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1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, A substantial and growing percentage of the adult | ||||||
3 | citizens of Illinois are vulnerable to abuse, neglect, | ||||||
4 | exploitation or victimization as a result of age, disability, | ||||||
5 | status, or health condition; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Children of Illinois are also vulnerable to abuse, | ||||||
7 | neglect, exploitation or victimization as a result of | ||||||
8 | disability, status or health condition; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Under various Illinois laws, responsibility for | ||||||
10 | addressing abuse, neglect, exploitation and victimization of | ||||||
11 | various segments of the vulnerable populations, and for | ||||||
12 | affording them protection, is dispersed among several agencies | ||||||
13 | including, but not limited to, the Illinois Departments of | ||||||
14 | Public Health (DPH), Aging (DOA), Human Services (DHS), | ||||||
15 | Children and Family Services (DCFS) and others; and
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16 | WHEREAS, These agencies have responsibility for licensure | ||||||
17 | and regulation and/or for investigating abuse, neglect and/or | ||||||
18 | exploitation of different population groups in different | ||||||
19 | settings; and
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20 | WHEREAS, The settings in which care may be provided to such | ||||||
21 | vulnerable persons ranges widely and includes, but is not |
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1 | limited to, hospitals, nursing homes, mental health | ||||||
2 | facilities, therapeutic day schools, community placements, | ||||||
3 | supportive housing, non-residential programs, other | ||||||
4 | institutional settings, domestic living situations, and other | ||||||
5 | non-institutional settings in the State of Illinois; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Licensing, protective, investigative and | ||||||
7 | reporting schemes in Illinois are fragmented, which results in | ||||||
8 | varying standards of protection, gaps in protection and unequal | ||||||
9 | coverage for different population groups, and a patchwork of | ||||||
10 | requirements (and in some cases an absence of requirements) | ||||||
11 | applicable to various settings in which care for individuals in | ||||||
12 | these groups might be provided; and | ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, This fragmentation has resulted in disparity of | ||||||
14 | treatment and widespread confusion on the part of the persons | ||||||
15 | being served, victims of abuse and neglect, the general public, | ||||||
16 | caregivers, providers, medical and other staff, and others who | ||||||
17 | might regulate, report, investigate or otherwise deal with | ||||||
18 | abuse, neglect, exploitation or victimization of members of | ||||||
19 | these groups or provide care for members of these groups; and | ||||||
20 | WHEREAS, The incidences of disparate treatment, of gaps in | ||||||
21 | coverage, of inefficient or ineffective reporting schemes, and | ||||||
22 | of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or victimization of | ||||||
23 | members of vulnerable population groups have been noted by |
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1 | Equip for Equality, the organization designated to implement | ||||||
2 | the federal Protection and Advocacy system for people with | ||||||
3 | disabilities in Illinois, and other incidences have also been | ||||||
4 | noted by the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, the | ||||||
5 | Department of Public Health, members of the General Assembly, | ||||||
6 | and others; and | ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Equip for Equality has detailed many of the | ||||||
8 | disparities and inefficiencies in a public report entitled | ||||||
9 | "Ensuring the Safety of Children and Adults with Disabilities: | ||||||
10 | Filling the Gaps in Illinois' System that Investigates | ||||||
11 | Allegations of Abuse and Neglect" (2008), together with | ||||||
12 | recommendations for change; and | ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, Best practices across the nation point toward a | ||||||
14 | unified state scheme for licensure, protection, investigation, | ||||||
15 | reporting, and sanctioning abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or | ||||||
16 | victimization of vulnerable populations; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, as a matter of public | ||||||
18 | policy, should afford its citizens generally, and in particular | ||||||
19 | its most vulnerable citizens, the most effective and efficient | ||||||
20 | means of protection and care; therefore, be it
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21 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | ||||||
22 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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1 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Work Group on the Care and | ||||||
2 | Protection of Adults and Children is hereby created, to study | ||||||
3 | and recommend to the General Assembly how Illinois' systems of | ||||||
4 | regulating, licensing, investigating and reporting the | ||||||
5 | treatment and care of such vulnerable adults and children, and | ||||||
6 | of investigating and reporting and otherwise addressing the | ||||||
7 | abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or victimization of adults | ||||||
8 | and children, can be changed to provide a unified, | ||||||
9 | comprehensive, cohesive, and more effective and efficient | ||||||
10 | system that affords the maximum protection for the safety and | ||||||
11 | well-being of vulnerable persons of all ages in all settings of | ||||||
12 | care and/or support; and be it further
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13 | RESOLVED, That the Work Group shall consist of 25 members, | ||||||
14 | which shall include: at least one member (or designee) each | ||||||
15 | from the Office of the Attorney General, the Departments of | ||||||
16 | Human Services, Children and Family Services, Aging, State | ||||||
17 | Police, and Public Health, the Office of the Inspector General | ||||||
18 | of DHS, and the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission; at least | ||||||
19 | one member (or designee) from Equip for Equality; and 4 members | ||||||
20 | appointed by the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader | ||||||
21 | of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the Minority | ||||||
22 | Leader of the House, with one appointment by each of those | ||||||
23 | leaders from relevant professional associations representing | ||||||
24 | care and support givers, disability and health care advocacy | ||||||
25 | groups, local law enforcement agencies, and the general public; |
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1 | and be it further | ||||||
2 | RESOLVED, That members of the Work Group not representing | ||||||
3 | State agencies or professional associations may be reimbursed | ||||||
4 | for expenses related to their participation; and be it further | ||||||
5 | RESOLVED, That the Work Group shall select a chair, and | ||||||
6 | that the State agencies represented on the Work Group shall | ||||||
7 | work cooperatively to provide administrative support, meeting | ||||||
8 | space, research and other necessary assistance for the Work | ||||||
9 | Group, and that the Department of Public Health shall be the | ||||||
10 | primary agency responsible for such support; and be it further | ||||||
11 | RESOLVED, That the Work Group may conduct public hearings | ||||||
12 | and engage in such other information gathering measures as it | ||||||
13 | deems necessary or desirable; and be it further | ||||||
14 | RESOLVED, That the Work Group shall develop and report its | ||||||
15 | findings and recommendations, including possible funding | ||||||
16 | sources necessary to implement any recommendations, to the | ||||||
17 | House of Representatives in a final report which shall be filed | ||||||
18 | on or before May 31, 2009.
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