Full Text of SB1047 95th General Assembly
SB1047enr 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| AN ACT concerning human rights.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | 3 |
| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 |
| Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes Act. | 6 |
| Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds as follows: | 7 |
| (1) The population and demographic makeup of the State | 8 |
| of Illinois make the appreciation, tolerance, and | 9 |
| acceptance of diverse cultures imperative. | 10 |
| (2) No person or group of people should have to live in | 11 |
| fear because of their race, ethnicity, culture, sexual | 12 |
| orientation, or religious beliefs. | 13 |
| (3) The manifestation of discrimination in the form of | 14 |
| violence has a negative impact not only on the victim, but | 15 |
| also his or her community, and can have a lasting adverse | 16 |
| effect on our society. | 17 |
| (4) Stereotypical thinking and biases still plague our | 18 |
| society. | 19 |
| (5) Illinois has a strong tradition of combating | 20 |
| discrimination and hate-based violence by statutorily | 21 |
| addressing crimes such as aggravated battery, theft, | 22 |
| criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct, and telephone | 23 |
| harassment committed because of the victim's race, color, |
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| creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, or | 2 |
| disability. | 3 |
| (6) We must continue to work to build a society that is | 4 |
| bias and hate free so that our children are protected | 5 |
| against discrimination, punishment, and violence that are | 6 |
| based on race, ethnicity, color, creed, religious belief, | 7 |
| sexual orientation, or social status. | 8 |
| Section 10. Establishment of Commission. | 9 |
| (a) The Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes is | 10 |
| established. The Commission shall consist of a chairperson and | 11 |
| 20 additional members appointed by the Governor with the advice | 12 |
| and consent of the Senate. The membership may include, but is | 13 |
| not limited to, persons who are active in and knowledgeable | 14 |
| about the areas of law enforcement, the criminal and civil | 15 |
| justice systems, education, human rights, business and | 16 |
| industry, arts and culture, social services, and religion. | 17 |
| Terms of the members shall be staggered so that 10 of the | 18 |
| initial members shall serve until March 1, 2009, 10 of the | 19 |
| initial members and the initial chairperson shall serve until | 20 |
| March 1, 2011, and thereafter each member shall serve for a | 21 |
| term of 4 years. Members shall serve until their successors are | 22 |
| appointed and qualified. Any vacancy in the membership of the | 23 |
| Council shall be filled by the Governor with the advice and | 24 |
| consent of the Senate for the unexpired term. Members shall | 25 |
| serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for expenses. |
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| (b) The Commission shall be provided assistance and | 2 |
| necessary staff support services by the agencies of State | 3 |
| government involved in the issues to be addressed by it. | 4 |
| Section 15. Purposes of Commission. The purposes of the | 5 |
| Commission include, but are not limited to, the following: | 6 |
| (1) To work in partnership with community leaders, | 7 |
| educators, religious leaders, social service agencies, | 8 |
| elected officials, and the public to identify and uproot | 9 |
| sources of discrimination and bias at the source. | 10 |
| (2) To work with local governments, law enforcement | 11 |
| officials and prosecutors, educators, and community | 12 |
| organizations by assisting with the development of | 13 |
| resources, training, and information that allow for a swift | 14 |
| and efficient response to hate-motivated crimes and | 15 |
| incidents. | 16 |
| (3) To work with educators throughout Illinois on | 17 |
| issues concerning discrimination and hate, teaching | 18 |
| acceptance, and embracing diversity at academic | 19 |
| institutions. | 20 |
| (4) To help ensure that this State's laws addressing | 21 |
| discrimination and hate-related violence are widely known | 22 |
| and applied correctly to help eradicate and prevent crimes | 23 |
| based on discrimination and intolerance. | 24 |
| (5) To make recommendations to the Governor and the | 25 |
| General Assembly for statutory and programmatic changes |
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| necessary to eliminate discrimination and hate-based | 2 |
| violence. | 3 |
| (6) To help implement recommendations by working with | 4 |
| State agencies, the General Assembly, the business | 5 |
| community, the social service community, and other | 6 |
| organizations. | 7 |
| Section 20. Annual report. The Commission shall submit a | 8 |
| report to the Governor and the General Assembly by March 30 of | 9 |
| each year. | 10 |
| Section 25. Other laws. Nothing in this Act shall be | 11 |
| construed to contravene any federal law or any other State law. | 12 |
| Section 30. Effect on Executive Order. This Act supersedes
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| Executive Order No. 8 (2005).
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 15 |
| becoming law.
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