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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Studies have shown the need for continued | ||||||
| 3 | assistance for children who have aged out of foster care; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Studies have also shown that former foster care | ||||||
| 5 | youth are more likely than their peers to have higher | ||||||
| 6 | unemployment and lower levels of higher education; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services has | ||||||
| 8 | committed to assisting youth that age out of foster care with | ||||||
| 9 | programs that ensure continued success of the child and are | ||||||
| 10 | cost-effective for the State; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has implemented programs and | ||||||
| 12 | laws to assist various populations for employment and | ||||||
| 13 | educational opportunities; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, There is a need to further examine existing laws | ||||||
| 15 | and programs of other populations that may be applicable to | ||||||
| 16 | youth that have aged out of foster care; therefore, be it
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| 17 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 18 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that there | ||||||
| 19 | is created the Success by 25 Task Force under the Department of | ||||||
| 20 | Children and Family Services to identify and recommend | ||||||
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| 1 | cost-effective ways to further assist foster care children as | ||||||
| 2 | they age out of foster care and into independent living; and be | ||||||
| 3 | it further
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| 4 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall research, analyze, and | ||||||
| 5 | consider existing laws, programs, and benefits that could be | ||||||
| 6 | used to assist wards of the State in a cost-effective manner to | ||||||
| 7 | live independently as they age out of foster care; and be it | ||||||
| 8 | further | ||||||
| 9 | RESOLVED, That the primary focus of the Task Force is to
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| 10 | identify programs that may be beneficial to young adults
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| 11 | between the ages of 18 and 21 who are in the care of the
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| 12 | Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; the | ||||||
| 13 | secondary focus is to examine new programs and laws for young
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| 14 | adults between the ages of 21 and 25 who were formerly in the
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| 15 | care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
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| 16 | to ensure their continued success for independent living; and
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| 17 | be it further"; and | ||||||
| 18 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the | ||||||
| 19 | following members: | ||||||
| 20 | (1) three members appointed by the Speaker of the House | ||||||
| 21 | of
Representatives, one of whom shall serve as a | ||||||
| 22 | Co-Chairperson
of the Task Force; | ||||||
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| 1 | (2) three members appointed by the Minority Leader
of | ||||||
| 2 | the House of Representatives, one of whom shall serve as a
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| 3 | Co-Chairperson of the Task Force; | ||||||
| 4 | (3) the Secretary of the Department of Human
Services | ||||||
| 5 | or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 6 | (4) the Director of the Department of Children and
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| 7 | Family Services or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 8 | (5) the Director of the Department of Healthcare and | ||||||
| 9 | Family Services or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 10 | (6) the
Director of the Department of Corrections or | ||||||
| 11 | his or her designee; | ||||||
| 12 | (7) a
representative from the Governor's Office, | ||||||
| 13 | appointed by the
Governor; | ||||||
| 14 | (8) two members who are licensed social workers who | ||||||
| 15 | work
with children in at-risk groups, appointed by the | ||||||
| 16 | Director of
the Department of Children and Family Services; | ||||||
| 17 | (9) one representative from the
Office of the Cook | ||||||
| 18 | County Public Guardian, appointed by the
Director of the | ||||||
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| 1 | Department of Children and Family Services in consultation | ||||||
| 2 | with
the Cook County Public Guardian; | ||||||
| 3 | (10) two representatives from the
Children and Family | ||||||
| 4 | Services Advisory Council, appointed by the
Director of the | ||||||
| 5 | Department of Children and Family Services; and | ||||||
| 6 | (11) two former
youth-in-care, appointed by the | ||||||
| 7 | Director of the Department of Children and Family
Services; | ||||||
| 8 | and be it further
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| 9 | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve | ||||||
| 10 | without compensation; and be it further | ||||||
| 11 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall receive the cooperation | ||||||
| 12 | of any State agencies it deems appropriate to assist the Task | ||||||
| 13 | Force in carrying out its duties; and be it further | ||||||
| 14 | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall be | ||||||
| 15 | considered members with voting rights; a quorum of the Task | ||||||
| 16 | Force shall consist of a majority of the members of the Task | ||||||
| 17 | Force; and be it further | ||||||
| 18 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall present its findings | ||||||
| 19 | and recommendations to the General Assembly in a report to the | ||||||
| 20 | General Assembly and the Director of Children and Family | ||||||
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| 1 | Services on or before December 31, 2017.
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