103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5619

 

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/14-3.01  from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01

    Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall allocate sufficient funds to provide for transportation and lodging for the members of the Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities to attend meetings in Springfield and shall provide funds, not to exceed $5,000, for scholarships for families to attend an annual legislative breakfast organized by the Advisory Council.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB5619LRB103 38185 RJT 68318 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
514-3.01 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/14-3.01)  (from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01)
7    Sec. 14-3.01. Advisory Council. This amendatory Act of
81998, in compliance with the reauthorization of IDEA in 1997,
9makes changes in the membership and responsibilities of the
10Advisory Council on the Education of Children with
11Disabilities. The Council shall provide advice and policy
12guidance to the Governor, General Assembly, and the State
13Board of Education with respect to special education and
14related services for children with disabilities. The State
15Board of Education shall seek the advice of the Advisory
16Council regarding all rules and regulations related to the
17education of children with disabilities that are to be
18promulgated by the State Board of Education. The State Board
19of Education shall seek the advice of the Advisory Council on
20modifications or additions to comprehensive plans submitted
21under Section 14-4.01. The Council shall consider any rule or
22regulation or plan submitted to it by the State Board of
23Education within 60 days after its receipt by the chairperson

 

 

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1of the Council.
2    Additionally, the Advisory Council shall: (1) advise the
3General Assembly, the Governor, and the State Board of
4Education on unmet needs in the education of children with
5disabilities; (2) assist the State Board of Education in
6developing evaluations and reporting on data to the United
7States Secretary of Education; (3) advise the State Board of
8Education relative to qualifications for hearing officers and
9the rules and procedures for hearings conducted under Section
1014-8.02 or 14-8.02a; (4) comment publicly on any rules or
11regulations proposed by the State regarding the education of
12children with disabilities and the procedures for distribution
13of funds under this Act; (5) advise the State Board of
14Education in developing corrective action plans to address
15findings identified in federal monitoring reports pursuant to
16the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; (6) advise
17State and local education agencies regarding educational
18programs and materials that may be provided to children with
19disabilities to enable them to fully exercise their
20constitutional and legal rights and entitlements as citizens,
21including those afforded under the Federal Rehabilitation Act
22of 1973, as amended, and the Illinois Human Rights Act; and (7)
23advise the State Board of Education in developing and
24implementing policies relating to the coordination of services
25for children with disabilities.
26    The Council shall be composed of 27 members, including 23

 

 

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1voting members appointed by the Governor and 4 ex-officio
2voting members. Members shall be broadly representative of the
3State's population in regard to developmental, physical, and
4mental disabilities, race, ethnic background, gender, and
5geographic location. Nine members shall be parents of children
6with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 years currently
7receiving special education services at public expense. Five
8members shall be individuals with disabilities, including one
9student or former student who is at least 18 years of age and
10no older than 21 years of age at the time of his or her
11appointment to the Council and who is receiving special
12education services at public expense or received those
13services at the time his or her high school program
14terminated. Within 30 days after the effective date of this
15amendatory Act of 1998, the Governor or his designee shall
16invite statewide organizations, being as inclusive as possible
17and based upon a reasonable inquiry, and Parent Training and
18Information Centers representing parents of children with
19disabilities, individuals with disabilities or both, to
20convene for the purpose of recommending to the Governor twice
21the number of individuals required to be appointed as members
22from each of the categories described in this paragraph, from
23which the Governor may appoint the 14 members of the Council
24who are parents of children with disabilities and individuals
25with disabilities. The 9 members who are parents of children
26with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 years receiving

 

 

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1special education services at public expense and the 5 members
2who are individuals with disabilities shall not be current
3full or part-time employees of school districts, special
4education cooperatives, regional service areas or centers, or
5any agency under the jurisdiction of any elected State
6official.
7    In addition, the Governor shall appoint one regional
8superintendent of schools, one representative of an
9institution of higher education that prepares special
10education and related services personnel, one teacher of
11students with disabilities, one superintendent of a public
12school district, one director of a special education
13cooperative or special education administrator from a school
14district of less than 500,000 population, one representative
15of a public charter school, one representative of a private
16school serving children with disabilities, one representative
17of a vocational, community, or business organization that
18provides transition services to children with disabilities,
19and one at-large member from the general public. In addition,
20the Secretary of Human Services or his or her designee, the
21Director of Children and Family Services or his or her
22designee, the Director of Corrections or his or her designee,
23and the Director of Special Education for the City of Chicago
24School District #299 or his or her designee shall serve as
25ex-officio voting members of the Council.
26    All Council members shall be legal residents of the State

 

 

