Full Text of SJR0115 096th General Assembly
SJ0115 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SJ0115 |
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The State's population of persons 50 years of age | 3 |
| and older is projected to increase from 3.2 million in 2000 to | 4 |
| 5.3
million by 2030, an increase of 63%, with a
corresponding | 5 |
| increase in the number of Illinois'
retirees; and
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| WHEREAS, Civic engagement, including lifelong learning,
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| service, and volunteer work, has been found to bring
personal | 8 |
| fulfillment, improved physical and mental health,
and stronger | 9 |
| social connections for retirees; and
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| WHEREAS, Improved physical and mental health for Illinois
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| retirees and the aged will lessen the strains inherent to
the | 12 |
| public healthcare system; and
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| WHEREAS, Since the l960s, the policy agenda around aging | 14 |
| has focused almost exclusively on the dependency needs of
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| elders, not on their potential as a community resource; and
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| WHEREAS, There is an ongoing high school dropout epidemic | 17 |
| in this State; and each year almost one-third of all public | 18 |
| high school students, including nearly one half of all African | 19 |
| Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, fail to graduate | 20 |
| from public high school; and |
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| WHEREAS, A 2009 study at Washington University in St.
Louis | 2 |
| found that children at risk of dropping out
dramatically | 3 |
| increased their reading skills when they were
tutored by older | 4 |
| adults, and the older adults experienced
positive health | 5 |
| benefits through the civic engagement; and
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| WHEREAS, Two factors will have a significant impact on the
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| Illinois economy and predict future prosperity, the first
is | 8 |
| the cost of health care, particularly for older
Illinoisans, | 9 |
| the second is the educational level of the
working population; | 10 |
| a statewide effort to connect aging and
education has | 11 |
| implications for benefits to every community
and for policy | 12 |
| throughout the State; schools have resources
and facilities to | 13 |
| help with promotion; and older adults have
great potential to | 14 |
| help dropouts and students who are our
future workforce; | 15 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 17 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 18 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that it is in the interest of the citizens | 19 |
| of this State to develop Illinois' growing retiree population | 20 |
| as a resource for mobilizing citizens of all ages and | 21 |
| addressing community needs across generations; and be it | 22 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That the Interdependence of Generations Task |
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| Force be created; and that the Task Force shall be comprised of | 2 |
| the following appointments: the Director of the Illinois | 3 |
| Department on Aging or his or her designee,
who shall also | 4 |
| serve as Chairperson; one member of the Senate, appointed by | 5 |
| the President of the Senate; one member of the House of | 6 |
| Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of | 7 |
| Representatives; one member of the Senate, appointed by the | 8 |
| Minority Leader of the Senate; and one member of the House of | 9 |
| Representatives, appointed by the Minority Leader of the House | 10 |
| of Representatives; the following members from the Illinois | 11 |
| Policy Academy on the Civic Engagement of Older Adults:
(i) one | 12 |
| representative of P-12 education; (ii) one representative of | 13 |
| community colleges; (iii) one representative of higher | 14 |
| education; (iv) 2 representatives of retirees; (v) 2 student | 15 |
| members;
(vi) 2 representatives of statewide aging
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| organizations; (vii) 2 representatives of service
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| organizations; (viii) 2 representatives of foundations;
and | 18 |
| (ix) 2 representatives of business; and
a representative of the | 19 |
| Center for Health Law and Policy, appointed by the Dean of the | 20 |
| Law School of Southern Illinois University; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Task Force members shall serve | 22 |
| voluntarily and without compensation; and persons with | 23 |
| disabilities serving on the Task Force shall be accommodated to | 24 |
| enable them to fully participate in Task Force activities; and | 25 |
| be it further |
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| RESOLVED, That the Department on Aging, in cooperation with | 2 |
| the Center for Health Law and Policy, at the Southern Illinois | 3 |
| University School of Law, shall have primary responsibility | 4 |
| for, and shall provide staffing and technical assistance and | 5 |
| administrative support to, the Task Force in its efforts; and | 6 |
| that no appropriations shall be required for the Task Force to | 7 |
| complete its duties; and be it further | 8 |
| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall coordinate its work | 9 |
| with existing State advisory bodies whose work may include | 10 |
| improving education, reducing the dropout rate, and civic | 11 |
| engagement of retirees and the aged; and be it further | 12 |
| RESOLVED, That the Task Force on the Interdependence of | 13 |
| Generations shall be convened to study and make recommendations | 14 |
| regarding the creative ways that aging
(retiree organizations, | 15 |
| organizations that serve older adults, and older adults | 16 |
| themselves), education (schools, community colleges, and | 17 |
| universities), and other public and private organizations can | 18 |
| work together to address the challenges of education, tap the | 19 |
| resources of older adults and students to strengthen the | 20 |
| economy and benefit the community, and promote healthy | 21 |
| lifestyles for all ages; and be it further | 22 |
| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall make recommendations to |
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| the General Assembly and to the Governor, including legislative | 2 |
| proposals, regulatory changes, systems
changes, budget | 3 |
| initiatives, and collaborative partnerships in the public and | 4 |
| private sectors, that will promote the statewide effort to | 5 |
| connect the aging population with opportunities for lifelong | 6 |
| learning, employment, and service; and be it further | 7 |
| RESOLVED, That these recommendations shall explain how | 8 |
| fostering the relationship between older adults and education, | 9 |
| economic development, and community service can be beneficial | 10 |
| to all Illinoisans; and the Task Force shall conduct hearings | 11 |
| and meetings in order to produce a report of its activities and | 12 |
| recommendations that shall be issued no later than December 31,
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| 2010.
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