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1 | AN ACT to create the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Illinois
Africa-America Peace
Brigade Act.
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6 | Section 5. Legislative declaration.
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7 | (a) The General Assembly declares that it
is the
policy of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | this State to promote peace and friendship with African nations
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9 | through the Illinois
Africa-America Peace Brigade. The Peace | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Brigade shall make available to
interested
African
nations men | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | and women of this State qualified for service abroad and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | willing to
serve
under conditions of hardship if necessary. A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | purpose of the Peace Brigade is
to help the peoples of African | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | nations
in meeting
their needs for trained manpower, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | particularly in meeting the basic needs of
those living
in the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | poorest areas of those countries, and to help promote a better
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17 | understanding of the
citizens of this State on the part of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | peoples served and a
better
understanding of other peoples on | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | the part of the citizens of this State.
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20 | (b) The General Assembly declares that it is the policy of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | this State to
promote the
success of the descendants of
persons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | from
Africa who reside in this State. In order to meet this | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | goal, the
General Assembly
finds that it is necessary to |
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1 | provide emergency resources, especially human
resources, to
| ||||||
2 | the failing schools in the urban inner-city areas of this | ||||||
3 | State. A purpose
of the Peace
Brigade is to provide those | ||||||
4 | failing schools with their need for trained
manpower in
meeting | ||||||
5 | the basic and remedial educational needs of African-American | ||||||
6 | students.
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7 | Section 10. Definitions.
For purposes of this Act:
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8 | "Agency of the United States government" means any | ||||||
9 | department, board, wholly
or partially owned corporation, or | ||||||
10 | other instrumentality, commission, or
establishment of
the | ||||||
11 | United States.
| ||||||
12 | "Council" means the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade | ||||||
13 | Advisory Council
created by this Act.
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14 | "Director" means the Director of the Illinois | ||||||
15 | Africa-America Peace Brigade.
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16 | "Peace Brigade" means the Illinois Africa-America Peace | ||||||
17 | Brigade created by
this
Act.
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18 | "Secretary of State" means the Secretary of State of the | ||||||
19 | United States.
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20 | "Volunteer", unless the context otherwise requires, | ||||||
21 | includes
volunteer leaders
and
applicants for enrollment as | ||||||
22 | volunteers.
| ||||||
23 | Section 15. Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade; | ||||||
24 | director and deputy
director;
rules.
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1 | (a) There is created the Illinois Africa-America Peace | ||||||
2 | Brigade. The Peace
Brigade
shall be under the direction of a | ||||||
3 | Director and a Deputy Director appointed by
the
Governor with | ||||||
4 | the advice and consent of the Senate.
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5 | (b) The Director may adopt any rules necessary to carry out | ||||||
6 | the purposes of
this
Act and to perform any of the duties of | ||||||
7 | the Peace Brigade.
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8 | Section 20. Powers and duties.
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9 | (a) The Peace Brigade may enter into, perform, and modify | ||||||
10 | contracts and
agreements with and may otherwise cooperate with | ||||||
11 | any agency of the United
States
government, any state, any | ||||||
12 | State agency, or any educational institutions,
voluntary | ||||||
13 | agencies,
farm
organizations, labor unions, or other | ||||||
14 | organizations, persons, or firms.
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15 | (b) The Director may, with the approval of the Secretary of | ||||||
16 | State, assign
volunteers to temporary duty with international | ||||||
17 | organizations and agencies.
| ||||||
18 | (c) The Director may assign volunteers to duty or make them | ||||||
19 | available to
any
entity referred to in subsection (a) of this | ||||||
20 | Section in order to assist those
entities in
providing | ||||||
21 | development or other assistance to African nations.
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22 | (d) In recognition of the fact that women in developing | ||||||
23 | countries play a
significant role in economic production, | ||||||
24 | family support, and the overall
development
process, the Peace | ||||||
25 | Brigade shall, whenever possible, give particular attention
to |
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1 | programs
and activities that integrate women into the economies | ||||||
2 | of African
nations.
| ||||||
3 | (e) In recognition of the fact that 95% of the disabled | ||||||
4 | people in the world
are
among the poorest of the poor, the | ||||||
5 | Peace Brigade shall, whenever possible, give
particular | ||||||
6 | attention to programs and activities that integrate disabled | ||||||
7 | people
into the economies of African nations.
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8 | (f) The Director may, in cooperation with the State Board | ||||||
9 | of Education and
the
State Superintendent of Education, assign | ||||||
10 | volunteers to duty in urban
inner-city schools
in this State.
