HJ0055 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0055 LRB098 14089 RLC 48975 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The boundaries of the 32nd Representative District are generally in the inner city of Chicago extending to the southwest suburbs of Burbank, Bridgeview, Hickory Hills, and Justice, Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The 32nd Representative District has a voting age population of 108,734 people of various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, 27,909 of the residents of the 32nd Representative District live at or below the federal poverty level; and

WHEREAS, The 32nd Representative District ranks in the top 3 of Representative Districts reporting incidents of violent crime; and

WHEREAS, The Dan Ryan Expressway is that 12 mile portion of I-90/94 located in the City of Chicago spanning from approximately 95th Street to the south and Roosevelt Road to the north; and

WHEREAS, The Dan Ryan Expressway travels through the 32nd Representative District one linear mile from 67th Street to the north and 76th Street to the south; and

WHEREAS, Within the 32nd Representative District lies Halsted Street one mile west of the Dan Ryan Expressway; and, Cottage Grove Avenue one mile east of the Dan Ryan Expressway; this area generally encompasses the communities of Englewood and Grand Crossing including the Park Manor neighborhood; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1985, Mayor Harold Washington entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the State of Illinois whereby the State of Illinois could operate Illinois State Lottery kiosks at O'Hare International Airport; and, subsequently Chicago Midway International Airport; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1985, Governor James R. Thompson entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Chicago whereby the Illinois State Police would patrol the Dan Ryan Expressway; and, all other expressways in the City of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois receives monies after the imposition of fines and penalties upon those persons cited for, among other things, improperly operating motor vehicles on the Dan Ryan Expressway between 67th Street and 76th Street; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois derives financial profits directly from the Illinois State Lottery kiosks located at both O'Hare International and Chicago Midway International Airports; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois State Lottery is successfully managed by Northstar Lottery Group, a subsidiary of the Italian company GTech Corporation, which exponentially surpassed the calculable revenue goals and expectations of the Illinois State Lottery deriving substantial profits for the Lottery; and

WHEREAS, In fact, the Illinois State Lottery posted fiscal year 2013 revenues of: (1) $4,939,990 from O'Hare International Airport; (2) $696,776 from Chicago Midway International Airport; and (3) $656,000,000 overall; and

WHEREAS, It will not be a financial burden on the State of Illinois for the Illinois State Police to expand its patrol area, from the Dan Ryan Expressway between 67th Street and 76th Street one linear mile east and one linear mile west, to support efforts at combating violent crime in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Since as late as 1999, the Illinois State Police were dispatched to and patrolled the City of East St. Louis, Illinois to support efforts to combat crime in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, As of the date of the filing of this resolution, over 700 registered voters, within the 2 mile rectangular boundary of the Dan Ryan Expressway between 67th Street and 76th Street, have signed a petition imploring the Governor of the State of Illinois to dispatch the Illinois State Police, with all deliberate speed, to that specific area within the 32nd Representative District for a reasonable period of time; and

WHEREAS, These 700 affected residents of the 32nd Representative District have stated that they are in immediate need of assistance and relief to protect their health, safety and welfare; 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 there is created the Englewood Violent Crime Task Force within the Illinois State Police, to consist of the following:

(1) the Governor, or his or her designee;

(2) the Mayor of the City of Chicago, or his or her designee;

(3) the Mayor of the City of East St. Louis, or his or her designee;

(4) the Illinois Attorney General, or his or her designee;

(5) a member of the Illinois State's Attorneys Association appointed by the President of the Association;

(6) a member of the Cook County Bar Association appointed by the President of the Association;

(7) the manager of the Illinois State Lottery;

(8) two members of the Illinois House of Representatives chosen by the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, one of whom shall serve as co-chair;

(9) two members of the Illinois House of Representatives chosen by the Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives;

(10) two members of the Illinois Senate chosen by the President of the Illinois Senate, one of whom shall serve as co-chair;

(11) two members of the Illinois Senate chosen by the Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate;

(12) the President of the Park Manor Neighbors Community Council;

(13) the Executive Director of Project Brotherhood;

(14) the President of the Student Government Association at the University of Illinois at Chicago;

(15) the President of the Student Government Association at Chicago State University;

(16) the Director of Corrections, or his or her designee who must:

(A) be from the Department of Parole;

(B) be an active field agent; and

(C) possess at least a master's degree in criminal justice or criminology;

(17) a faculty member of the Department of Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago appointed by the President of the University of Illinois;

(18) a member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce appointed by the chairman of the board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce;

(19) a member of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce appointed by the chairman of the board of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce; and

(20) a member of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association appointed by the President/CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association; and be it further

RESOLVED, That all appointments shall be made no later than 45 days following adoption of this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study and determine the causes of violent crime in Englewood and nearby affected communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study and determine the feasibility of deploying the Illinois State Police to Englewood and nearby affected communities and neighborhoods; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall develop a comprehensive long-term solution to the effect of violent crime in Englewood and nearby affected communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall recommend a plan of action to substantially reduce the incidents of violent crime in Englewood and nearby affected communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall draft any necessary legislation and make any necessary recommendations for appropriations for the General Assembly to pass and the Governor to sign to place the plan of action into immediate effect; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its findings and recommendations and submit any and all proposed legislation to the Governor and General Assembly on or before December 31, 2014; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from the funds appropriated for that purpose from the Illinois State Lottery; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, the President of the Illinois Senate, the Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate, the Governor of the State of Illinois, and the Director of State Police.