95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB1566

 

Introduced 2/22/2007, by Rep. Wyvetter H. Younge

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act
20 ILCS 2605/2605-345 new

    Creates the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Act. Provides that qualified citizens of the State may be enrolled in the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade for service in African nations and in urban inner-city schools in this State. Sets the terms and conditions of the volunteers' service. Allows the Director of the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade to provide training to volunteers and applicants for enrollment as volunteers. Requires the approval of the United States' Secretary of State for the programs and activities of the Peace Brigade in foreign nations. Creates the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Advisory Council. Provides for the appointment of members to the Council by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Provides that the Council shall review the programs and activities of the Peace Brigade and shall make recommendations to the Governor and the Director. Requires the Governor to report to the General Assembly on the programs and activities of the Peace Brigade. Contains other provisions. Amends the Department of State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois to allow the Department of State Police to conduct background checks of applicants for enrollment as volunteers in the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade.


LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1566 LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1     AN ACT to create the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade.
 
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 Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Act.
 
6     Section 5. Legislative declaration.
7     (a) The General Assembly declares that it is the policy of
8 this State to promote peace and friendship with African nations
9 through the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. The Peace
10 Brigade shall make available to interested African nations men
11 and women of this State qualified for service abroad and
12 willing to serve under conditions of hardship if necessary. A
13 purpose of the Peace Brigade is to help the peoples of African
14 nations in meeting their needs for trained manpower,
15 particularly in meeting the basic needs of those living in the
16 poorest areas of those countries, and to help promote a better
17 understanding of the citizens of this State on the part of the
18 peoples served and a better understanding of other peoples on
19 the part of the citizens of this State.
20     (b) The General Assembly declares that it is the policy of
21 this State to promote the success of the descendants of persons
22 from Africa who reside in this State. In order to meet this
23 goal, the General Assembly finds that it is necessary to

 

 

HB1566 - 2 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 provide emergency resources, especially human resources, to
2 the failing schools in the urban inner-city areas of this
3 State. A purpose of the Peace Brigade is to provide those
4 failing schools with their need for trained manpower in meeting
5 the basic and remedial educational needs of African-American
6 students.
 
7     Section 10. Definitions.
8     "Agency of the United States government" means any
9 department, board, wholly or partially owned corporation, or
10 other instrumentality, commission, or establishment of the
11 United States.
12     "Council" means the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade
13 Advisory Council created by this Act.
14     "Director" means the Director of the Illinois
15 Africa-America Peace Brigade.
16     "Peace Brigade" means the Illinois Africa-America Peace
17 Brigade created by this Act.
18     "Secretary of State" means the Secretary of State of the
19 United States.
20     "Volunteer", unless the context otherwise requires,
21 includes volunteer leaders and applicants for enrollment as
22 volunteers.
 
23     Section 15. Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade;
24 director and deputy director; rules.

 

 

HB1566 - 3 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1     (a) There is created the Illinois Africa-America Peace
2 Brigade. The Peace Brigade shall be under the direction of a
3 Director and a Deputy Director appointed by the Governor with
4 the advice and consent of the Senate.
5     (b) The Director may adopt any rules necessary to carry out
6 the purposes of this Act and to perform any of the duties of
7 the Peace Brigade.
 
8     Section 20. Powers and duties.
9     (a) The Peace Brigade may enter into, perform, and modify
10 contracts and agreements with and may otherwise cooperate with
11 any agency of the United States government, any state, any
12 State agency, or any educational institutions, voluntary
13 agencies, farm organizations, labor unions, or other
14 organizations, persons, or firms.
15     (b) The Director may, with the approval of the Secretary of
16 State, assign volunteers to temporary duty with international
17 organizations and agencies.
18     (c) The Director may assign volunteers to duty or make them
19 available to any entity referred to in subsection (a) of this
20 Section in order to assist those entities in providing
21 development or other assistance to African nations.
22     (d) In recognition of the fact that women in developing
23 countries play a significant role in economic production,
24 family support, and the overall development process, the Peace
25 Brigade shall, whenever possible, give particular attention to

 

 

HB1566 - 4 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 programs and activities that integrate women into the economies
2 of African nations.
3     (e) In recognition of the fact that 95% of the disabled
4 people in the world are among the poorest of the poor, the
5 Peace Brigade shall, whenever possible, give particular
6 attention to programs and activities that integrate disabled
7 people into the economies of African nations.
8     (f) The Director may, in cooperation with the State Board
9 of Education and the State Superintendent of Education, assign
10 volunteers to duty in urban inner-city schools in this State.
 
11     Section 25. Approval by the Secretary of State.
12     (a) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to infringe upon
13 the powers or functions of the Secretary of State. In carrying
14 out the purposes of this Act, the Director must seek the
15 approval of the Secretary of State for any programs or
16 activities of the Peace Brigade in foreign nations.
17     (b) Except with the approval of the Secretary of State, the
18 Peace Brigade may not be assigned to perform services in
19 foreign nations that could more usefully be performed by an
20 agency of the United States government.
 
