093_HJ0015

 
                                     LRB093 08776 MKM 09007 r

 1                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, A displaced homemaker is an individual  who  has
 3    been providing unpaid services to family members in the home,
 4    has been dependent on the income of another family member but
 5    is  no  longer  supported  by  that  income, and is currently
 6    unemployed or underemployed and  experiencing  difficulty  in
 7    obtaining or upgrading employment; and

 8        WHEREAS,      Displaced      homemakers     are     often
 9    disproportionately poor when compared  to  the  rest  of  the
10    population; and

11        WHEREAS, Displaced homemakers must enter the workforce to
12    support   themselves   and   their  families,  but  may  face
13    significant barriers to economic self-sufficiency  due  to  a
14    limited  education,  a  lack  of  work  experience,  and  age
15    discrimination in the hiring process and the workplace; and

16        WHEREAS,  Displaced  homemakers  may  face severe housing
17    problems because they are suddenly left  with  little  or  no
18    income  and  have difficulty finding adequate employment, and
19    because  those  who  are  awarded  their  homes  in   divorce
20    settlements  often  cannot  afford  to  maintain the mortgage
21    payments and property taxes; and

22        WHEREAS, In fiscal year 2002, 1,758 displaced  homemakers
23    were  enrolled  in  the Illinois Displaced Homemaker Program,
24    administered by the Illinois Department of Labor, and 75%  of
25    these  individuals were considered the sole financial support
26    for children under the age of 18; and

27        WHEREAS, As states respond to federal welfare reform  and
28    workforce development legislation, it is likely that Illinois
29    will  experience  changes  in  the  types  of  services  they
30    currently provide; and

31        WHEREAS,  It  is  important to continue responding to the
 
                            -2-      LRB093 08776 MKM 09007 r
 1    needs of displaced homemakers and to expand services to reach
 2    more displaced homemakers by moving them out of  poverty  and
 3    beyond  reliance  on  State  welfare support and into gainful
 4    employment so they may become more active participants in the
 5    Illinois economy; therefore be it

 6        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
 7    NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
 8    SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that  a  Task  Force  on  Displaced
 9    Homemakers,  comprised  of  members  of the General Assembly,
10    representatives of the Governor, and concerned members of the
11    public, be created  to  investigate  the  services  currently
12    offered  to  displaced  homemakers  in  Illinois  and to make
13    recommendations for improvements to those services; and be it
14    further

15        RESOLVED, That 2 members who are elected members  of  the
16    House  of  Representatives or the Senate be appointed by each
17    of the following elected officials: the Speaker of the House,
18    the Minority Leader  of  the  House,  the  President  of  the
19    Senate,  and  the  Minority  Leader  of the Senate; and be it
20    further

21        RESOLVED, That 2 members be appointed by the Governor  to
22    represent  State  agencies  currently  offering  services and
23    assistance to the displaced homemaker population in Illinois;
24    and be it further

25        RESOLVED,  That  the  members  of  the  General  Assembly
26    appointed to the Task Force appoint 2 chairpersons, who shall
27    be members of the Task Force who are members of  the  General
28    Assembly; and be it further

29        RESOLVED,  That meetings of the Task Force be held at the
30    call of the chairpersons and that the chairpersons appoint  4
31    members  of  the  public  who  have adequate expertise on the
32    issue of displaced homemakers and the services and assistance
 
                            -3-      LRB093 08776 MKM 09007 r
 1    provided to them; and be it further

 2        RESOLVED, That all appointed members of  the  Task  Force
 3    shall  be considered to be members with voting rights, that a
 4    quorum of the Task Force shall consist of a  simple  majority
 5    of  the  members  of the Task Force, and that all actions and
 6    recommendations of the Task Force be  approved  by  a  simple
 7    majority of the members of the Task Force; and be it further

 8        RESOLVED,  That members appointed to the Task Force shall
 9    be compensated  only  for  costs  that  arise  out  of  their
10    official  duties  with  the  Task Force and that compensation
11    shall come from an appropriate fund; and be it further

12        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
13    delivered to the Governor.