(20 ILCS 1305/80-5)

Sec. 80-5. Task Force on Human Services Consolidation.

(a) There is hereby established a Task Force on Human Services Consolidation.

(b) The Task Force shall consist of 7 voting members, as follows: one person appointed by the Governor, who shall serve as chair of the Task Force; 2 members appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom shall be designated a vice chair at the time of appointment; one member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated a vice chair at the time of appointment; and one member appointed by the House Minority Leader.

Members appointed by the legislative leaders shall be appointed for the duration of the Task Force; in the event of a vacancy, the appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made by the legislative leader of the same house and party as the leader who made the original appointment. The Governor may at any time terminate the service of the person appointed by the Governor and reappoint a different person to serve as chair of the Task Force.

The following persons (or their designees) shall serve, ex officio, as nonvoting members of the Task Force: the Director of Public Health, the Director of Public Aid, the Director of Children and Family Services, the Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget, and, until their offices are abolished, the Director of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Director of Rehabilitation Services, and the Director of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. The Governor may appoint up to 3 additional persons to serve as nonvoting members of the Task Force; such persons shall be officers or employees of a constitutional office or of a department or agency of the executive branch.

The Task Force may begin to conduct business upon the appointment of a majority of the voting members. If the chair has not been appointed but both vice chairs have been appointed, the 2 vice chairs shall preside jointly. If the chair has not been appointed and only one vice chair has been appointed, that vice chair shall preside.

Members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for their expenses.

(c) The Task Force shall gather information and make recommendations relating to the planning, organization, and implementation of human services consolidation. The Task Force shall work to assure that the human services delivery system meets and adheres to the goals of quality, efficiency, accountability, and financial responsibility; to make recommendations in keeping with those goals concerning the design, operation, and organizational structure of the new Department of Human Services; and to recommend any necessary implementing legislation.

The Task Force shall monitor the implementation of human service program reorganization and shall study its effect on the delivery of services to the citizens of Illinois. The Task Force shall make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding future consolidation of human service programs and functions.

(d) The Task Force shall:

(1) review and make recommendations on the organizational structure of the new Department of Human Services;

(2) review and approve plans for a unified electronic management and intake information and reporting system as provided in Section 1-25, and monitor and guide the implementation of the system;

(3) review and make recommendations on the consolidation or elimination of fragmented or duplicative programs;

(4) monitor and make recommendations on how best to maximize future federal funding for the new Department of Human Services, specifically including consideration of any federal Medicaid, welfare, or block grant reform;

(5) review and make recommendations on geographic regionalization;

(6) review and make recommendations on development of common intake and client confidentiality processes;

(7) review and make recommendations to foster effective community-based privatization;

(8) obtain a management audit of the Department of Children and Family Services, to be completed and submitted to the Task Force no later than July 1, 1997; and

(9) review any other appropriate matter and make recommendations to assure a high quality, efficient, accountable, and financially responsible system for the delivery of human services to the people of Illinois.

(e) The Task Force may hire any necessary staff or consultants, enter into contracts, and make any expenditures necessary for carrying out its duties, all out of moneys appropriated for that purpose. Staff support services may be provided to the Task Force by the Office of the Governor, the agencies of State government directly involved in the reorganization of the delivery of human services, and appropriate legislative staff.

(f) The Task Force may establish an advisory committee to ensure maximum public participation in the Task Force's planning, organization, and implementation review process. If established, the advisory committee shall (1) advise and assist the Task Force in its duties, (2) help the Task Force to identify issues of public concern, and (3) meet at least quarterly.

(g) The Task Force shall submit preliminary reports of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by February 1, 1997 and February 1, 1998 and a final report by January 1, 1999. It may submit other reports as it deems appropriate.

(h) The Task Force is abolished on February 1, 1999.

(Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)