Sen. Susan Garrett

Filed: 3/25/2009

 

 


 

 


 
09600SB1922sam001 LRB096 11138 MJR 24634 a

1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1922

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1922 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 2-1-1
5 Service Act.
 
6     Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that the
7 implementation of a single, easy to use telephone number,
8 2-1-1, for public access to information and referral for health
9 and human services and information about access to services
10 after a natural or non-natural disaster will benefit the
11 citizens of this State by providing easier access to available
12 health and human services, by reducing inefficiencies in
13 connecting people with the desired service providers, and by
14 reducing duplication of efforts.
 
15     Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

 

 

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1     "2-1-1" means the abbreviated dialing code assigned by the
2 Federal Communications Commission on July 21, 2000, for
3 consumer access to community information and referral
4 services.
5     "Department" means the Department of Human Services.
6     "Lead entity" means an Illinois 501(c)(3) non-profit
7 agency or organization designated by the Department to manage
8 use of the 2-1-1 dialing code for the purpose of providing the
9 public access to information about health and human services.
10     "Approved 2-1-1 service provider" means a public or
11 nonprofit agency or other organization designated by the lead
12 entity to provide 2-1-1 services.
13     "2-1-1 service area" means an area of Illinois identified
14 by the lead entity as an area within which a recognized 2-1-1
15 service provider is authorized to provide 2-1-1 services.
16     "2-1-1 services" means information and referral services
17 provided through the use of 2-1-1 and intended to promote and
18 provide access to human services, and to aid in disaster
19 response and recovery.
20     "Recognized 2-1-1 service provider" means an organization
21 recognized by the lead entity as an appropriate administrator
22 and authorized user of the 2-1-1 dialing code in a 2-1-1
23 service area.
24     "Human services" means services provided by government,
25 nonprofit, or faith-based organizations to ensure the health
26 and well-being of Illinois residents. "Human services"

 

 

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1 includes services designed to provide relief or assistance
2 after a natural or non-natural disaster.
3     "Pay telephone" means any coin, coinless, or credit card
4 reader telephone, provided that the end user pays or arranges
5 to pay for exchange and interexchange, intraMSA, and interMSA
6 calls from such instrument on an individual call basis.
7     "Private branch exchange" or "PBX" means a private
8 telephone system and associated equipment located on the user's
9 property that provides communications between stations and
10 external networks.
11     "Telecommunications carrier" has the same meaning ascribed
12 to that term in Section 13-202 of the Public Utilities Act,
13 including those carriers acting as resellers of
14 telecommunications services. For the purpose of 2-1-1 service,
15 a telecommunications carrier may provide competitive or
16 noncompetitive local exchange telecommunications services or
17 any combination of the 2 as defined in Section 13-204 of the
18 Public Utilities Act.
 
19     Section 15. 2-1-1 System. "2-1-1" is created as the
20 official State dialing code for public access to information
21 and referral for health and human services and information
22 about access to services after a natural or non-natural
23 disaster.
 
24     Section 20. Designation of lead entity for 2-1-1.

 

 

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1     (a) Subject to subsection (e) of this Section, the
2 Department is authorized to identify, designate, and enter into
3 a contract with a lead entity to provide governance and
4 oversight, including the ability to design, implement,
5 support, and coordinate a State-wide 2-1-1 system.
6     (b) Qualifications for designation of the lead entity shall
7 include:
8         (1) a public or private governance structure with
9     representation from State health and human service
10     departments, specifically the Department, the Department
11     of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department on Aging,
12     the Department of Public Health, the Illinois Emergency
13     Management Agency, the Illinois Commerce Commission, and
14     non-governmental entity stakeholders; non-governmental
15     entity stakeholders shall constitute a minimum of
16     two-thirds of the representatives;
17         (2) demonstrated expertise or experience, or both, in
18     planning for a State-wide information and referral system;
19     and
20         (3) demonstrated support from community partners.
21     (c) The lead entity shall encourage the orderly and
22 efficient use of 2-1-1 to:
23         (1) provide access to human services; and
24         (2) collect needed information about human services
25     and the delivery of human services in Illinois.
26     (d) The lead entity shall provide periodic reports on

 

 

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1 activities, accomplishments, and other issues to the
2 Department.
3     (e) In awarding the contract under subsection (a) of this
4 Section, the Department shall ensure that the 2-1-1 lead entity
5 has the organizational capacity to carry out the terms of the
6 contract and that the contract is cost-neutral to the
7 Department.
 
8     Section 25. New information services. Before a State agency
9 that provides health and human services establishes a new
10 public information hotline to provide information and
11 referrals, the State agency shall consult with the Department
12 in conjunction with the lead entity about using the 2-1-1
13 system to provide public access to the information.
 
