093_HJ0021
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1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Illinois has always been a State that has
3 received and benefited from a large, diverse immigrant
4 population; and
5 WHEREAS, That population now represents close to 13% of
6 Illinois' total population, and families with an immigrant
7 member now represent some 20% of the State's population; and
8 WHEREAS, Illinois has been a national leader in immigrant
9 and refugee integration efforts, and has offered support for
10 citizenship, healthcare, outreach, and interpretation through
11 the Immigrant Services Line Item; and
12 WHEREAS, Immigrants are moving to new communities across
13 the State, with 60% of the State's immigrants living outside
14 the City of Chicago; and
15 WHEREAS, Immigrants play a vital role in many sectors of
16 our economy, including agriculture, education, hotels and
17 restaurants, tourism, manufacturing, healthcare,
18 pharmaceuticals, high tech, and other industries; and
19 WHEREAS, It is important for immigrant workers to be able
20 to learn English, acquire useful employment, and gain the
21 skills necessary to move up the employment ladder; and
22 WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the State and the
23 immigrants that they move quickly from being newcomers to
24 being fully integrated into the economic, civic, and cultural
25 life of the State; and
26 WHEREAS, The Illinois Immigrant Policy Project and the
27 Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights have
28 conducted a series of reports on the challenges facing
29 immigrant newcomers to Illinois, including education,
30 workplace challenges, entrepreneurship, health, and human
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1 services; and
2 WHEREAS, It is important for the State of Illinois to
3 develop an immigrant policy for dealing successfully with our
4 newcomers; therefore, be it
5 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
7 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created a Joint Task
8 Force on Illinois Immigrants and Refugees for the purpose of
9 examining their special needs and making recommendations to
10 the General Assembly concerning those needs as they relate to
11 health, human services, education, employment opportunities,
12 and economic development; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force on Illinois
14 Immigrants and Refugees shall consist of the following
15 members: (i) 2 co-chairpersons who are members of the General
16 Assembly, one of whom is appointed by the Speaker of the
17 House and one of whom is appointed by the President of the
18 Senate; and (ii) 2 spokespersons who are members of the
19 General Assembly, one of whom is appointed by the Minority
20 Leader of the House and one of whom is appointed by the
21 Minority Leader of the Senate; and (iii) the Speaker of the
22 House, the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of
23 the House, and the Minority Leader of the Senate may each
24 appoint 4 additional members; and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That the members shall serve on a voluntary
26 basis and shall be responsible for any costs associated with
27 their participation in the Joint Task Force; and be it
28 further
29 RESOLVED, That all members of the Joint Task Force shall
30 be considered to be members with voting rights, that a quorum
31 of the Joint Task Force shall consist of a simple majority of
32 the members of the Joint Task Force, and that all actions and
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1 recommendations of the Joint Task Force be approved by a
2 simple majority of the members of the Joint Task Force; and
3 be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force on Illinois
5 Immigrants and Refugees shall meet at the call of the
6 chairpersons and shall summarize its findings and
7 recommendations in a report to the General Assembly no later
8 than December 31, 2003.