HJ0040 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0040 LRB098 12164 GRL 46233 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Language barriers continue to exist for many Illinois residents who are limited English proficient, known as "LEP"; these barriers limit their ability to fully participate in civic life and maximize their economic productivity; and

WHEREAS, Such language barriers for LEP residents create very real challenges when trying to access information about available government services or an individual's legal rights or obligations under State and local laws; and

WHEREAS, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires program recipients of federal funds, such as certain State agencies, to take reasonable steps to insure that LEP persons have meaningful access to their programs and activities; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 10% of Illinois' population is LEP, giving Illinois the 5th largest LEP population in the United States at over 1.1 million residents; and

WHEREAS, Illinois' immigrant communities have rapidly grown and now one in every five Illinois residents is an immigrant; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is proud of being one of the most immigrant-friendly states in the nation; and

WHEREAS, The public safety, health, economic prosperity, and general welfare of all Illinois residents is furthered by increasing language access to State programs and services; and

WHEREAS, The Governor's Office of New Americans Interagency Task Force, which met from 2006 to 2008, recommended that Illinois commit to providing meaningful access to State services for the LEP population to encourage and accelerate immigrant and refugee integration; and

WHEREAS, Despite admirable efforts by certain State agencies, much work remains to provide meaningful access; and

WHEREAS, Other immigrant-friendly states and cities have attempted to address this issue by implementing language access laws or ordinances that require a base-line level of language access to government services and information for LEP individuals; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly is committed to exploring legislative solutions to improve language access for LEP residents by researching lessons learned and best practices from these other parts of the country; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Task Force on Language Access to Government Services is created to:

(1) review existing language access laws or ordinances in other parts of the country, including existing reports or academic publications on such laws or ordinances;

(2) evaluate their effectiveness in eliminating language barriers for LEP communities;

(3) consider any other available and relevant information on language access issues in Illinois, including Census data, community feedback, or surveys

(4) identify and recommend specific best-practices and provisions for a State language access law; and

(5) produce a final report summarizing the task force's findings and detailing its specific recommendations for a State language access law and highlight any areas of major disagreement within the task force; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the following members, who shall serve without compensation:

(1) one member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate;

(2) one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(3) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(4) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

(5) one member appointed by the Governor as a representative of his office;

(6) one member appointed by the Attorney General as a representative of her office;

(7) one member appointed by the Secretary of State as a representative of his office;

(8) one member appointed by the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services as a representative of her office;

(9) five members appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of an non-profit organization that promotes civic engagement and advocates on behalf of immigrant communities through a coalition of member organizations that serve Latino, Asian, African, Arab, and European immigrants; and

(10) five members appointed by the Governor, upon recommendation of an non-profit organization that promotes civic engagement among Asian American communities and advocates on behalf of Asian American communities through its Pan-Asian coalition; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall be appointed within 30 days after the adoption of this resolution and shall begin meeting no later than 30 days after the appointments are finalized; in the event that any appointments are not made within 30 days after the adoption of this resolution, the Secretary of Human Services shall make such appointments within 15 days after the appointment deadline; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall elect a chairperson from among their membership and that the Department of Human Services shall provide administrative support; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall hold its first meeting by September 1, 2013; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit its final report to the Illinois General Assembly, the Governor, and the Attorney General no later than July 1, 2014.