95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB4456

 

Introduced , by Rep. Greg Harris

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Commission on Children and Youth Act. Provides for appointments, goals, recommendations, and reports. Provides that the Act is repealed on January 1, 2012. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning concerning children.
 
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 Commission on Children and Youth Act.
 
6     Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
7 finds that positive development opportunities for children and
8 youth are an essential investment in the future well-being of
9 our State. Over the past decade Illinois has invested
10 significant resources in programs and services for children and
11 youth in areas such as education, health care, delinquency
12 prevention, and child welfare. These investments have
13 supported important opportunities for healthy development, yet
14 there continue to be unmet needs, service gaps, and other
15 challenges facing youth across Illinois. Recent initiatives to
16 expand health care and preschool for all children statewide are
17 significant steps toward establishing Illinois as a national
18 leader in providing foundational services to its youngest
19 residents. Changing demographics, shifting federal priorities,
20 and a scarcity of resources threaten to undermine the progress
21 Illinois has achieved and limit its future vision. Illinois is
22 committed to being a model state in forging innovative life
23 development opportunities for all children and youth.
 

 

 

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1     Section 10. Commission on Children and Youth. The
2 Commission on Children and Youth is established. The purpose of
3 the Commission is to create a comprehensive child and youth
4 service system in Illinois. The Commission shall serve as an
5 independent coordinating body of key public and private
6 stakeholders to advise state planning, priority setting, and
7 investment of resources in children and youth throughout
8 Illinois.
 
9     Section 15. Commission members; appointments. The
10 Commission shall be composed of a maximum of 40 members, to be
11 appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this Act.
12 The voting members shall be as follows:
13     (a) Four members of the General Assembly: 2 members of the
14 Illinois Senate, one member appointed by the President of the
15 Senate and one member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;
16 2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives, one member
17 appointed by the Speaker of the House and one member appointed
18 by the House Minority Leader.
19     (b) A member of the Governor's leadership team appointed by
20 the Governor.
21     (c) The following public members appointed by the Governor:
22 individuals with a demonstrated interest and expertise in
23 issues impacting children and youth, including at least one
24 representative each from the fields of education, healthcare

 

 

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1 and wellness, housing and homelessness, workforce development,
2 civic engagement, children's mental health, child welfare,
3 pregnant and parenting youth, and juvenile justice.
4     (d) Additional public members appointed by the Governor
5 with a demonstrated interest and expertise in issues impacting
6 children and youth as follows: a service provider from an urban
7 area; a service provider from a rural area; a representative of
8 a child advocacy organization; a representative from a human
9 rights organization; a representative of a faith-based service
10 provider; a representative from a prevention advocacy
11 organization; a representative from a philanthropic entity
12 that invests in children and youth; at least 3 parents having
13 children under the age of 16; and at least 3 young people
14 between the ages of 16 and 24.
15     The following shall serve as ex-officio non-voting members
16 of the Commission: the Director of Children and Family Services
17 or his or her designee; the Director of Commerce and Economic
18 Opportunity or his or her designee; the Director of Corrections
19 or his or her designee; the Director of Employment Security or
20 his or her designee; the Director of Healthcare and Family
21 Services or his or her designee; the Secretary of Human
22 Services or his or her designee; the Director of Juvenile
23 Justice or his or her designee; the Director of Public Health
24 or his or her designee; and the State Superintendent of
25 Education or his or her designee; the Chair of the Illinois
26 African-American Family Commission or his or her designee; and

 

 

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1 the Chair of the Latino Family Commission or his or her
2 designee.
3     The Governor's office shall serve as the administrative
4 home for the Commission and shall take responsibility for
5 staffing the Commission, maintaining a record of the activities
6 of the Commission, and reporting on the Commission's actions.
7 Commission staff shall be responsible for facilitating
8 meetings of the Commission as well as public hearings,
9 developing and managing Commission workplans and related
10 activities, and drafting related correspondence and reports on
11 behalf of the Commission. Commission members, Commission
12 staff, or both may confer and collaborate with relevant State
13 and national organizations with expertise in child and youth
14 development.
 
15     Section 20. Goals. The goals of the Commission shall
16 include enhancing coordination of existing state programs and
17 services and developing innovative strategies to achieve the
18 following outcomes:
19     (1) Thriving: preventive health. All children and youth
20 should have access to adequate health care and be educated on
21 healthy lifestyle choices to prevent future illness and
22 disease.
23     (2) Learning: education completion. All children and youth
24 should have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and
25 should receive appropriate individualized supports when they

 

 

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1 face challenges in doing so.
2     (3) Working: workforce development. All children and youth
3 should have an opportunity for education, skill building, and
4 work experience to prepare them for success in the workforce.
5     (4) Connecting: social and emotional development. All
6 children and youth should have opportunities to develop
7 essential social and emotional skills that allow them to
8 communicate effectively, resolve conflict, and manage stress.
9     (5) Leading: civic engagement. All children and youth
10 should have opportunities to build relationships with adults
11 and their peers as well as cultivate leadership skills through
12 service learning, mentoring, and other safe activities in their
13 communities.
 
14     Section 25. Recommendations; factors. The Commission shall
15 consider all of the following factors in its assessments and
16 recommendations:
17     (1) Strategies to broaden access to programs and services
18 to youth up through age 24.
19     (2) Disparities in access and outcomes that may be present
20 along racial, ethnic, geographic, gender, or other variables.
21     (3) Mechanisms to ensure youth, family, and community input
22 in the Commission process.
23     (4) Mechanisms for data collection and tracking that
24 integrate data across programs and funding streams when
25 possible.

 

 

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1     (5) All other factors the Commission deems important to the
2 positive development of children and youth.
 
3     Section 30. Reporting; timelines. The Commission shall
4 issue an interim report to the constitutional officers and to
5 members of the General Assembly on its activities, findings,
6 and recommendations on or before December 31, 2009. A final
7 report shall be issued on or before December 31, 2011.
 
8     Section 35. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
9 2012.
 
10     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11 becoming law.