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90_HB2035
20 ILCS 1305/Art. 15 heading new
20 ILCS 1305/15-5 new
20 ILCS 1305/15-10 new
20 ILCS 1305/15-95 new
Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Creates a
Task Force on Responsible Fatherhood within the Department.
Provides that the task force shall compile information on the
extent and implications of the absence of responsible fathers
from families and perform other functions. Repeals the
provisions concerning the task force on July 1, 1999.
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1 AN ACT to amend the Department of Human Services Act by
2 adding Article 15.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is
6 amended by adding Article 15 as follows:
7 (20 ILCS 1305/Art. 15 heading new)
8 ARTICLE 15. TASK FORCE ON RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD
9 (20 ILCS 1305/15-5 new)
10 Sec. 15-5. Task Force on Responsible Fatherhood created.
11 (a) The Task Force on Responsible Fatherhood is created
12 within the Department of Human Services. The task force
13 shall consist of not more than 25 members, as provided in
14 this Section. The following or their designees shall serve
15 as ex officio members: the Secretary of Human Services, who
16 shall serve as chairperson of the task force; the Directors
17 of Public Health, Public Aid, and Children and Family
18 Services; the heads of any other State agencies as determined
19 by the Governor; the Attorney General; and the Chief Justice
20 of the Illinois Supreme Court. The Secretary of Human
21 Services shall appoint members of the general public as
22 members of the task force. The President of the Senate,
23 the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House
24 of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of
25 Representatives shall each appoint 2 members of the task
26 force. The Governor may remove any member of the task force
27 for cause.
28 (b) The members of the task force shall serve without
29 compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable
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1 expenses actually incurred in performing their duties.
2 (c) The Department of Human Services shall provide staff
3 and technical assistance needed by the task force in order to
4 perform its functions.
5 (d) The task force shall hold its first meeting within
6 30 days after the members are appointed.
7 (e) The task force may apply for grants and accept
8 donations for the purpose of funding its activities under
9 this Article.
10 (20 ILCS 1305/15-10 new)
11 Sec. 15-10. Task force; purpose and functions.
12 (a) The purpose of the Task Force on Responsible
13 Fatherhood is to raise awareness of the problems created when
14 a child grows up without the presence of a responsible
15 father, to identify obstacles that impede or prevent the
16 involvement of responsible fathers in the lives of their
17 children, and to identify strategies that are successful in
18 encouraging responsible fatherhood.
19 (b) The following principles shall guide the work of the
20 task force:
21 (1) The historically low expectations held about
22 fathers must change in all areas of society, and
23 responsible fathers must be encouraged to be full
24 partners in parenting their children.
25 (2) Networks of peer support for fathers are an
26 essential part of any successful strategy to connect or
27 reconnect responsible fathers to their children.
28 (3) Women have a crucial role in promoting and
29 supporting the involvement of responsible fathers in the
30 lives of their children, and that role must not be
31 overlooked or diminished.
32 (4) Family violence must not be tolerated.
33 (5) Special attention should be focused on
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1 interventions aimed at males and females prior to
2 parenthood.
3 (6) The areas where responsible fathering appear to
4 break down should be addressed. Those areas include, but
5 are not limited to, fathers who are absent from the home
6 and voluntarily do not participate in their children's
7 lives, fathers who have been involuntarily obstructed
8 from participating in the lives of their children, and
9 fathers who are present in the home but are disengaged
10 from their children's lives.
11 (c) In order to carry out its purpose, and subject to
12 the availability of resources, the task force shall do the
13 following:
14 (1) Compile available information on the extent and
15 implications of the absence of responsible fathers from
16 families.
17 (2) Identify barriers in both the public and the
18 private sectors to responsible fatherhood and make
19 recommendations that pursue the elimination of those
20 barriers.
21 (3) Identify successful strategies that encourage
22 responsible fatherhood and recommend and promote those
23 that should be recognized, expanded, or replicated.
24 (4) Identify how existing State and community
25 resources can be used to encourage responsible
26 fatherhood.
27 (5) Identify strategies to use to meet the needs of
28 children and families when a responsible father is not
29 available for a family.
30 (6) Work in cooperation with local community-based
31 prenatal and infant health care coalitions to advise
32 these coalitions on their implementation of plans to
33 increase the participation of responsible fathers in
34 families.
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1 (7) Sponsor a statewide symposium on the issue of
2 responsible fatherhood no later than the summer of 1998.
3 (8) Present a report to the Governor, the General
4 Assembly, the Attorney General, and the Chief Justice of
5 the Supreme Court no later than December 31, 1998.
6 (20 ILCS 1305/15-95 new)
7 Sec. 15-95. Repeal. This Article 15 is repealed on July
8 1, 1999.