Public Act 094-0620
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Public Act 094-0620 |
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AN ACT in relation to State government.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||
represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Human | ||||
Voice Contact
Act.
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Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly | ||||
finds that:
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(1) the people of this State, from time to time, need | ||||
contact with State
agencies
because of problems or | ||||
concerns;
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(2) often when a person calls a State agency that | ||||
person needs to talk to
an
individual, and it is not | ||||
necessarily convenient or practical for that person
to | ||||
leave a message or to
follow an automated menu;
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(3) the purpose of State agencies is to serve the | ||||
people of this State in
a manner
that is as accessible, | ||||
efficient, and responsive as possible;
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(4) when a person calls a State agency and receives an | ||||
automated operator
or an
automated menu instead of a live | ||||
operator, often that person is not able to
adequately | ||||
receive
assistance or services; and
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(5) the number of people calling a State agency and not | ||||
getting the
assistance or
services that they are entitled | ||||
to because the State agency does not have a
live operator | ||||
answering
incoming phone calls grows by the day.
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Section 10. Definition. In this Act, "State agency" means | ||||
the same as in
Section 1-7 of
the Illinois State Auditing Act.
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Section 15. Automated telephone answering equipment. A | ||||
State agency that
uses
automated telephone answering equipment | ||||
to answer incoming telephone calls
must, during the normal
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business hours of the agency, provide the caller with the
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option of speaking to a
live operator. This Section does not | ||
apply to field offices, telephone lines dedicated as hot lines | ||
for
emergency services, telephone lines dedicated to providing | ||
general information, and any system that is designed to permit | ||
an individual to conduct a complete transaction with the State | ||
agency over the telephone solely by pressing one or more touch | ||
tone telephone keys in response to automated prompts.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | ||
1, 2007. |