14     Section 30. 2-1-1 services. Only a service provider
15 approved by the lead entity may provide 2-1-1 telephone
16 services. The lead entity shall approve 2-1-1 service
17 providers, after considering all of the following:
18         (1) the ability of the proposed 2-1-1 service provider
19     to meet the national 2-1-1 standards recommended by the
20     Alliance of Information and Referral Systems;
21         (2) the financial stability and health of the proposed
22     2-1-1 service provider;
23         (3) the community support for the proposed 2-1-1
24     service provider;

 

 

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1         (4) the relationships with other information and
2     referral services; and
3         (5) any other criteria as the lead entity deems
4     appropriate.
 
5     Section 35. Promotion of 2-1-1. A person or organization
6 may not disseminate information to the public about the
7 availability of 2-1-1 or 2-1-1 services in an area of the State
8 except in accordance with rules established by the lead entity.
 
9     Section 45. Liability of 2-1-1 providers. A recognized
10 2-1-1 service provider and its employees, directors, officers,
11 and agents are not liable to any person in a civil action for
12 injuries or loss to persons or property as a result of an act,
13 omission, or delay of the recognized 2-1-1 service provider, or
14 its employees, directors, officers, or agents, in connection
15 with:
16         (1) developing, adopting, implementing, maintaining,
17     or operating a 2-1-1 system;
18         (2) making 2-1-1 available for use by the public; or
19         (3) providing 2-1-1 services;
20 except for injuries or loss resulting from the willful or
21 wanton misconduct of the 2-1-1 service provider or its
22 employees, directors, officers, or agents.
 
23     Section 50. 2-1-1 Account Fund. The 2-1-1 Account Fund is

 

 

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1 established in the State treasury and is separate and distinct
2 from the General Revenue Fund. All moneys received by the
3 Department for the 2-1-1 system under this Section shall be
4 deposited into the Fund and may be spent only pursuant to
5 appropriation to the Department for grants to the lead entity
6 to use pursuant to Section 55 of this Act. The 2-1-1 Account
7 Fund consists of the following:
8         (1) Money appropriated to the Fund by the General
9     Assembly.
10         (2) Funds received from the federal government for the
11     support of 2-1-1 services in this State.
12         (3) Earnings attributable to money in the Fund.
13         (4) Money received from any other source for deposit
14     into the Fund, including gifts and grants.
 
15     Section 55. Use of moneys for projects and activities in
16 support of 2-1-1-eligible activities.
17     (a) The lead entity shall study, design, implement,
18 support, coordinate, and evaluate a State-wide 2-1-1 system.
19     (b) Activities eligible for assistance from the 2-1-1
20 Account Fund include, but are not limited to:
21         (1) Creating a structure for a State-wide 2-1-1
22     resources database that will meet the Alliance for
23     Information and Referral Systems standards for information
24     and referral systems databases and that will be integrated
25     with local resources databases maintained by approved

 

 

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1     2-1-1 service providers.
2         (2) Developing a State-wide resources database for the
3     2-1-1 system.
4         (3) Maintaining public information available from
5     State agencies, departments, and programs that provide
6     health and human services for access by 2-1-1 service
7     providers.
8         (4) Providing grants to approved 2-1-1 service
9     providers to design, develop, and implement 2-1-1 for its
10     2-1-1 service area.
11         (5) Providing grants to approved 2-1-1 service
12     providers to enable 2-1-1 service providers to provide and
13     evaluate 2-1-1 service delivery on an ongoing basis.
14         (6) Providing grants to approved 2-1-1 service
15     providers to enable the provision of 2-1-1 services on a
16     24-hours per-day, 7-days per-week basis.
 
17     Section 60. Annual reports. The lead entity shall provide
18 an annual report to the General Assembly and the Commission
19 beginning in calendar year 2010.
 
20     Section 65. Compliance. All telecommunications carriers,
21 regardless of the technology they use to provide voice
22 communication, including, but not limited to, Internet
23 protocol and cellular radio service technologies, pay
24 telephone providers, and private branch exchange owners or

 

 

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1 operators shall program or provision their equipment and
2 software to allow a calling party to dial and access 2-1-1
3 where it is being implemented in the State.
 
4     Section 900. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
5 Section 5.719 as follows:
 
6     (30 ILCS 105/5.719 new)
7     Sec. 5.719. The 2-1-1 Account Fund.
 
8     Section 905. The Human Services 211 Collaboration Board Act
9 is amended by adding Section 90 as follows:
 
10     (20 ILCS 3956/90 new)
11     Sec. 90. Repealer. This Act is repealed upon designation by
12 the Secretary of Human Services that a lead entity is under
13 contract with the Department of Human Services to carry out the
14 provisions of the 2-1-1 Service Act. The Secretary shall
15 designate that a lead entity is under contract with the
16 Department of Human Services to carry out the provisions of the
17 2-1-1 Service Act by filing a statement with the Index
18 Department of the Secretary of State.
 
19     Section 997. Severability. The provisions of this Act are
20 severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.".