HJ0009 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0009 LRB101 00259 MST 45263 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The average American teenager is exposed to nine hours of media a day, excluding school and homework; and

WHEREAS, Half of younger adults live in a household with three or more smartphones; more than nine in ten 18 to 29-year-olds (96%) say they live in a household with at least one smartphone, and 51% of young adults say their home contains three or more such devices; and

WHEREAS, On a typical day, 8–18 year olds spend approximately 4.39 hours viewing television, 2.31 hours listening to music, 1.29 hours using computers, and 1.13 hours playing video games; and

WHEREAS, Consumption of certain media content by youth has been linked to issues such as self-esteem and body image, suggesting that young people lack the skills to be critical of media; and

WHEREAS, Studies indicate youth lack some basic media literacy skills; in one recent global study, U.S. millennials ranked last or in the bottom 50% out of 22 countries for numeracy, literacy, and problem-solving skills; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Illinois Media Literacy Task Force whose purpose is the following:

(1) To assess the media habits of Illinois youth;

(2) To identify the influence of media on Illinois youth in the State of Illinois, specifically focusing on mental, emotional, and physical health;

(3) To identify the key factors in building a strong competency in media literacy among Illinois youth, K-12;

(4) To identify already existing models around the country that create public education curricula for media literacy; and

(5) To identify existing legislation around the country that attempts to resolve the implications specified by this Task force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the following members:

(1) The Governor, or his or her designee, who will serve as Chair;

(2) The Secretary of the Illinois State Board of Education, or his or her designee;

(3) Two members of the House of Representatives, one appointed by the Speaker and one by the Minority Leader;

(4) Two members of the Senate, one appointed by the President and one by the Minority Leader; and

(5) Four members appointed by the Governor, or his or her designee, who are residents of the State of Illinois and represent public and private organizations who have experience in (1) statewide curriculum building for public education programs, (2) researching and implementing substantive findings in media literacy, (3) pediatrics and the impact of technology and media on youth, and (4) policy advocates who have experience in developing legislative responses to community issues; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force members shall serve without compensation; if a vacancy occurs, a replacement shall be appointed by the Chair of the Task Force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force will have four scheduled meetings, but otherwise shall meet at the call of the Chair; and be it further

RESOLVED, That in addition to whatever policies or procedures it may adopt, all operations of the Task Force will be subject to the provision of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.) and the Illinois Open Meeting Act (5 ILCS 120/1 et seq.); and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois State Board of Education shall provide administrative support; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the report filed with the General Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate in electronic form only, in the manner that the Clerk and Secretary shall direct; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit its final report to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2019, and upon the filing of its report, the Task Force is dissolved.