Full Text of HR0415 93rd General Assembly
HR0415enr 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0415 Enrolled |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION 415
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| WHEREAS, Poverty and welfare dependence are widespread | 3 |
| throughout the State
of Illinois, with almost 1,500,000 of its | 4 |
| citizens being dependent on the
State's public
assistance | 5 |
| programs for their most basic needs, and over 200,000 families,
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| including
500,000 children, relying on cash assistance from the | 7 |
| State for all or part of
their
subsistence needs; and
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| WHEREAS, Poverty and unemployment diminish individual | 9 |
| self-esteem, can
undermine family stability, and affect family | 10 |
| formation, community security,
and
cohesion; and
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| WHEREAS, Under the new federal welfare law, the Personal | 12 |
| Responsibility and
Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of | 13 |
| 1996, cash assistance benefits will be
limited to
60 months, | 14 |
| and over 100,000 adult heads of households in the Illinois | 15 |
| welfare
caseload
must have been employed by the year 2002 or | 16 |
| they and their children will be
destitute;
and
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| WHEREAS, Voluntary efforts by the private sector to employ | 18 |
| welfare recipients
are laudable and to be commended, but the | 19 |
| State must also take direct
responsibility to
ensure that | 20 |
| welfare recipients are hired in jobs that will allow them to | 21 |
| leave
the welfare
rolls altogether; and
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| WHEREAS, The State spends billions of dollars each year to | 23 |
| improve its
economy and infrastructure and to deliver services | 24 |
| to the people of the State,
all of which
also serves to provide | 25 |
| jobs for its citizens; and
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| WHEREAS, The State can accomplish the objectives of | 27 |
| relieving welfare
dependency and ensuring economic | 28 |
| self-sufficiency as well as the objectives
related to
carrying | 29 |
| out necessary governmental operations at the same time, and | 30 |
| with
significant
savings in State outlays in cash assistance |
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| and supportive service dollars; and
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| WHEREAS, Poverty and welfare dependency can be alleviated | 3 |
| by targeting some
of the resources of the State and making jobs | 4 |
| available to the welfare poor,
specifically
by bringing | 5 |
| qualified poor persons into the State workforce and into | 6 |
| workforces
that are
generated through State contracts, without | 7 |
| causing the displacement of existing
workers;
and
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| WHEREAS, Some State jobs that are newly created or that are | 9 |
| open through
attrition and some jobs created under State | 10 |
| contracts, can be filled by
qualified welfare
recipients | 11 |
| without compromising the integrity of the hiring process, | 12 |
| contractor
profits,
collective bargaining agreements, timely | 13 |
| completion of projects, or the health
and safety
of Illinois | 14 |
| workers; and
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| WHEREAS, To the extent that these jobs are filled by | 16 |
| welfare recipients, the
State accomplishes 4 important | 17 |
| governmental objectives simultaneously: (1) the
alleviation of | 18 |
| welfare dependency, ensuring of economic self-sufficiency, and
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| lifting of
individuals and families out of poverty, (2) the | 20 |
| stabilization of families and
communities
that are hardest hit | 21 |
| by persistent poverty and unemployment, (3) the
accomplishment | 22 |
| of
the essential work of the State which must be performed | 23 |
| through these jobs, and
(4) the
reduction of State outlays for | 24 |
| cash assistance and services for the poor; and
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| WHEREAS, The State's immediate, direct, and significant | 26 |
| interest in relieving
welfare dependency and the employment of | 27 |
| the poor in jobs generated through the
expenditure of State | 28 |
| funds are important issues that must be addressed;
therefore be | 29 |
| it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 31 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
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| the Welfare to Work Task Force is created
and shall consist of | 2 |
| 6 members appointed as follows: 3
members of the House of | 3 |
| Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House
of
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| Representatives, one of whom shall be designated the | 5 |
| chairperson by the Speaker
of the
House of Representatives, and | 6 |
| 3 members of the House of Representatives
appointed by
the | 7 |
| Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, all of whom | 8 |
| shall serve
without
compensation but shall be reimbursed for | 9 |
| their reasonable and necessary
expenses from
funds | 10 |
| appropriated for that purpose; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study various issues | 12 |
| relating to the
placement of qualified welfare recipients in | 13 |
| State jobs or jobs contracted out
by the State;
the Task Force | 14 |
| shall examine, among any other issues it chooses to | 15 |
| investigate,
the
following issues: (1) the feasibility of | 16 |
| requiring State agencies to provide
the Department
of Human | 17 |
| Services with a job announcement simultaneously with the | 18 |
| posting of
its
positions, except for those positions subject to | 19 |
| recall by laid-off employees,
or those
otherwise exempt, (2) | 20 |
| the ability of the Department of Human Services to review
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| positions, make eligibility determinations, recruit and screen | 22 |
| potential
employees, and
refer aid recipients to fill those | 23 |
| positions, and (3) the feasibility of
requiring employers to
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| employ qualified aid recipients for not less than 5% of the | 25 |
| hours worked on a
State
contract; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall receive the assistance | 27 |
| of legislative
staff,
may, subject to appropriation, employ | 28 |
| skilled experts with the approval of the Speaker of the House | 29 |
| of
Representatives, and shall report its findings to the | 30 |
| General Assembly on or
before January 7, 2005.
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