Public Act 095-0781
 
HB4456 Enrolled LRB095 15576 RCE 41575 b

    AN ACT concerning children.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Commission on Children and Youth Act.
 
    Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
finds that positive development opportunities for children and
youth are an essential investment in the future well-being of
our State. Over the past decade Illinois has invested
significant resources in programs and services for children and
youth in areas such as education, health care, delinquency
prevention, and child welfare. Recent initiatives to expand
health care and preschool for all children statewide are
significant steps toward establishing Illinois as a national
leader in providing foundational services to its youngest
residents. These investments have supported important
opportunities for healthy development, yet there continue to be
unmet needs, service gaps, and other challenges facing
children, youth and young adults across Illinois. It has been
over 22 years since Illinois has had a commission to explore
how the State serves its children and youth and allocates its
resources in a manner that most effectively supports children
and youth. Illinois is committed to being a model state in
forging innovative life development opportunities for all
children and youth and needs to develop a vision and strategic
plan to achieve this goal.
 
    Section 10. Commission on Children and Youth. The
Commission on Children and Youth is established. Under the
leadership of the Office of the Governor, the Department of
Human Services shall provide administrative support to the
Commission, subject to appropriations. The purposes of the
Commission are to (1) create a comprehensive 5-year strategic
plan for providing services to children, youth and young adults
ages birth to 24 in Illinois, (2) monitor the implementation of
the strategic plan, and (3) review and, if deemed appropriate,
revise the strategic plan.
 
    Section 15. Commission members; appointments. The
Commission shall be composed of the following members, to be
appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this Act:
    (a) Four members of the General Assembly: 2 members of the
Illinois Senate, one member appointed by the President of the
Senate and one member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;
2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives, one member
appointed by the Speaker of the House and one member appointed
by the House Minority Leader.
    (b) A member of the Governor's leadership team appointed by
the Governor, who shall serve as one of the co-chairs of the
Commission.
    (c) Up to 30 public members appointed by the Governor with
demonstrated interest and expertise in children and youth
across the major stages of child and adolescent development.
Public members shall include rural, suburban and urban
entities; direct service providers; child advocates; human
rights organizations; faith-based service providers;
philanthropic organizations that invest in children and youth;
at least 3 parents of children under the age of 16; and at
least 3 young people between the ages of 16 and 24. A second
co-chair of the Commission shall be elected from among the
public members of the Commission by the public members.
    (d) The following shall serve as ex-officio members of the
Commission: the Director of Children and Family Services or his
or her designee; the Director of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity or his or her designee; the Director of Corrections
or his or her designee; the Director of Employment Security or
his or her designee; the Director of Healthcare and Family
Services or his or her designee; the Secretary of Human
Services or his or her designee; the Director of Juvenile
Justice or his or her designee; the Director of Public Health
or his or her designee; the State Superintendent of Education
or his or her designee; the Commissioner of the Chicago
Department of Children and Youth Services or his or her
designee; the Executive Director of the Illinois Violence
Prevention Authority or his or her designee; the Chair of the
Illinois African-American Family Commission or his or her
designee; and the Chair of the Latino Family Commission or his
or her designee. In addition, there shall be a representative
of a local government entity coordinating services for children
and youth and a representative of the Illinois Early Learning
Council, to be chosen by the chairs.
 
    Section 20. Strategic plan; desired outcomes. The
Commission shall develop a 5-year strategic plan that includes
specific recommendations to enhance coordination of existing
State programs and services and innovative strategies to
achieve the following outcomes:
    (1) Thriving: preventive health. All children and youth
should have access to adequate health care and be educated on
healthy lifestyle choices to prevent future illness and
disease.
    (2) Learning: education completion. All children and youth
should have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and
should receive appropriate individualized supports when they
face challenges in doing so.
    (3) Working: workforce development. All children and youth
should have an opportunity for education, skill building, and
work experience to prepare them for success in the workforce.
    (4) Connecting: social and emotional development. All
children and youth should have opportunities to develop
essential social and emotional skills that allow them to
communicate effectively, resolve conflict, and manage stress.
    (5) Leading: civic engagement. All children and youth
should have opportunities to build relationships with adults
and their peers as well as cultivate leadership skills through
service learning, mentoring, and other safe activities in their
communities.
 
    Section 25. Strategic plan; responsibilities. The 5-year
strategic plan shall be developed by the Commission in
collaboration with other children and youth experts and service
providers as needed. Commission members, Commission staff, or
both may confer and collaborate with relevant State and
national organizations with expertise in child and youth
development. The Illinois Early Learning Council shall have
primary responsibility for development of the strategic plan
pertaining to children birth to 5 and shall collaborate with
the Commission on creation of the final plan. 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.
 
    Section 30. Recommendations; factors. The Commission shall
address all of the following factors in developing the 5-year
strategic plan:
    (1) Strategies to broaden access to programs and services
to youth up through age 24.
    (2) Disparities in access and outcomes that may be present
based on racial, ethnic, geographic, gender, sexual
orientation, disability, incarceration status, medically
fragile health conditions, or other variables.
    (3) The role of and supports for families and communities
in achieving successful outcomes for children, youth and young
adults.
    (4) Mechanisms for data collection and tracking that
integrate data across programs and funding streams when
possible.
    (5) All other factors the Commission deems relevant to the
positive development of children, youth and young adults.
 
    Section 35. Reporting; timelines. The Commission shall
issue an interim report to the Governor and to the General
Assembly on the Commission's activities on or before December
31, 2009. A draft strategic plan shall be submitted to the
Governor and to the General Assembly on or before December 31,
2010. The final strategic plan shall be submitted to the
Governor and to the General Assembly on or before June 1, 2011.
Any subsequent revisions to the strategic plan shall be
submitted to the Governor and to the General Assembly within 30
days after the revisions are approved by the Commission.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.