Full Text of HB0655 96th General Assembly
HB0655 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010 HB0655
Introduced 02/06/09, by Rep. Esther Golar SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
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Creates the Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Task Force Act. Creates the Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Task Force. Requires the Task Force to analyze (i) programs and policies of the State to determine what changes, modifications, and innovations may be necessary to remove barriers to competitive employment and economic opportunity for persons with disabilities, (ii) State disability systems, including the mental health, developmental disabilities, veterans' assistance, workforce investment, and rehabilitation services systems, and their effect on employment of persons with disabilities, and (iii) applicable research and policy studies, innovations used in other States, and any federal policy initiatives such as customized employment, and federal funding opportunities that would increase competitive employment and economic opportunity for persons with disabilities in Illinois. Requires the Task Force to meet for the first time no later than 90 days after the effective date. Requires the Task Force to produce an annual report of its activities and recommendations and to issue that report no later than May 1st of each year, beginning May 1, 2010. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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HB0655 |
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LRB096 08292 JDS 18400 b |
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| AN ACT concerning State government.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 |
| Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with | 6 |
| Disabilities Task Force Act. | 7 |
| Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds as follows: | 8 |
| (1) That there are many qualified persons with | 9 |
| disabilities in Illinois who are unable to obtain | 10 |
| competitive employment. | 11 |
| (2) That the unemployment rate for persons with | 12 |
| disabilities far exceeds the unemployment rate for persons | 13 |
| without disabilities. | 14 |
| (3) That millions of federal and State dollars are | 15 |
| invested each year in education, training, supported | 16 |
| employment, vocational training and other services related | 17 |
| to the employment and training of persons with disabilities | 18 |
| in Illinois without any significant gains in the rate of | 19 |
| competitive employment for persons with disabilities. | 20 |
| (4) That there has been a history of barriers to equal | 21 |
| employment opportunity for persons with disabilities in | 22 |
| Illinois, and those barriers continue to exist in the | 23 |
| public and the private sectors. |
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| (5) That it is in the best social and economic | 2 |
| interests of the State of Illinois to expand competitive | 3 |
| employment and economic opportunity for persons with | 4 |
| disabilities in Illinois. | 5 |
| (6) That competitive employment and other economic | 6 |
| opportunity for persons with disabilities will facilitate | 7 |
| self-sufficiency and independent living for more persons | 8 |
| with disabilities in Illinois. | 9 |
| Section 10. Employment and Economic Opportunity for | 10 |
| Persons with Disabilities Task Force. | 11 |
| (a) The Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons | 12 |
| with Disabilities Task Force is created. | 13 |
| (b) The Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons | 14 |
| with Disabilities Task Force shall be appointed and hold its | 15 |
| first meeting within 90 days after the effective date of this | 16 |
| Act, be convened by the Governor, and operate under the | 17 |
| auspices of the Governor's office. | 18 |
| (c) The Task Force shall be comprised of the following | 19 |
| representatives of State Government: a high-ranking member of | 20 |
| the Governor's management team, designated by the Governor; | 21 |
| representatives of each division of the Department of Human | 22 |
| Services, designated by the Secretary of Human Services; the | 23 |
| Director of Healthcare and Family Services, or his or her | 24 |
| designee; the Director of Veterans' Affairs or his or her | 25 |
| designee; the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity or |
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| his or her designee; the Director of Employment Security or his | 2 |
| or her designee; and the State Superintendent of Education or | 3 |
| his or her designee. | 4 |
| (d) The Task Force shall also consist of no more than 25 | 5 |
| public members who shall be appointed by the Governor and who | 6 |
| represent the following constituencies: statewide | 7 |
| organizations that advocate for persons with physical, | 8 |
| developmental and psychiatric disabilities, entities with | 9 |
| expertise in assistive technology devices and services for | 10 |
| persons with disabilities, advocates for veterans with | 11 |
| disabilities, centers for independent living, disability | 12 |
| services providers, the Illinois Council on Developmental | 13 |
| Disabilities, organized labor, higher education, the private | 14 |
| sector business community, entities that provide employment | 15 |
| and training services to persons with disabilities, and at | 16 |
| least 3 persons who have a disability. | 17 |
| (e) The Task Force shall be co-chaired by the | 18 |
| representative of the Governor and a public member who shall be | 19 |
| chosen by the other public members of the Task Force. | 20 |
| (f) The Task Force members shall serve voluntarily and | 21 |
| without compensation. Persons with disabilities serving on the | 22 |
| Task Force shall be accommodated to enable them to fully | 23 |
| participate in Task Force activities. | 24 |
| (g) The co-chairs of the Task Force shall extend an | 25 |
| invitation to chairs and minority spokespersons of appropriate | 26 |
| legislative committees to attend all meetings of the Task |
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| Force, and may invite other individuals who are not members of | 2 |
| the Task Force to participate in subcommittees of the Task | 3 |
| Force or to take part in discussions of topics for which those | 4 |
| individuals have particular expertise. | 5 |
| (h) The Task Force shall coordinate its work with existing | 6 |
| State advisory bodies whose work may include employment and | 7 |
| economic opportunity for persons with disabilities. | 8 |
| Section 15. Task Force Responsibilities. The Task Force | 9 |
| shall analyze programs and policies of the State to determine | 10 |
| what changes, modifications, and innovations may be necessary | 11 |
| to remove barriers to competitive employment and economic | 12 |
| opportunity for persons with disabilities, including barriers | 13 |
| such as transportation, housing, program accessibility, and | 14 |
| benefit structure. The Task Force shall also analyze State | 15 |
| disability systems, including the mental health, developmental | 16 |
| disabilities, veterans' assistance, workforce investment, and | 17 |
| rehabilitation services systems, and their effect on | 18 |
| employment of persons with disabilities. The Task Force shall | 19 |
| review and analyze applicable research and policy studies, | 20 |
| innovations used in other states, and any federal policy | 21 |
| initiatives such as customized employment, and federal funding | 22 |
| opportunities that would increase competitive employment and | 23 |
| economic opportunity for persons with disabilities in | 24 |
| Illinois. |
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| Section 20. Reporting. The Task Force shall make | 2 |
| recommendations to the General Assembly and to the Governor, | 3 |
| including legislative proposals, regulatory changes, systems | 4 |
| changes, and budget initiatives, that would advance employment | 5 |
| and economic opportunity for persons with disabilities in | 6 |
| Illinois. The Task Force shall produce an annual report of its | 7 |
| activities and recommendations that shall be issued no later | 8 |
| than May 1st of each year, the first report being due no later | 9 |
| than May 1, 2010.
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 11 |
| becoming law.
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