21     Section 30. Employees, experts, and consultants. The Peace
22 Brigade may employ any personnel, in accordance with the
23 Personnel Code, that may be necessary to carry out the purposes
24 of this Act. The Peace Brigade may enter into contracts with

 

 

HB1566 - 5 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 any experts and consultants that it deems necessary to carry
2 out the purposes of this Act.
 
3     Section 35. Volunteers.
4     (a) The Director may enroll in the Peace Brigade for
5 service in African nations and in urban inner-city schools in
6 this State qualified citizens of this State without regard to
7 race, gender, creed, or color. No political test or
8 qualification may be used in selecting any person for
9 enrollment as a volunteer. No person may be assigned to duty as
10 a volunteer in any foreign country unless at the time of the
11 assignment he or she possess a reasonable proficiency in
12 speaking the language of the country to which he or she will be
13 assigned. The Director may, by rule, prescribe any other
14 qualifications for volunteers.
15     (b) The terms and conditions of service of volunteers are
16 those set forth in this Act and as the Director prescribes. The
17 service of any volunteer may be terminated at the pleasure of
18 the Director. Upon enrollment, every volunteer shall take an
19 oath of office.
20     (c) Subject to appropriations, volunteers may be provided
21 with any living, travel, and leave allowances and any housing,
22 transportation, supplies, equipment, subsistence, and clothing
23 that the Director determines is necessary for their maintenance
24 and to insure their health and their capacity to serve
25 effectively. Transportation and travel allowances may also be

 

 

HB1566 - 6 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 provided, as the Director determines, for applicants for
2 enrollment as volunteers to or from places of training and
3 places of enrollment and for former volunteers from places of
4 service to their homes.
5     (d) Subject to appropriations, volunteers who serve in a
6 foreign country may receive a readjustment allowance, in an
7 amount determined by the Director, for each month of
8 satisfactory service. The readjustment allowance of each
9 volunteer is payable on his or her return to the United States.
10 Under circumstances that the Director determines, however, the
11 readjustment allowance, or any part thereof, may be paid to the
12 volunteer or members of his or her family during the period of
13 his or her service or before his or her return to the United
14 States. In the event of a volunteer's death during the period
15 of service, the readjustment allowance shall be paid to his or
16 her family.
17     (e) Subject to appropriation, volunteers, applicants for
18 enrollment as volunteers, and former volunteers may receive any
19 health examinations, immunizations, or health and dental care
20 that the Director deems necessary or appropriate.
21     (f) In order to assure that the skills and experience of
22 former volunteers are fully used, the Director may, in
23 cooperation with agencies of the United States government,
24 State agencies, private employers, educational institutions,
25 and other entities, counsel volunteers with respect to
26 opportunities for further education and employment.

 

 

HB1566 - 7 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1     (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, attorneys
2 may be employed and attorneys' fees, court costs, bail, and
3 other expenses incidental to the defense of volunteers may be
4 paid in foreign judicial or administrative proceedings to which
5 volunteers have been made parties.
6     (h) Subject to appropriation, the minor children of a
7 volunteer that are living with the volunteer may receive:
8         (1) any living, travel, education, and leave
9     allowances and any housing, transportation, subsistence,
10     and clothing that the Director determines;
11         (2) any health care, including health care following
12     the volunteer's service for an illness or injury incurred
13     during the period of service, that the Director determines;
14         (3) any orientation, language, and other training that
15     the Director determines; and
16         (4) the benefits of subsection (g) of this Section on
17     the same basis of volunteers.
18     (i) Subject to appropriations, the cost of packing and
19 unpacking, transporting to and from a place of storage, and
20 storing the furniture and household and personal effects of a
21 volunteer who has one or more minor children at the time of his
22 or her entering pre-enrollment training may be paid from the
23 date of his or her departure from his or her place of residence
24 to enter training until no later than 3 months after his or her
25 service is terminated.
 

 

 

HB1566 - 8 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1     Section 40. Volunteer leaders. The Director may enroll as
2 volunteer leaders in the Peace Brigade qualified citizens of
3 this State whose services are required for supervisory or other
4 special duties or responsibilities in connection with programs
5 or activities under this Act. The ratio of the total number of
6 volunteer leaders in service at any one time may not exceed one
7 to 25. Volunteer leaders are entitled to the same benefits as
8 volunteers.
 
9     Section 45. Training programs. The Director shall make
10 provision for any training that he or she deems appropriate for
11 each applicant for enrollment as a volunteer and each enrolled
12 volunteer. All of the provisions of this Act that apply to
13 volunteers apply to applicants for enrollment during any period
14 of training occurring before enrollment.
 
