State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HJ0026

 
                                               LRB9208610DJgc

 1                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, A significant number of  Illinois  children  and
 3    youth suffer from depression and other mental health problems
 4    that  affect  their ability to learn and their propensity for
 5    violence, alcohol and substance abuse, and  other  delinquent
 6    behaviors; and

 7        WHEREAS,  One  in 10 children and adolescents in Illinois
 8    suffer from a mental illness  severe  enough  to  cause  some
 9    level of impairment; yet, in any given year only about one in
10    5 of these children receive mental health services; and

11        WHEREAS,  Researchers  and  practitioners  agree that the
12    majority of children and  youth  with  mental  health  needs,
13    other  than  those with serious, chronic mental disorders, do
14    not   receive   preventive    interventions;    yet,    these
15    interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing the
16    impact  of  risk  factors  for mental disorders and improving
17    social and emotional development; and

18        WHEREAS, Childhood is an important time to prevent mental
19    disorders to promote healthy development, because many  adult
20    disorders have related antecedent problems in childhood; and

21        WHEREAS,  Mental  health  services for children and youth
22    need to be delivered in natural  settings,  like  schools  or
23    school-linked  programs,  if  they  are to successfully reach
24    children and youth, who face many barriers to receiving those
25    services in the community; and

26        WHEREAS, Screening, identification, and services  systems
27    in  schools  are inadequate to address the number of children
28    and youth who need mental health support; and

29        WHEREAS, A collaborative, multidisciplinary  school-based
30    and  school-linked approach is needed to ensure that Illinois
31    children and youth  receive  a  continuum  of  mental  health
 
                            -2-                LRB9208610DJgc
 1    prevention,  intervention, and treatment services; therefore,
 2    be it

 3        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
 4    NINETY-SECOND  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
 5    SENATE  CONCURRING  HEREIN,  that   the   Illinois   Violence
 6    Prevention   Authority   shall   convene   and  administer  a
 7    multidisciplinary  Illinois  School/Community  Mental  Health
 8    Task Force; and be it further

 9        RESOLVED, That under the auspices of the  Authority,  the
10    Task Force shall be responsible for doing the following:
11             (1)  Assessing   the   status  of  school-based  and
12        school-linked mental health prevention  and  intervention
13        services and programs for children and youth in Illinois.
14             (2)  Developing  and  recommending  a short-term and
15        long-term plan that takes a  coordinated,  collaborative,
16        multi-system   approach   for   ensuring  that  adequate,
17        quality, mental-health-related services and programs  are
18        available  and accessible to Illinois children and youth.
19        The plan shall include  recommendations  for  public  and
20        private funding sources to implement the plan.
21             (3)  Submitting the plan and related recommendations
22        to  the  Governor's  Office  and  the General Assembly by
23        September 30, 2002.
24             (4)  Monitoring the ongoing  implementation  of  the
25        plan; and be it further

26        RESOLVED,   That  the  Task  Force  Membership  shall  be
27    broad-based, multidisciplinary, and cross-cultural, and shall
28    include a broad representation of mental health stakeholders:
29    State agencies,  representatives  of  the  General  Assembly,
30    youth  and  family  members,  professional  organizations and
31    associations,  advocacy  groups,  faith-based  practitioners,
32    clinicians, educators, health care providers, and members  of
33    the research/scientific community; and be it further
 
                            -3-                LRB9208610DJgc
 1        RESOLVED,  That  at  a  minimum, the following public and
 2    private entities shall be  represented  on  the  Task  Force:
 3    Governor's  Office,  House  and  Senate  caucuses of Illinois
 4    General  Assembly,  Illinois   Attorney   General's   Office,
 5    Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of
 6    Education,  Illinois  Department  of Human Services, Illinois
 7    Department of Children and Family Services,  Illinois  School
 8    Nurses    Association,    Illinois    School    Psychologists
 9    Association, Illinois School Counselors Association, Illinois
10    Principals   Association,   Illinois  School  Social  Workers
11    Association, Illinois Association of  School  Administrators,
12    Large  Unit  District  Association,  Illinois  Association of
13    Regional Superintendents of Schools, Chicago Public  Schools,
14    Illinois   Education   Association,  Illinois  Federation  of
15    Teachers,  Community  Behavioral  Health  Care   Association,
16    Mental  Health  Association  in Illinois, Voices for Illinois
17    Children,  Illinois  Federation  for  Families,  Cook  County
18    Bureau of  Health  Services,  Illinois  Center  for  Violence
19    Prevention,   Illinois  Parent  Teachers  Association  (PTA),
20    Illinois Coalition for School Health  Centers,  and  Juvenile
21    Justice Commission; and be it further

22        RESOLVED,  That  a suitable copy of this Resolution shall
23    be delivered to the Attorney  General  and  the  Director  of
24    Public  Health,  who  jointly  chair  the  Illinois  Violence
25    Prevention Authority.

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