HB0979 Engrossed LRB095 07155 HLH 27283 b

1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Act on the Aging is amended by
5 adding Section 4.14 as follows:
 
6     (20 ILCS 105/4.14 new)
7     Sec. 4.14. Rural Senior Citizen Program.
8     (a) The General Assembly finds that it is in the best
9 interest of the citizens of Illinois to identify and address
10 the special challenges and needs faced by older rural
11 residents. The General Assembly further finds that rural areas
12 are often under-served and unserved to the detriment of older
13 residents and their families, which may require the allocation
14 of additional resources.
15     (b) The Department shall identify the special needs and
16 problems of older rural residents and evaluate the adequacy and
17 accessibility of existing programs and information for older
18 rural residents. The scope of the Department's work shall
19 encompass both Older American Act services, Community Care
20 services, and all other services targeted in whole or in part
21 at residents 60 years of age and older, regardless of the
22 setting in which the service is provided.
23     (c) The Older Rural Adults Task Force is established to

 

 

HB0979 Engrossed - 2 - LRB095 07155 HLH 27283 b

1 gather information and make recommendations in collaboration
2 with the Department on Aging and the Older Adult Services
3 Committee. The Task Force shall be comprised of 12 voting
4 members and 7 non-voting members. The President and Minority
5 Leader of the Illinois Senate and the Speaker and Minority
6 Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives shall each
7 appoint 2 members of the General Assembly and one citizen
8 member to the Task Force. Citizen members may seek
9 reimbursement for actual travel expenses. Representatives of
10 the Department on Aging and the Departments of Healthcare and
11 Family Services, Human Services, Public Health, and Commerce
12 and Economic Opportunity, the Rural Affairs Council, and the
13 Illinois Housing Development Authority shall serve as
14 non-voting members. The Department on Aging shall provide staff
15 support to the Task Force.
16     Co-chairs shall be selected by the Task Force at its first
17 meeting. Both shall be appointed voting members of the Task
18 Force. One co-chair shall be a member of the General Assembly
19 and one shall be a citizen member. A simple majority of those
20 appointed shall constitute a quorum. The Task Force may hold
21 regional hearings and fact finding meetings and shall submit a
22 report to the General Assembly no later than January 1, 2009.
23 The Task Force is dissolved upon submission of the report.
 
24     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
25 becoming law.