HB5444eng 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5444 Engrossed LRB097 18690 WGH 65640 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Unemployment Insurance Act is amended by adding Section 1900.2 as follows:

(820 ILCS 405/1900.2 new)

Sec. 1900.2. Economic Data Task Force.

(a) The General Assembly finds that substantial public benefit is derived from enhanced access to State data and particularly to data generated by the Department and that this benefit takes the form both of private sector economic development and of opportunities to improve public policy. The General Assembly further finds that protecting the confidentiality of individuals and companies in Illinois is imperative for reasons both ethical and legal. Consequently, the General Assembly seeks to understand the potential uses and users of such data, as well as its applications for economic development and other public purposes, and, in the context of those uses, the best ways to make as much data as possible available to those constituencies to serve those purposes while protecting confidentiality and minimizing cost to the State.

(b) The Economic Data Task Force is created within the Department. The Task Force shall consist of 11 members. The following members shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly: one member appointed by the President of the Senate; one member appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; one member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; one member appointed by the House Minority Leader; one member appointed by the Governor; and the Director, who shall serve as ex officio chairman and who shall appoint 5 additional members: one of whom shall be a representative citizen chosen from the employee class, one of whom shall be a representative citizen chosen from the employing class, one of whom shall be an employee of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (hereinafter referred to as "BLS")(or, if no BLS employee is available, a government employee from outside of Illinois with appropriate expertise), and 2 of whom shall be academic researchers with appropriate expertise. All members shall be voting members. Members shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for expenses associated with the Task Force. The Task Force shall begin to conduct business upon the appointment of all members. For purposes of Task Force meetings, a quorum is 6 members. If a vacancy occurs on the Task Force, a successor member shall be appointed by the original appointing authority. Meetings of the Task Force are subject to the Open Meetings Act.

(c) The Task Force shall analyze the potential benefits and the feasibility of expanding public access to data produced and maintained by the Department including, but not limited to, data collected, estimated, and maintained under cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Labor or other federal agencies. The analysis shall include an analysis of potential uses of these data and the public benefit of those uses, and a review of current federal and State practices for providing public access to the data, as well as potential alternate processes by which the public could access data in the Department's possession. The Task Force shall hold at least 3 public hearings as part of its analysis. The Task Force may establish any committees it deems necessary.

(d) All findings, recommendations, public postings, and other relevant information pertaining to the Task Force shall be posted on the Department's website, subject to the confidentiality requirements established under federal and State law including, but not limited to, the federal Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 and Section 1900. The Department shall provide staff and administrative support to the Task Force. The Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than June 30, 2013, and shall be dissolved upon submission of the report. All recommendations shall be consistent with confidentiality requirements established under federal law including, but not limited to, disclosure proofing standards.

(e) Each member of the Task Force and each Department employee must be designated as an agent of BLS pursuant to the federal Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 subject to the civil and criminal sanctions for unauthorized disclosure of information protected by that Act as a condition of being able to participate in any activities of the Task Force and shall also be subject to the civil and criminal sanctions established under subsection C of Section 1900 for unauthorized disclosure of information protected by Section 1900. For purposes of this Section, information protected by Section 1900 includes, but is not limited to, the statistical formulation of disclosure-proofing methods.