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1of Illinois and shall be selected, as far as practicable, on
2the basis of their knowledge of, or experience in, the
3education of children with disabilities.
4    The initial members to be appointed to the Council by the
5Governor under the provisions of this amendatory Act of 1998
6shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of
7that amendatory Act; provided that those persons who are
8serving as Council members on that effective date and who, as
9determined by the Governor after consultation with the State
10Board of Education, meet the requirements established by this
11amendatory Act for appointment to membership on the Council
12shall continue to serve as Council members until the
13completion of the remainder of their current terms. The
14initial members of the Council who are not Council members on
15the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1998 and who are
16appointed by the Governor under this amendatory Act of 1998
17shall by lot determine one-third of their number to serve for a
18term of 2 years (provided that person appointed as the student
19or former student member shall be included among those members
20who are to serve a term of 2 years), one-third of their number
21to serve for a term of 3 years, and one-third of their number
22to serve for a term of 4 years; provided, that if the total
23number of initial members so appointed by the Governor is not
24divisible into 3 whole numbers, all of the initial members so
25appointed shall by lot be assigned to 3 groups as follows: (i)
26the members assigned to the first group, who shall include the

 

 

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1student or former student member and who shall be equal in
2number to the number of members who are assigned to the second
3group, shall serve for a term of 2 years; (ii) the members
4assigned to the second group, who shall be equal in number to
5the number of members who are assigned to the first group,
6shall serve for a term of 3 years; and (iii) the members
7assigned to the third group, who shall comprise the remainder
8of the initial members so appointed by the Governor and whose
9number shall be either one more or one less than the number of
10members assigned to either the first group or second group,
11shall serve for a term of 4 years. Upon expiration of the term
12of office of a member of the Council who is not an ex-officio
13member, his or her successor shall be appointed by the
14Governor to serve for a term of 4 years, except that a
15successor appointed as the student or former student member
16shall be appointed to serve for a term of 2 years. Each member
17of the Council who is not an ex-officio member and whose term
18of office expires shall nevertheless continue to serve as a
19Council member until his or her successor is appointed. Each
20of the 4 ex-officio members of the Council shall continue to
21serve as a Council member during the period in which he or she
22continues to hold the office by reason of which he or she
23became an ex-officio member of the Council. The initial
24members of the Council who are not ex-officio members shall
25not, upon completion of their respective initial terms, be
26appointed to serve more than one additional consecutive term

 

 

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1of 4 years, nor shall any successor member of the Council be
2appointed to serve more than 2 full consecutive 4-year terms;
3provided, that a person appointed as the student or former
4student member shall serve only one two-year term and shall
5not be reappointed to serve for an additional term. Vacancies
6in Council memberships held by parents of children with
7disabilities or individuals with disabilities may be filled
8from the original list of such parents and individuals
9recommended to the Governor. The Governor shall reconvene the
10group of organizations that provided the original list of
11parents of children with disabilities and individuals with
12disabilities when additional recommendations for those Council
13memberships are needed, but at a minimum the group shall be
14convened every 2 years for the purpose of updating the list of
15recommended parents or individuals. A vacancy in an appointed
16membership on the Council shall be filled for the unexpired
17balance of the term of that membership in the same manner that
18the original appointment for that membership was made.
19    The terms of all persons serving as Advisory Council
20members on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1998
21who are not determined by the Governor, after consultation
22with the State Board of Education, to meet the requirements
23established by this amendatory Act for appointment to initial
24membership on the Council shall terminate on the date that the
25Governor completes his appointments of the initial members of
26the Council under this amendatory Act, and the members of the

 

 

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1Council as constituted under this amendatory Act shall take
2office and assume their powers and duties on that date.
3    The Council as constituted under this amendatory Act of
41998 shall organize with a chairperson selected by the Council
5members and shall meet at the call of the chairperson upon 10
6days written notice but not less than 4 times a year. The
7Council shall establish such committees and procedures as it
8deems appropriate to carry out its responsibilities under this
9Act and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
10Act.
11    The State Board of Education shall designate an employee
12to act as executive secretary of the Council and shall furnish
13all professional and clerical assistance necessary for the
14performance of its duties.
15    Members of the Council shall serve without compensation
16but shall be reimbursed for the necessary expenses incurred in
17the performance of their duties in accordance with the State
18Board of Education's Travel Control Policy. Subject to
19appropriation, the State Board of Education shall allocate
20sufficient funds to provide for transportation and lodging for
21the members of the Council to attend meetings in Springfield
22and shall provide funds, not to exceed $5,000, for
23scholarships for families to attend an annual legislative
24breakfast organized by the Council.
25(Source: P.A. 89-397, eff. 8-20-95; 89-507, eff. 7-1-97;
2690-644, eff. 7-24-98.)