State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HR0168

 
                                               LRB9208532ARsb

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Poverty and welfare  dependence  are  widespread
 3    throughout  the  State  of Illinois, with almost 1,500,000 of
 4    its citizens being dependent on the State's public assistance
 5    programs  for  their  most  basic  needs,  and  over  200,000
 6    families,  including  500,000  children,  relying   on   cash
 7    assistance   from   the  State  for  all  or  part  of  their
 8    subsistence needs; and

 9        WHEREAS, Poverty  and  unemployment  diminish  individual
10    self-esteem,  can  undermine  family  stability,  and  affect
11    family formation, community security, and cohesion; and

12        WHEREAS,  Under the new federal welfare law, the Personal
13    Responsibility and Work  Opportunity  Reconciliation  Act  of
14    1996,  cash assistance benefits will be limited to 60 months,
15    and over 100,000 adult heads of households  in  the  Illinois
16    welfare caseload must be employed by the year 2002 or the and
17    their children will be destitute; and

18        WHEREAS,  Voluntary  efforts  by  the  private  sector to
19    employ welfare recipients are laudable and to  be  commended,
20    but  the State must also take direct responsibility to ensure
21    that welfare recipients are hired in  jobs  that  will  allow
22    them to leave the welfare rolls altogether; and

23        WHEREAS,  The  State spends billions of dollars each year
24    to improve its economy  and  infrastructure  and  to  deliver
25    services to the people of the State, all of which also serves
26    to provide jobs for its citizens; and

27        WHEREAS,  The  State  can  accomplish  the  objectives of
28    relieving   welfare   dependency   and   ensuring    economic
29    self-sufficiency   as  well  as  the  objectives  related  to
30    carrying out necessary governmental operations  at  the  same
31    time,  and  with significant savings in State outlays in cash
 
                            -2-                LRB9208532ARsb
 1    assistance and supportive service dollars; and

 2        WHEREAS, Poverty and welfare dependency can be alleviated
 3    by targeting some of the resources of the  State  and  making
 4    jobs  available to the welfare poor, specifically by bringing
 5    qualified poor persons into  the  State  workforce  and  into
 6    workforces   that  are  generated  through  State  contracts,
 7    without causing the displacement of existing workers; and

 8        WHEREAS, Some State jobs that are newly created  or  that
 9    are  open through attrition and some jobs created under State
10    contracts, can be  filled  by  qualified  welfare  recipients
11    without  compromising  the  integrity  of the hiring process,
12    contractor profits, collective bargaining agreements,  timely
13    completion  of projects, or the health and safety of Illinois
14    workers; and

15        WHEREAS, To the extent that  these  jobs  are  filled  by
16    welfare   recipients,  the  State  accomplishes  4  important
17    governmental objectives simultaneously: (1)  the  alleviation
18    of welfare dependency, ensuring of economic self-sufficiency,
19    and  lifting  of individuals and families out of poverty, (2)
20    the  stabilization  of  families  and  communities  that  are
21    hardest hit by persistent poverty and unemployment,  (3)  the
22    accomplishment  of the essential work of the State which must
23    be performed through these jobs, and  (4)  the  reduction  of
24    State  outlays for cash assistance and services for the poor;
25    and

26        WHEREAS, The State's immediate, direct,  and  significant
27    interest  in  relieving welfare dependency and the employment
28    of the poor in jobs  generated  through  the  expenditure  of
29    State  funds  are  important  issues  that must be addressed;
30    therefore be it

31        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
32    NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
 
                            -3-                LRB9208532ARsb
 1    there is created the Welfare to Work Task Force consisting of
 2    5  members  appointed  as  follows: 3 members of the House of
 3    Representatives appointed by the  Speaker  of  the  House  of
 4    Representatives,   one   of  whom  shall  be  designated  the
 5    chairperson by the Speaker of the House  of  Representatives,
 6    and  2  members  of the House of Representatives appointed by
 7    the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives,  all  of
 8    whom shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed
 9    for  their  reasonable  and  necessary  expenses  from  funds
10    appropriated for that purpose; and be it further

11        RESOLVED,  That the Task Force shall study various issues
12    relating to the placement of qualified welfare recipients  in
13    State  jobs  or  jobs  contracted  out by the State; the Task
14    Force shall examine, among any other  issues  it  chooses  to
15    investigate,  the  following  issues:  (1) the feasibility of
16    requiring State agencies to provide the Department  of  Human
17    Services  with  a  job  announcement  simultaneously with the
18    posting of its positions, except for those positions  subject
19    to  recall  by laid-off employees, or those otherwise exempt,
20    (2) the ability of the Department of Human Services to review
21    positions,  make  eligibility  determinations,  recruit   and
22    screen  potential employees, and refer aid recipients to fill
23    those  positions,  and  (3)  the  feasibility  of   requiring
24    employers  to  employ  qualified  aid recipients for not less
25    than 5% of the hours worked on a State contract;  and  be  it
26    further

27        RESOLVED,   That   the   Task  Force  shall  receive  the
28    assistance of legislative staff, may employ  skilled  experts
29    with   the   approval   of   the  Speaker  of  the  House  of
30    Representatives, and shall report its findings to the General
31    Assembly on or before March 31, 2002.

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