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11 | Section 25. Approval by the Secretary of State.
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12 | (a) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to infringe upon | ||||||
13 | the powers or
functions
of the Secretary of State. In carrying | ||||||
14 | out the purposes of this Act, the
Director must seek
the | ||||||
15 | approval of the Secretary of State for any programs or | ||||||
16 | activities of
the Peace
Brigade in foreign nations.
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17 | (b) Except with the approval of the Secretary of State, the | ||||||
18 | Peace Brigade
may
not
be assigned to perform services in | ||||||
19 | foreign nations that could more usefully be
performed by an
| ||||||
20 | agency of the United States government.
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21 | Section 30. Employees; experts; consultants.
The Peace | ||||||
22 | Brigade may employ any personnel, in accordance with the | ||||||
23 | Personnel
Code, that may be necessary to carry out the purposes | ||||||
24 | of this Act. The Peace
Brigade
may enter into contracts with |
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1 | any experts and consultants that it deems
necessary to carry
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2 | out the purposes of this Act.
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3 | Section 35. Volunteers.
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4 | (a) The Director may enroll in the Peace Brigade for | ||||||
5 | service in African
nations and in urban inner-city schools in | ||||||
6 | this State
qualified citizens of this State without regard to | ||||||
7 | race, gender, creed, or
color.
No political
test or | ||||||
8 | qualification may be used in selecting any person for | ||||||
9 | enrollment as a
volunteer.
No person may be assigned to duty as | ||||||
10 | a volunteer in any foreign country unless
at the
time of the | ||||||
11 | assignment he or she possess a reasonable proficiency in
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12 | speaking
the
language of the country to which he or she will be | ||||||
13 | assigned.
The
Director may, by rule, prescribe any other | ||||||
14 | qualifications for volunteers.
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15 | (b) The terms and conditions of service of volunteers are | ||||||
16 | those set
forth in this Act and as the Director prescribes. The | ||||||
17 | service of any volunteer
may be
terminated at the pleasure of | ||||||
18 | the Director. Upon enrollment, every volunteer
shall take an
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19 | oath of office.
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20 | (c) Subject to appropriations, volunteers may be provided | ||||||
21 | with any living,
travel,
and leave allowances and any housing, | ||||||
22 | transportation, supplies, equipment,
subsistence,
and clothing | ||||||
23 | that the Director determines is necessary for their maintenance
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24 | and to insure
their health and their capacity to serve | ||||||
25 | effectively. Transportation and
travel allowances
may also be |
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1 | provided, as the Director determines, for applicants for | ||||||
2 | enrollment
as volunteers to or from
places of training and | ||||||
3 | places of enrollment and for former volunteers from
places of
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4 | service to their homes.
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5 | (d) Subject to appropriations, volunteers who serve in a | ||||||
6 | foreign country may
receive a readjustment
allowance, in an | ||||||
7 | amount determined by the Director,
for each month of | ||||||
8 | satisfactory service. The
readjustment
allowance of each | ||||||
9 | volunteer is payable on his or her return to the United
States.
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10 | Under circumstances that the Director determines, however, the | ||||||
11 | readjustment
allowance,
or any part thereof, may be paid to the | ||||||
12 | volunteer or members of his or her
family during
the period of | ||||||
13 | his or her service or before his or her return to the United
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14 | States. In the
event of a volunteer's death during the period | ||||||
15 | of service, the readjustment
allowance shall
be paid to his or | ||||||
16 | her family.
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17 | (e) Subject to appropriation, volunteers, applicants for | ||||||
18 | enrollment as
volunteers,
and former volunteers may receive any | ||||||
19 | health examinations, immunizations, or
health
and dental care | ||||||
20 | that the Director deems necessary or appropriate.
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21 | (f) In order to assure that the skills and experience of | ||||||
22 | former volunteers
are fully
used, the Director may, in | ||||||
23 | cooperation with agencies of the United States
government, | ||||||
24 | State agencies,
private employers, educational institutions, | ||||||
25 | and other entities, counsel
volunteers
with respect to | ||||||
26 | opportunities for further education and employment.
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1 | (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, attorneys | ||||||
2 | may be employed
and
attorneys' fees, court costs, bail, and | ||||||
3 | other expenses incidental to the
defense
of volunteers
may be | ||||||
4 | paid in foreign judicial or administrative proceedings to which
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5 | volunteers have
been made parties.
