HB1589 Enrolled LRB094 09848 RSP 40104 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 Human
5 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, need
9     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 an
19     automated operator or an automated menu instead of a live
20     operator, often that person is not able to adequately
21     receive assistance or services; and
22         (5) the number of people calling a State agency and not
23     getting the assistance or services that they are entitled
24     to because the State agency does not have a live operator
25     answering incoming phone calls grows by the day.
 
26     Section 10. Definition. In this Act, "State agency" means
27 the same as in Section 1-7 of the Illinois State Auditing Act.
 
28     Section 15. Automated telephone answering equipment. A
29 State agency that uses automated telephone answering equipment
30 to answer incoming telephone calls must, during the normal

 

 

HB1589 Enrolled - 2 - LRB094 09848 RSP 40104 b

1 business hours of the agency, provide the caller with the
2 option of speaking to a live operator. This Section does not
3 apply to field offices, telephone lines dedicated as hot lines
4 for emergency services, telephone lines dedicated to providing
5 general information, and any system that is designed to permit
6 an individual to conduct a complete transaction with the State
7 agency over the telephone solely by pressing one or more touch
8 tone telephone keys in response to automated prompts.
 
9     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
10 1, 2007.