093_HB3452
LRB093 04372 MBS 04422 b
1 AN ACT in relation to State government.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Human Voice Contact Act.
6 Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
7 finds that:
8 (1) the people of this State, from time to time,
9 need contact with State agencies because of problems or
10 concerns;
11 (2) often when a person calls a State agency that
12 person needs to talk to an individual, and it is not
13 necessarily convenient or practical for that person to
14 leave a message or to follow an automated menu;
15 (3) the purpose of State agencies is to serve the
16 people of this State in a manner that is as accessible,
17 efficient, and responsive as possible;
18 (4) when a person calls a State agency and receives
19 an automated operator or an automated menu instead of a
20 live operator, often that person is not able to
21 adequately receive assistance or services; and
22 (5) the number of people calling a State agency and
23 not getting the assistance or services that they are
24 entitled to because the State agency does not have a live
25 operator answering incoming phone calls grows by the day.
26 Section 10. Definition. In this Act, "State agency"
27 means the same as in Section 1-7 of the Illinois State
28 Auditing Act.
29 Section 15. Automated telephone answering equipment. A
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1 State agency that uses automated telephone answering
2 equipment to answer incoming telephone calls must, during the
3 normal business hours of the agency, provide the caller with
4 the option, among the first set of menu choices, of speaking
5 to a live operator. This Section does not apply to a
6 telephone line that is dedicated as a hot line for emergency
7 services or to provide general information.