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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Illinois Indian American Advisory Council Act. | ||||||
6 | Section 5. Definitions.
As used in this Act:
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7 | "Indian" means a person descended from any of the | ||||||
8 | countries of the subcontinent that are not primarily Muslim in | ||||||
9 | character, including India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
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10 | "Council" means the Illinois Indian American Advisory | ||||||
11 | Council created by this Act. | ||||||
12 | Section 10. Illinois Indian American Advisory Council. | ||||||
13 | There is hereby created the Illinois Indian American Advisory | ||||||
14 | Council. The purpose of the Council is to advise the Governor | ||||||
15 | and the General Assembly on policy issues impacting Indian | ||||||
16 | Americans and immigrants; to advance the role and civic | ||||||
17 | participation of Indian Americans in this State; to enhance | ||||||
18 | trade and cooperation between Indian-majority countries and | ||||||
19 | this State; and, in cooperation with State agencies, boards, | ||||||
20 | and commissions, to build relationships with and disseminate | ||||||
21 | information to Indian American and immigrant communities | ||||||
22 | across this State. |
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1 | Section 15. Council members.
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2 | (a) The Council shall consist of 21 voting members. The | ||||||
3 | Governor shall appoint one voting member, who shall act as the | ||||||
4 | chairperson of the Council and serve as the representative of | ||||||
5 | the Office of the Governor. The Governor, the President of the | ||||||
6 | Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the | ||||||
7 | Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the | ||||||
8 | House of Representatives shall each appoint 4 members of the | ||||||
9 | public to the Council, who shall also serve as voting members. | ||||||
10 | (b) Appointing authorities shall ensure, to the maximum | ||||||
11 | extent practicable, that the Council is diverse with respect | ||||||
12 | to race, ethnicity, age, gender, and geography.
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13 | (c) Appointments to the Council shall be persons of | ||||||
14 | recognized ability and experience in one or more of the | ||||||
15 | following areas: higher education, business, international | ||||||
16 | trade, law, social services, human services, immigration, | ||||||
17 | refugee services, community development, or health care.
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18 | (d) Appointed members of the Council shall serve 2-year | ||||||
19 | terms. A member shall serve until his or her successor shall be | ||||||
20 | appointed. Members of the Council shall not be entitled to | ||||||
21 | compensation for their services as members.
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22 | (e) The following officials shall serve as ex officio, | ||||||
23 | nonvoting members of the Council: the Deputy Director of the | ||||||
24 | Office of Trade and Investment within the Department of | ||||||
25 | Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, and |
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1 | the Chief of the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services | ||||||
2 | within the Department of Human Services, or his or her | ||||||
3 | designee.
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4 | The following State agencies shall also each appoint a | ||||||
5 | liaison to serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of the | ||||||
6 | Council: the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, | ||||||
7 | the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the | ||||||
8 | Department of Human Services, the Department on Aging, the | ||||||
9 | Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of | ||||||
10 | Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of Public | ||||||
11 | Health, the Department of Central Management Services, the | ||||||
12 | Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Board of | ||||||
13 | Higher Education, and the Illinois Community College Board.
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14 | (f) The Council may establish committees that address | ||||||
15 | certain issues, including, but not limited to, communications, | ||||||
16 | economic development, and legislative affairs.
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17 | (g) The Office of the Governor shall provide | ||||||
18 | administrative and technical support to the Council, including | ||||||
19 | a staff member to serve as ethics officer.
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20 | Section 20. Meetings. The Council shall meet at least once | ||||||
21 | per each calendar quarter. In addition, the Council may hold | ||||||
22 | up to 2 public hearings annually to assist in the development | ||||||
23 | of policy recommendations to the Governor and the General | ||||||
24 | Assembly. All meetings of the Council shall be conducted in | ||||||
25 | accordance with the Open Meetings Act. Eleven members of the |
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1 | Council shall constitute a quorum. | ||||||
2 | Section 25. Reports.
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3 | (a) The Council shall issue semi-annual reports on its | ||||||
4 | policy recommendations to the Governor and the General | ||||||
5 | Assembly by June 30th and December 31st of each year.
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6 | (b) The reports on policy recommendations shall focus on, | ||||||
7 | but are not limited to, the following: (i) policy issues | ||||||
8 | impacting Indian Americans and immigrants; (ii) advancement of | ||||||
9 | the role and civic participation of Indian Americans in this | ||||||
10 | State; (iii) enhancement of trade and cooperation between | ||||||
11 | Indian-majority countries and this State; and (iv) building | ||||||
12 | relationships with and disseminating information to, in | ||||||
13 | cooperation with State agencies, boards, and commissions, | ||||||
14 | Indian American and immigrant communities across this State.
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