20 ILCS 5015/15

(20 ILCS 5015/15)

Sec. 15. Members. The Commission to End Hunger shall be composed of no more than 21 voting members including 2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives, one appointed by the Speaker of the House and one appointed by the House Minority Leader; 2 members of the Illinois Senate, one appointed by the Senate President and one appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; one representative of the Office of the Governor appointed by the Governor; one representative of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; and 15 public members, who shall be appointed by the Governor.

The public members shall include 2 representatives of food banks; 2 representatives from other community food assistance programs; a representative of a statewide organization focused on responding to hunger; a representative from an anti-poverty organization; a representative of an organization that serves or advocates for children and youth; a representative of an organization that serves or advocates for older adults; a representative of an organization that advocates for people who are homeless; a representative of an organization that serves or advocates for persons with disabilities; a representative of an organization that advocates for immigrants; a representative of a municipal or county government; and 3 at-large members. The appointed members shall reflect the racial, gender, and geographic diversity of the State and shall include representation from regions of the State.

The following officials shall serve as ex-officio members: the Secretary of Human Services or his or her designee; the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee; the Director of Healthcare and Family Services or his or her designee; the Director of Children and Family Services or his or her designee; the Director of Aging or his or her designee; the Director of Natural Resources or his or her designee; and the Director of Agriculture or his or her designee. The African-American Family Commission and the Latino Family Commission shall each designate a liaison to serve ex-officio on the Commission.

Members shall serve without compensation and are responsible for the cost of all reasonable and necessary travel expenses connected to Commission business, as the State of Illinois will not reimburse Commission members for these costs.

Commission members shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this Act. The Commission shall hold their initial meetings within 60 days after at least 50% of the members have been appointed.

The representative of the Office of the Governor and a representative of a food bank shall serve as co-chairs of the Commission.

At the first meeting of the Commission, the members shall select a 5-person Steering Committee that includes the co-chairs.

The Commission may establish committees that address specific issues or populations and may appoint individuals with relevant expertise who are not appointed members of the Commission to serve on committees as needed.

The Office of the Governor, or a designee of the Governor's choosing, shall provide guidance to the Commission. Under the leadership of the Office of the Governor, subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services shall also provide leadership to support the Commission. The Department of Human Services and the State of Illinois shall not incur any costs as a result of the creation of the Commission to End Hunger as the coordination of meetings, report preparation, and other related duties will be completed by a representative of a food bank that is serving as a co-chair of the Commission.

(Source: P.A. 102-1119, eff. 1-23-23.)