use by such individuals. |
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| "Blind and disabled persons" means those individuals who |
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| are eligible for library loan services through the Library of |
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| Congress and the State Library for the Blind and Physically |
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| Handicapped pursuant to 36 CFR 701.10(b). |
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| "Director" means the State Librarian. |
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| "Qualified entity" means an agency, instrumentality, or |
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| political subdivision of the State or a nonprofit organization |
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| that: |
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| (1) provides interstate access for eligible persons to |
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| read daily newspapers by producing audio editions by |
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| computer; and |
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| (2) provides a means of program administration and |
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| reader registration on the Internet.
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| Section 15. Accessible electronic information service |
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| program. The Director by rule shall develop and implement a |
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| program of grants to qualified entities for the provision of |
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| accessible electronic information service to blind and |
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| disabled persons throughout Illinois. The grants shall be |
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| funded through appropriations from the Accessible Electronic |
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| Information Service Fund established in Section 20. |
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| Section 20. Accessible Electronic Information Service |
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| Fund. |
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| (a) In order to support the program described in Section |
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| 15, the Illinois Commerce Commission shall enter into an |
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| agreement with the Director for the purpose of recovering the |
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| cost by using the rate recovery mechanism established by the |
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| Commission pursuant to Section 13-703(c) of the Public |
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| Utilities Act. |
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| (b) The Illinois Commerce Commission, in consultation with |
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| the Director, shall annually determine the amount to be |
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| recovered based on the amount of funding necessary to support |
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| the program described in Section 15. |
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| (c) The Illinois Commerce Commission shall determine the |
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| percentage of the cost recovery rate established under Section |
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| 13-703(c) of the Public Utilities Act needed annually to |
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| support the program described in Section 15, and each local |
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| exchange telecommunications company shall remit to the |
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| Director an amount to be computed based on the percentage |
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| required, less any amount allowed for administration. The |
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| amounts remitted shall be deposited into the Accessible |
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| Electronic Information Service Fund, a special fund created in |
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| the State treasury that may be appropriated only for the |
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| purposes of this Act. |
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| Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding |
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| Section
5.625 as follows:
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| (30 ILCS 105/5.625 new)
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| Sec. 5.625. The Accessible Electronic Information Service |
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| Fund.
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| Section 95. The Public Utilities Act is amended by adding |
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| Section 13-703.1 as follows: |
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| (220 ILCS 5/13-703.1 new) |
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| Sec. 13-703.1. Distribution of accessible information; |
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| Illinois State Library.
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| (a) For the purposes of this Section: |
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| "Distribution of accessible information" means rapid |
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| dissemination of digitized text content, including newspapers, |
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| prepared for reproduction in synthetic speech or braille |
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| formats provided to persons eligible for service in the State |
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| Library's Talking Book Program. |
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| "Qualified entity" means a nonprofit organization that (i) |
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| produces digitized text editions of daily newspapers, |
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| available for interstate distribution in synthetic speech or |
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| braille format, using high-speed computer and |
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| telecommunications technology, (ii) obtains electronic news |
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| text through direct transfer arrangements made with |
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| participating news organizations and does not replicate their |
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| electronic editions that are otherwise available on the |
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| Internet, and (iii) provides a means of program administration |
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| and reader registration on the Internet. |
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| (b) The Illinois Telecommunications Access Corporation, or |
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| any other entity designated by the Illinois Commerce Commission |
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| to implement a program under Section 13-703 of this Act for the |
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| purposes of allowing those with hearing disabilities to use |
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| effective telecommunications equipment, shall enter into an |
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| agreement with the State Library providing for an annual |
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| payment in an amount equal to the cost incurred for the |
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| distribution of accessible information. Under the agreement, |
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| the State Library shall obtain the service through a qualified |
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| entity and provide blind and other persons eligible for its |
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| talking book program with access to digitized text editions of |
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| daily newspapers and other context of timely value. |
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| (c) The State Library shall, in consultation with the |
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| qualified entity, specify equipment that may be used by |
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| eligible persons who, due to hearing loss, are unable to use |
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| effectively standard telecommunications equipment to access |
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| the content in the synthetic speech format otherwise provided, |
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| and the Illinois Telecommunications Access Corporation or any |
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| subsequent designee of the Illinois Commerce Commission shall |