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6 | (h) Subject to appropriation, the minor children of a | ||||||
7 | volunteer that are
living with
the volunteer may receive:
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8 | (1) any living, travel, education, and leave | ||||||
9 | allowances and any housing,
transportation, subsistence, | ||||||
10 | and clothing that the Director determines;
| ||||||
11 | (2) any health care, including health care following | ||||||
12 | the volunteer's
service
for an illness or injury incurred | ||||||
13 | during the period of service, that the
Director
determines;
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14 | (3) any orientation, language, and other training that | ||||||
15 | the Director
determines; and
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16 | (4) the benefits of subsection (g) of this Section on | ||||||
17 | the same basis of
volunteers.
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18 | (i) Subject to appropriations, the cost of packing and | ||||||
19 | unpacking,
transporting to
and from a place of storage, and | ||||||
20 | storing the furniture and household and
personal effects
of a | ||||||
21 | volunteer who has one or more minor children at the time of his | ||||||
22 | or her
entering pre-enrollment training may be paid from the | ||||||
23 | date of his or her
departure
from his or
her place of
residence | ||||||
24 | to enter training until no later than 3 months after his or her
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25 | service is
terminated.
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1 | Section 40. Volunteer leaders. The Director may enroll as | ||||||
2 | volunteer leaders
in the
Peace Brigade qualified citizens of | ||||||
3 | this State whose services are required for
supervisory
or other | ||||||
4 | special duties or responsibilities in connection with programs | ||||||
5 | or
activities under
this Act. The ratio of the total number of | ||||||
6 | volunteer leaders in service at any
one time
may not exceed one | ||||||
7 | to 25. Volunteer leaders are entitled to the same benefits
as
| ||||||
8 | volunteers.
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9 | Section 45. Training programs. The Director shall make | ||||||
10 | provision for any
training
that he or she deems appropriate for | ||||||
11 | each applicant for enrollment as a
volunteer and each
enrolled | ||||||
12 | volunteer. All of the provisions of this Act that apply to | ||||||
13 | volunteers
apply to
applicants for enrollment during any period | ||||||
14 | of training occurring before
enrollment.
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15 | Section 50. Applications; background check; enrollment.
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16 | (a) Applicants for enrollment as volunteers must submit any | ||||||
17 | information,
including
fingerprints taken by a law enforcement | ||||||
18 | officer, that the Director requires on
a form
furnished by the | ||||||
19 | Director. The Director shall provide any information
necessary | ||||||
20 | for a
background check to the Department of State Police. The | ||||||
21 | Director may request
that the
Secretary of State conduct a | ||||||
22 | security investigation of an applicant for
enrollment for | ||||||
23 | service in a foreign nation.
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24 | (b) If the Director is satisfied that an applicant meets |
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1 | the qualifications
for a
volunteer and after the applicant | ||||||
2 | completes any pre-enrollment training that
the Director
| ||||||
3 | requires, the applicant may be enrolled as a volunteer.
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4 | Section 55. Advisory Council.
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5 | (a) The Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Advisory | ||||||
6 | Council is created.
The
Council consists of 15 members | ||||||
7 | appointed by the Governor, with the advice
and
consent of the | ||||||
8 | Senate. Members of the Council shall be broadly representative
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9 | of the
general public, including educational institutions; | ||||||
10 | private volunteer agencies;
private
industry; farm | ||||||
11 | organizations; labor unions; different regions of the State;
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12 | different
educational, economic, racial, and national | ||||||
13 | backgrounds; different age
groupings; and
both genders.
No | ||||||
14 | member of the Council may be a State employee.
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15 | (b) The first appointments of members of the Council shall | ||||||
16 | be made not more
than 60 days after the effective date of this | ||||||
17 | Act. Of the members initially
appointed under this
Section, 8 | ||||||
18 | shall be appointed to one-year terms and 7 shall be appointed | ||||||
19 | to
2-year terms. Thereafter, all members shall serve 2-year | ||||||
20 | terms.
No member may serve for more than 2 consecutive 2-year | ||||||
21 | terms.
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22 | Members of the Council serve at the pleasure of the | ||||||
23 | Governor. A member
of the Council may be removed by a vote of 9 | ||||||
24 | members for malfeasance in office,
for persistent neglect of or | ||||||
25 | inability to discharge duties, or for offenses
involving moral |
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1 | turpitude.
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2 | Within 30 days after any vacancy occurs in the
office of a | ||||||
3 | member of the Council, the Governor shall nominate an | ||||||
4 | individual to
fill the vacancy. A member appointed to fill a | ||||||
5 | vacancy occurring before the
expiration of the term for which | ||||||
6 | the member's predecessor was appointed shall
be appointed only | ||||||
7 | for the remainder of that term.
