093_HB3452eng

 
HB3452 Engrossed                     LRB093 04372 MBS 04422 b

 1        AN ACT in relation to State government.

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

 4        Section 1.  Short title.  This Act may be  cited  as  the
 5    Human Voice Contact Act.

 6        Section  5.   Legislative findings.  The General Assembly
 7    finds that:
 8             (1)  the people of this State, from  time  to  time,
 9        need  contact  with State agencies because of problems or
10        concerns;
11             (2)  often when a person calls a State  agency  that
12        person  needs  to  talk  to  an individual, and it is not
13        necessarily convenient or practical for  that  person  to
14        leave a message or to follow an automated menu;
15             (3)   the  purpose of State agencies is to serve the
16        people of this State in a manner that is  as  accessible,
17        efficient, and responsive as possible;
18             (4)  when a person calls a State agency and receives
19        an  automated  operator or an automated menu instead of a
20        live  operator,  often  that  person  is  not   able   to
21        adequately receive assistance or services; and
22             (5)  the number of people calling a State agency and
23        not  getting  the  assistance  or  services that they are
24        entitled to because the State agency does not have a live
25        operator answering incoming phone calls grows by the day.

26        Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
27        "Information transaction line"  means  a  telephone  line
28    that meets all of the following criteria:
29             (1)  The line is used by a State agency.
30             (2)  The  line  allows a caller to access his or her
 
HB3452 Engrossed            -2-      LRB093 04372 MBS 04422 b
 1        account or  accounts  and  related  information  using  a
 2        touch-tone telephone.
 3             (3)  The line delivers or captures, or both delivers
 4        and  captures,  information  from callers and operates 24
 5        hours per day, 7 days per week using a computer-generated
 6        voice response.
 7             (4)  The line allows a  caller  to  self-select  the
 8        information  he or she desires by choosing an appropriate
 9        menu option from a list presented by a computer-generated
10        voice.
11             (5)  The  line  allows  data  to  be   captured   by
12        permitting  a  caller to enter basic information, such as
13        the number of hours worked, using his  or  her  telephone
14        dial pad as automated input into the system.
15        "State  agency"  means  the same as in Section 1-7 of the
16    Illinois State Auditing Act.

17        Section 15.   Automated  telephone  answering  equipment.
18    Subject to appropriations, a State agency that uses automated
19    telephone  answering  equipment  to answer incoming telephone
20    calls must, during the normal business hours of  the  agency,
21    provide  the  caller  with the option, among the first set of
22    menu choices, of speaking to a live operator.   This  Section
23    does not apply to a telephone line that is dedicated as a hot
24    line   for   emergency   services   or   to  provide  general
25    information.  This Section does not apply to  an  information
26    transaction line.