HJ0029 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0029 LRB094 11740 LCB 43864 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services is charged with acting in the best interest of every child it serves, helping families by increasing their ability to provide a safe environment for their children, and strengthening families who are at risk of abuse or neglect; and

WHEREAS, A significant function of government is to promote the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly has taken notice of many issues surrounding the operations, funding, and execution of the foster care system that must be addressed to ensure continued action as well as establish a higher standard for serving the needs of both foster children and parents; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Joint Task Force on Foster Care is created and shall be comprised of 8 members of the Illinois General Assembly appointed as follows: 2 members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; 2 members of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; 2 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and 2 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; all Joint Task Force members shall serve without compensation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the chairperson of the Joint Task Force shall be selected by the members from among its membership and the Joint Task Force shall meet at the call of the chairperson; and be it further

RESOLVED, That it is the duty of the Joint Task Force to undertake a comprehensive and thorough review of the operations of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in relation to substitute care and related laws and rules impacting the Illinois foster care system, with the intent of making recommendations that would improve the system of Department and private agency accountability, improve Department functioning within the constraints of limited budgets, guarantee necessary medical and psychiatric care to wards within the Department, and increase foster parent support; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Children and Family Services is urged to provide assistance to and cooperate with the Joint Task Force, and the Joint Task Force shall request assistance from any other entity as necessary or useful for the performance of its duties; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force shall present a report to the General Assembly no later than December 15, 2005; a copy of the report shall be provided to the Director of the Department of Children and Family Services and the Governor within 2 weeks of the presentation of the report to the General Assembly.