15     Section 50. Applications; background check; enrollment.
16     (a) Applicants for enrollment as volunteers must submit any
17 information, including fingerprints taken by a law enforcement
18 officer, that the Director requires on a form furnished by the
19 Director. The Director shall provide any information necessary
20 for a background check to the Department of State Police. The
21 Director may request that the Secretary of State conduct a
22 security investigation of an applicant for enrollment for
23 service in a foreign nation.
24     (b) If the Director is satisfied that an applicant meets

 

 

HB1566 - 9 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 the qualifications for a volunteer and after the applicant
2 completes any pre-enrollment training that the Director
3 requires, the applicant may be enrolled as a volunteer.
 
4     Section 55. Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Advisory
5 Council.
6     (a) The Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Advisory
7 Council is created. The Council consists of 15 members
8 appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the
9 Senate. Members of the Council shall be broadly representative
10 of the general public, including educational institutions;
11 private volunteer agencies; private industry; farm
12 organizations; labor unions; different regions of the State;
13 different educational, economic, racial, and national
14 backgrounds; different age groupings; and both genders. No
15 member of the Council may be a State employee.
16     (b) The first appointments of members of the Council shall
17 be made not more than 60 days after the effective date of this
18 Act. Of the members initially appointed under this Section, 8
19 shall be appointed to one-year terms and 7 shall be appointed
20 to 2-year terms. Thereafter, all members shall serve 2-year
21 terms. No member may serve for more than 2 consecutive 2-year
22 terms.
23     Members of the Council serve at the pleasure of the
24 Governor. A member of the Council may be removed by a vote of 9
25 members for malfeasance in office, for persistent neglect of or

 

 

HB1566 - 10 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 inability to discharge duties, or for offenses involving moral
2 turpitude.
3     Within 30 days after any vacancy occurs in the office of a
4 member of the Council, the Governor shall nominate an
5 individual to fill the vacancy. A member appointed to fill a
6 vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which
7 the member's predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only
8 for the remainder of that term.
9     (c) Members of the Council shall serve without
10 compensation.
11     (d) A member of the Council must disclose to the Council
12 the existence of any direct or indirect financial interest in
13 any particular matter before the Council and may not vote or
14 otherwise participate as a Council member with respect to that
15 matter.
16     (e) At its first meeting and at its first regular meeting
17 in each calendar year thereafter, the Council must elect a
18 chair and a vice-chair from its members. The chair and
19 vice-chair may not be members of the same political party.
20     (f) The Council must hold a regular meeting during each
21 calendar year and shall meet at the call of the Governor, the
22 Director, the chair, or 1/4 of its members. The Council shall
23 adopt any by-laws and rules that it considers necessary to
24 carry out its functions. The by-laws and rules must include
25 procedures for fixing the time and place of meetings, giving or
26 waiving notice of meetings, and keeping minutes of meetings. A

 

 

HB1566 - 11 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 majority of the members of the Council constitute a quorum for
2 the purposes of transacting any business.
3     (g) The Council shall evaluate the accomplishments of the
4 Peace Brigade, assess the potential capabilities and the future
5 role of the Peace Brigade, and make recommendations to the
6 Governor, the Director, and, as the Council considers
7 appropriate, the General Assembly for the purpose of guiding
8 the future direction of the Peace Brigade and of helping to
9 ensure that the purposes and programs of the Peace Brigade are
10 carried out in ways that are economical, efficient, responsive
11 to changing needs, and in accordance with the law. The Council
12 may also make any other evaluations, assessments, and
13 recommendations it considers appropriate.
14     Subject to appropriation, the Council may conduct on-site
15 inspections and make examinations of the activities of the
16 Peace Brigade in other countries.
17     (h) Not later than January 1 of each year, the Council must
18 submit to the Governor and the Director a report on its views
19 on the programs and activities of the Peace Brigade. Each
20 report must contain a summary of the advice and recommendations
21 of the Council. Within 90 days after receiving the report, the
22 Governor must submit the report to the General Assembly,
23 together with any comments concerning the report that the
24 Governor or the Director considers appropriate.
25     (i) The Director shall make available to the Council any
26 personnel, administrative support services, and technical

 

 

HB1566 - 12 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 assistance necessary to carry out its functions effectively.
 
2     Section 60. Report. At least once during each fiscal year,
3 the Governor must report on the programs and activities of the
4 Peace Brigade under this Act to the General Assembly. The
5 report must include:
6         (1) a description of the purpose and scope of any
7     project that the Peace Brigade undertook during the
8     preceding fiscal year; and
9         (2) recommendations for improving coordination of
10     projects between the Peace Brigade, the United States, and
11     other State agencies.
 
12     Section 805. The Department of State Police Law of the
13 Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding
14 Section 2605-345 as follows:
 
15     (20 ILCS 2605/2605-345 new)
16     Sec. 2605-345. Criminal background investigations for the
17 Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. Upon the request of the
18 Director of the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade, to
19 conduct criminal background investigations of applicants for
20 enrollment as volunteers in the Illinois Africa-America Peace
21 Brigade and to report any criminal history information to the
22 Director of the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. The
23 request shall be in the form and manner specified by the

 

 

HB1566 - 13 - LRB095 00156 RCE 20156 b

1 Department.