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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, House Joint Resolution 107 which established a
3 Legislative Task Force on Employment of Persons with Past
4 Criminal Convictions was adopted unanimously by both houses of
5 the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Legislative Task Force on Employment of
7 Persons with Past Criminal Convictions was directed to: examine
8 the barriers faced by persons with past criminal convictions
9 with respect to obtaining employment; conduct public hearings;
10 evaluate those recommendations made by the Governor's
11 Statewide Community Safety and Reentry Working Group; and
12 report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the
13 General Assembly in a final report which was to be filed on or
14 before January 1, 2007; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The Legislative Task Force on Employment of
16 Persons with Past Criminal Convictions did not have sufficient
17 time to carry out its duties before the January 1, 2007 date
18 set for its Report and Recommendations and before the final
19 adjournment of the Ninety-Fourth General Assembly on January 9,
20 2007; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The Ninety-Fifth General Assembly needs to
22 reauthorize the Legislative Task Force on Employment of Persons

 

 

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1 with Past Criminal Convictions with the same membership and
2 charge as the Task Force authorized by HJR 107 of the
3 Ninety-Fourth General Assembly and set the date for the Report
4 and Recommendations as on or before October 31, 2007; and
 
5     WHEREAS, As stated in HJR 107, the barriers to employment
6 and job promotion for persons with criminal convictions remain
7 extremely complex issues, involving, among others, public
8 employers at all levels of government, private employers, labor
9 organizations, education and training institutions, public
10 safety officials, public and private licensing and
11 certification bodies, insurers, employment placement agencies,
12 custodians of and users of arrest and conviction records, drug
13 treatment agencies, and persons with criminal records; and
 
14     WHEREAS, As stated in HJR 107, a thorough examination of
15 the barriers to employment for people with criminal conviction
16 records and a thorough study of ways in which such barriers
17 could be lowered or eliminated without exposing employers,
18 individuals, the general public, or property to unreasonable
19 risk is warranted; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
22 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is hereby established a
23 Legislative Task Force on Employment of Persons with Past

 

 

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1 Criminal Convictions; and be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall have the following
3 members: 12 voting members, as follows: 3 members of the Senate
4 appointed by the President of the Senate, 3 members of the
5 Senate appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, 3 members of
6 the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the
7 House of Representatives, and 3 members of the House of
8 Representatives appointed by the House Minority Leader; and be
9 it further
 
10     RESOLVED, That any member of the Ninety-Fifth General
11 Assembly who was previously appointed to the Legislative Task
12 Force established by HJR 107 of the Ninety-Fourth General
13 Assembly shall remain as member of the Task Force, unless the
14 individual who holds the position responsible for making the
15 appointment determines otherwise; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That all actions of the Task Force require the
17 affirmative vote of at least 7 voting members; and be it
18 further
 
19     RESOLVED, That the following persons shall serve without
20 compensation as ex-officio, non-voting members of the Task
21 Force:
22         (A) The Director of the Illinois Department of

 

 

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1     Corrections, or his or her designee;
2         (B) The Director of the Illinois Department of
3     Employment Security, or his or her designee;
4         (C) The Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human
5     Services, or his or her designee;
6         (D) The Director of the Illinois Department of Children
7     and Family Services, or his or her designee;
8         (E) The Secretary of the Illinois Department of
9     Financial and Professional Regulation, or his or her
10     designee;
11         (F) The Director of the Department of Commerce and
12     Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee; and
13         (G) The Chairman of the Illinois Human Rights
14     Commission, or his or her designee; and be it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That the departments of State government and the
16 Illinois Human Rights Commission represented on the Task Force
17 shall work cooperatively to provide administrative support for
18 the Task Force, and the Department of Employment Security shall
19 be the primary agency in providing that support; and be it
20 further
 
21     RESOLVED, That the voting members of the Task Force shall
22 select a chairperson; and be it further
 
23     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall conduct public hearings

 

 

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1 and examine the barriers faced by persons with past criminal
2 convictions with respect to obtaining employment; and be it
3 further
 
4     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall evaluate those
5 recommendations made by the Governor's Statewide Community
6 Safety and Reentry Working Group; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall report its findings and
8 recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly in a
9 final report which shall be filed on or before October 31,
10 2007; the requirement for reporting to the General Assembly
11 shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the
12 Speaker, the Minority Leader and the Clerk of the House of
13 Representatives and the President, the Minority Leader and the
14 Secretary of the Senate and the Legislative Research Unit, as
15 required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization
16 Act, and filing additional copies with the State Government
17 Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly as required
18 under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act; and
19 be it further
 
20     RESOLVED, That the report shall include, but need not be
21 limited to, the following:
22         (1) An assessment of those collateral consequences of a
23     criminal conviction which impede employment of persons

 

 

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1     with past criminal convictions, and the experiences of
2     other states in addressing this issue;
3         (2) An assessment of the preparation for gainful
4     employment provided to those incarcerated in Illinois
5     correctional facilities, and the experiences of other
6     states in addressing this issue;
7         (3) An identification of the barriers which impede
8     those with criminal records from obtaining stable
9     employment; and
10         (4) Recommendations for legislative changes necessary
11     to facilitate the employment of persons with past criminal
12     convictions which, if implemented, would not expose the
13     employer, an individual, the general public, or property to
14     unreasonable risks; and be it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That within 60 days after the filing of the
16 report, the appropriate standing committees of both the House
17 and the Senate shall hold hearings to consider the
18 recommendations made by the Task Force; and be it further
 
19     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this Resolution be
20 transmitted to the ex-officio members of the Task Force.