SJ0043 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0043 LRB093 15491 MKM 41095 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, A displaced homemaker is an individual who has been providing unpaid services to family members in the home, has been dependent on the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income, and is currently unemployed or underemployed and experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment; and

WHEREAS, Displaced homemakers are often disproportionately poor when compared to the rest of the population; and

WHEREAS, Displaced homemakers must enter the workforce to support themselves and their families, but may face significant barriers to economic self-sufficiency due to a limited education, a lack of work experience, and age discrimination in the hiring process and the workplace; and

WHEREAS, Displaced homemakers may face severe housing problems because they are suddenly left with little or no income and have difficulty finding adequate employment, and because those who are awarded their homes in divorce settlements often cannot afford to maintain the mortgage payments and property taxes; and

WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2002, 1,758 displaced homemakers were enrolled in the Illinois Displaced Homemaker Program, administered by the Illinois Department of Labor, and 75% of these individuals were considered the sole financial support for children under the age of 18; and

WHEREAS, As states respond to federal welfare reform and workforce development legislation, it is likely that Illinois will experience changes in the types of services they currently provide; and

WHEREAS, It is important to continue responding to the needs of displaced homemakers and to expand services to reach more displaced homemakers by moving them out of poverty and beyond reliance on State welfare support and into gainful employment so they may become more active participants in the Illinois economy; therefore be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that a Task Force on Displaced Homemakers, comprised of members of the General Assembly, representatives of the Governor, and concerned members of the public, be created to investigate the services currently offered to displaced homemakers in Illinois and to make recommendations for improvements to those services; and be it further

RESOLVED, That 2 members who are elected members of the House of Representatives or the Senate be appointed by each of the following elected officials: the Speaker of the House, the Minority Leader of the House, the President of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the Senate; and be it further

RESOLVED, That 2 members be appointed by the Governor to represent State agencies currently offering services and assistance to the displaced homemaker population in Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of the General Assembly appointed to the Task Force appoint 2 chairpersons, who shall be members of the Task Force who are members of the General Assembly; and be it further

RESOLVED, That meetings of the Task Force be held at the call of the chairpersons and that the chairpersons appoint 4 members of the public who have adequate expertise on the issue of displaced homemakers and the services and assistance provided to them; and be it further

RESOLVED, That all appointed members of the Task Force shall be considered to be members with voting rights, that a quorum of the Task Force shall consist of a simple majority of the members of the Task Force, and that all actions and recommendations of the Task Force be approved by a simple majority of the members of the Task Force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That members appointed to the Task Force shall be compensated only for costs that arise out of their official duties with the Task Force and that compensation shall come from an appropriate fund; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Governor.