Full Text of SB2178 96th General Assembly
SB2178enr 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| AN ACT concerning plain language.
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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 |
| Illinois Plain Language Task Force Act. | 6 |
| Section 5. Purpose. The mission of the Illinois Plain | 7 |
| Language Task Force is to conduct a study on, and to propose | 8 |
| legislative measures designed to realize: | 9 |
| (1) the potential benefits of incorporating plain | 10 |
| language in State government documents, statutes, and | 11 |
| contracts into which the State enters; and | 12 |
| (2) how plain language principles might be | 13 |
| incorporated into the statutes governing contracts among | 14 |
| private parties so as to provide additional protections to | 15 |
| Illinois consumers, to reduce litigation between private | 16 |
| parties over the meaning of contractual terms, and to | 17 |
| foster judicial economy. | 18 |
| Section 10. Definition. As used in this Act: | 19 |
| "Plain language" has the same meaning ascribed to it in the | 20 |
| Executive Memorandum of the President of the United States, | 21 |
| mandating that Federal Agencies and Federal Administrative | 22 |
| Rules employ plain language, issued June 1, 1998, namely that |
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| "plain language" documents have logical organization, | 2 |
| easy-to-read design features, and use: (i) common, everyday | 3 |
| words, except for necessary technical terms; (ii) "you" and | 4 |
| other pronouns; (iii) the active voice; and (iv) short | 5 |
| sentences. | 6 |
| Section 15. Task Force. | 7 |
| (a) The Illinois Plain Language Task Force is hereby | 8 |
| created. The Illinois Plain Language Task Force shall be | 9 |
| chaired by the Governor or his or her designee and shall | 10 |
| consist of the following members: one member appointed by the | 11 |
| Illinois Attorney General; one member appointed by the Senate | 12 |
| President; one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the | 13 |
| Senate; one member appointed by the Speaker of the House; one | 14 |
| member appointed by the Minority Leader of the House; and 3 | 15 |
| members appointed by the Governor, one of whom represents the | 16 |
| interests of the banking industry, one of whom represents the | 17 |
| interests of the business community, and one of whom represents | 18 |
| the interests of the consumers. | 19 |
| (b) Members of the Task Force must be appointed no later | 20 |
| than 90 days after the effective date of this Act. | 21 |
| (c) If a vacancy occurs on the Task Force, it shall be | 22 |
| filled according to the guidelines of the initial appointment. | 23 |
| (d) At the discretion of the chair, additional individuals | 24 |
| may participate as non-voting members in the meetings of the | 25 |
| Task Force. |
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| (e) Members of the Illinois Plain Language Task Force shall | 2 |
| serve without compensation. The Office of the Governor shall | 3 |
| provide staff and administrative services to the Task Force. | 4 |
| Section 20. Duties. Once all members have been appointed, | 5 |
| the Task Force shall meet not less than once each quarter | 6 |
| following the effective date of this Act to carry out the | 7 |
| duties prescribed in this Act. An initial report delineating | 8 |
| the Task Force's findings, conclusions, and recommendations | 9 |
| shall be submitted to the Illinois General Assembly no later | 10 |
| than 9 months after the effective date of this Act. Thereafter, | 11 |
| the Task Force shall make periodic recommendations on its own | 12 |
| motion or at the urging of the Illinois General Assembly. | 13 |
| Section 25. Guidance. The Task Force shall be guided in its | 14 |
| discussions on the subject of plain language by the guidelines | 15 |
| for plain language drafting promulgated by the President of the | 16 |
| United States on June 1, 1998, which accompanied his plain | 17 |
| language Executive Memorandum issued on the same day.
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 19 |
| becoming law.
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