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8 | (c) Members of the Council shall serve without | ||||||
9 | compensation.
| ||||||
10 | (d) A member of the Council must disclose to the Council | ||||||
11 | the existence of
any
direct or indirect financial interest in | ||||||
12 | any particular matter
before the
Council and may not vote or | ||||||
13 | otherwise participate as a Council member with
respect to
that | ||||||
14 | matter.
| ||||||
15 | (e) At its first meeting and at its first regular meeting | ||||||
16 | in each calendar
year
thereafter, the Council must elect a | ||||||
17 | chair and a vice-chair from its members.
The chair
and | ||||||
18 | vice-chair may not be members of the same political party.
| ||||||
19 | (f) The Council must hold a regular meeting during each | ||||||
20 | calendar year and
shall
meet at the call of the Governor, the | ||||||
21 | Director, the chair, or one fourth of its
members. The
Council | ||||||
22 | shall adopt any by-laws and rules that it considers necessary | ||||||
23 | to carry
out its
functions. The by-laws and rules must include | ||||||
24 | procedures for fixing the time
and place
of meetings, giving or | ||||||
25 | waiving notice of meetings, and keeping minutes of
meetings.
A | ||||||
26 | majority of the members of the Council constitute a quorum for |
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1 | the
purposes of transacting any business.
| ||||||
2 | (g) The Council
shall evaluate the accomplishments of the | ||||||
3 | Peace Brigade, assess the potential
capabilities
and the future | ||||||
4 | role of the Peace Brigade, and make recommendations to the
| ||||||
5 | Governor, the
Director, and, as the Council considers | ||||||
6 | appropriate, the General Assembly
for
the purpose of guiding | ||||||
7 | the future
direction of the
Peace Brigade and of helping to | ||||||
8 | ensure that the purposes and programs of the
Peace
Brigade are | ||||||
9 | carried out in ways that are economical, efficient, responsive | ||||||
10 | to
changing needs,
and in accordance with the law. The Council | ||||||
11 | may also make any other
evaluations,
assessments, and | ||||||
12 | recommendations it considers appropriate.
| ||||||
13 | Subject to appropriation, the Council may conduct on-site | ||||||
14 | inspections and
make examinations of the activities of the | ||||||
15 | Peace Brigade in other countries.
| ||||||
16 | (h) Not later than January 1 of each year, the Council must | ||||||
17 | submit to the
Governor
and the Director a report on its views | ||||||
18 | on the programs and activities of the
Peace Brigade.
Each | ||||||
19 | report must contain a summary of the advice and recommendations | ||||||
20 | of the
Council.
Within 90 days after receiving the report, the | ||||||
21 | Governor must submit the
report to the
General Assembly, | ||||||
22 | together with any comments concerning the report that the
| ||||||
23 | Governor
or the Director considers appropriate.
| ||||||
24 | (i) The Director shall make available to the Council any | ||||||
25 | personnel,
administrative
support services, and technical | ||||||
26 | assistance necessary to carry out its functions
effectively.
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1 | Section 60. Report. At least once during each fiscal year, | ||||||
2 | the Governor
must report on the programs and activities of the | ||||||
3 | Peace Brigade under this Act
to the General Assembly.
The | ||||||
4 | report must include:
| ||||||
5 | (1) a description of the purpose and scope of any | ||||||
6 | project that the Peace
Brigade
undertook during the | ||||||
7 | preceding fiscal year; and
| ||||||
8 | (2) recommendations for improving coordination of | ||||||
9 | projects between the
Peace
Brigade, the United States, and | ||||||
10 | other State agencies.
| ||||||
11 | Section 805. The Department of State Police Law of the | ||||||
12 | Civil Administrative
Code of Illinois is amended by adding | ||||||
13 | Section 2605-345 as follows:
| ||||||
14 | (20 ILCS 2605/2605-345 new)
| ||||||
15 | Sec. 2605-345. Background investigations; Illinois
| ||||||
16 | Africa-America Peace Brigade.
Upon the request of the Director | ||||||
17 | of the Illinois
Africa-America
Peace Brigade, to conduct | ||||||
18 | criminal background investigations of applicants for
| ||||||
19 | enrollment as volunteers in the Illinois Africa-America Peace | ||||||
20 | Brigade and to
report any
criminal history information to the | ||||||
21 | Director of the Illinois Africa-America
Peace Brigade.
The | ||||||
22 | request shall be in the form and manner specified by the | ||||||
23 | Department.
|