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Public Act 100-0320 |
SB1869 Enrolled | LRB100 09019 RJF 19166 b |
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AN ACT concerning State government.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the |
Language Access to Government Services Task Force Act. |
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds the |
following:
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(1) Nearly 10% of Illinois' population is limited |
English proficient, giving Illinois the 5th largest |
limited English proficient population in the United States |
at over 1.1 million residents.
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(2) Language barriers continue to exist for many |
Illinois residents who are limited English proficient, and |
these barriers limit their ability to fully participate in |
civic life and maximize their economic productivity.
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(3) Language barriers for limited English proficient |
residents create very real challenges when trying to access |
information about available government services or an |
individual's legal rights or obligations under State and |
local laws.
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(4) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires program |
recipients of federal funds, such as certain State |
agencies, to take reasonable steps to ensure that limited |
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English proficient persons have meaningful access to their |
programs and activities.
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(5) The public safety, health, economic prosperity, |
and general welfare of all Illinois residents is furthered |
by increasing language access to State programs and |
services.
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Section 10. The Language Access to Government Services Task |
Force.
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(a) There is hereby created the Language Access to |
Government Services Task Force to study and reduce the language |
barriers existing among Illinois residents who are limited |
English proficient, and to maximize their ability to access |
government services and participate in civic discourse.
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(b) The Task Force shall consist of the following members:
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(1) one member of the Senate appointed by the President |
of the Senate;
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(2) one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority |
Leader of the Senate;
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(3) one member of the House of Representatives |
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
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(4) one member of the House of Representatives |
appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of |
Representatives;
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(5) one member appointed by the Governor as a |
representative of the Governor's Office;
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(6) one member appointed by the Attorney General as a |
representative of the Attorney General's Office;
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(7) one member appointed by the Secretary of State as a |
representative of the Secretary of State's Office;
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(8) one member appointed by the Secretary of the |
Illinois Department of Human Services as a representative |
of the Department of Human Services;
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(9) five members appointed by the Governor, upon |
recommendation of a non-profit organization that promotes |
civic engagement and advocates on behalf of immigrant |
communities through a coalition of member organizations |
that serve Latino, Asian, African, Arab, and European |
immigrants; and
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(10) five members appointed by the Governor, upon |
recommendation of a non-profit organization that promotes |
civic engagement among Asian American communities and |
advocates on behalf of Asian American communities through |
its Pan-Asian coalition.
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(c) Members of the Task Force shall receive no compensation |
for serving as members, and shall be appointed within 30 days |
after the effective date of this Act and begin meeting no later |
than 30 days after the appointments are finalized, but shall |
hold its first meeting no later than September 1, 2017. In the |
event that any appointment required to be made by the Governor |
under paragraphs (9) and (10) of subsection (b) is not made |
within 30 days after the effective date of this Act, the |
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Secretary of Human Services shall make such appointments within |
15 days after the appointment deadline.
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(d) The Task Force shall elect a chairperson from among its |
membership, and the Department of Human Services shall provide |
technical support and assistance to the Task Force and shall be |
responsible for administering its operations and ensuring that |
the requirements of this Act are met. The Task Force may |
otherwise consult with any persons or entities it deems |
necessary to carry out its purposes.
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Section 15. Duties of the Language Access to Government |
Services Task Force. The duties of the Task Force shall consist |
of the following:
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(1) review existing language access laws or ordinances |
in other parts of the country, including existing reports |
or academic publications on such laws or ordinances;
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(2) evaluate their effectiveness in eliminating |
language barriers for limited English proficient |
communities;
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(3) consider any other available and relevant |
information on language access issues in Illinois, |
including census data, community feedback, or surveys;
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(4) identify and recommend specific best-practices and |
provisions for a State language access law; and
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(5) produce a final report summarizing the Task Force's |
findings and detailing its specific recommendations for a |
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State language access law and highlight any areas of major |
disagreement within the Task Force.
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Section 20. Report. The Task Force shall submit its final |
report with findings and recommendations to the General |
Assembly, the Governor, and the Attorney General on or before |
July 1, 2018. |
Section 25. Repeal. This Act is repealed on December 31, |
2018. |
Section 100. The Legislative Information System Act is |
amended by changing Section 5.09 as follows:
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(25 ILCS 145/5.09)
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Sec. 5.09. Public computer access; legislative |
information. To
make available to the public
all of the |
following information in
electronic form:
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(1) On or before July 1, 1999, the weekly schedule of |
legislative floor
sessions
for each of the 2 houses of the |
General Assembly together with a list of
matters pending |
before them and the weekly schedule of legislative
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committee hearings together with matters scheduled for |
their consideration.
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(2) On or before July 1, 1999,
a list of the committees |
of the General Assembly and their
members.
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(3) On or before July 1, 1999,
the text of each bill |
and resolution introduced
and of each engrossed, enrolled, |
and re-enrolled bill
and resolution and the text of each
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adopted amendment and conference committee report.
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(4) On or before July 1, 1999, a synopsis of items |
specified in
paragraph (3) of this Section, together with
a |
summary of legislative and gubernatorial actions regarding |
each bill
and resolution introduced.
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(5) On or before July 1, 1999, the Rules of the House |
and the
Senate of the General Assembly.
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(6) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
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Assembly, the text of Public Acts.
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(7) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
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Assembly,
the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
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(8) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
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Assembly, the Constitution of the United States and the |
Constitution
of the State of Illinois.
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(9) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
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Assembly, the text of the Illinois Administrative Code.
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(10) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second |
General
Assembly, the most current
issue of the Illinois |
Register published on or after the effective date of this
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amendatory Act of 1998.
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(11) Any other information that the Joint Committee on |
Legislative Support
Services
elects to make available.
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The information shall be made available to the public
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through a website maintained by the System the World Wide Web .
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The information may also be made
available by any other means |
of access that would facilitate public access to
the |
information.
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Any documentation that describes the electronic digital |
formats of the
information shall be made available
through a |
website maintained by the System the World Wide Web .
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Personal information concerning a person who accesses this |
public information
may be
maintained only for the purpose of |
providing service to the person.
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No fee or other charge may be imposed by the Legislative |
Information System
as a condition of accessing the information, |
except that a reasonable fee may
be charged for any customized |
services and shall be deposited into the General
Assembly |
Computer Equipment Revolving Fund.
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The electronic public access provided through the System's |
website World Wide Web
shall be in addition to any other |
electronic or print distribution of the
information.
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Within one-year after the effective date of this amendatory |
Act of the 100th General Assembly, to the extent practicable, |
the System shall use a free translation tool to enable |
translation into multiple languages of the information made |
available to the public through the website maintained by the |
System. The translation tool shall, at a minimum, translate the |
following content on the website maintained by the System: the |
home page; information regarding the members of the House of |
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Representatives and the Senate, including, but not limited to, |
each member's biography, committee assignments, and sponsored |
bills; information regarding the membership of, bills assigned |
to, and meeting schedules of each standing and special |
committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate; |
information on the procedural status of each bill and |
resolution, together with any amendments thereto, and |
appointment message filed in the House of Representatives or |
the Senate, including both general information and |
user-selected information (through the "My Legislation" |
function or otherwise), but not including the synopsis or text |
of any bill or resolution, or any amendment thereto, or any |
appointment message, Public Act, or Executive Order; |
information regarding previous General Assemblies, not |
including the synopsis or text of any bill or resolution, or |
any amendment thereto, or any appointment message, Public Act, |
or Executive Order; contact information for the General |
Assembly, legislative support service agencies, and other |
related offices in the Capitol Complex; and information |
regarding access for persons with disabilities. The System may, |
in its discretion, provide for additional content to be |
translated. The languages available for translation shall be |
those provided by the translation tool. Before a user accesses |
translated information, the System shall ensure that a |
disclaimer is first displayed, stating that: the translated |
information is offered as a convenience and should not be |
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considered accurate as to the translation of the text in |
question; and the English language version is the official and |
authoritative version of the text in question. |
No action taken under this Section shall be deemed to alter |
or relinquish any
copyright or other proprietary interest or |
entitlement of the State of Illinois
relating to any of the |
information made available under this Section.
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The information shall be made available as provided in this |
Section in the
shortest
practicable time after it is publicly |
available in any other form;
provided that
the System may make |
information available under this Section only if the
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availability in no way reduces the quality and timeliness of
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service available to and required under this Act for
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legislative users and does not unduly burden the General |
Assembly or its
support services agencies. Failure to provide |
information under this Section
does not affect
the validity of |
any action of the General Assembly. The General Assembly and
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the State of Illinois are not liable for the accuracy, |
availability, or use of
the information provided under this |
Section.
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(Source: P.A. 90-666, eff. 7-30-98.)
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Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
becoming law.
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