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1    AN ACT concerning government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Illinois Muslim American Advisory Council Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings and declaration of policy. The General
7Assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares:
8    (a) The State of Illinois is home to over 500,000 Muslims
9and over 300 mosques, representing various races and
10ethnicities, including but not limited to African Americans,
11West and East African Americans, South Asian Americans, Arab
12Americans, Latin Americans, and Caucasian Americans. They also
13represent a variety of professions, including, but not limited
14to, lawyers, business owners, professors, and community
15activists.
16    (b) Muslims are the third largest religious group in the
17State of Illinois after Roman Catholics and independent
18Evangelical Christians.
19    (c) It is the public policy of the State of Illinois to
20promote diversity and to ensure inclusion of all religious,
21racial, and ethnic groups within this State.
 
22    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

 

 

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1    "Council" means the Illinois Muslim American Advisory
2Council created by this Act.
3    "Muslim" means an individual who practices the religion of
4Islam.
 
5    Section 15. The Illinois Muslim American Advisory Council.
6There is hereby created the Illinois Muslim American Advisory
7Council. The purpose of the Council is to advise the Governor
8and the General Assembly on policy issues impacting Muslim
9Americans and immigrants; to advance the role and civic
10participation of Muslim Americans in this State; to enhance
11trade and cooperation between Muslim-majority countries and
12this State; and to build relationships with and disseminate
13information to, in cooperation with State agencies, boards, and
14commissions, Muslim American and immigrant communities across
15this State.
 
16    Section 20. Council members.
17    (a) The Council shall consist of 21 members. The Governor
18shall appoint one member to be the representative of the Office
19of the Governor. The Governor, the President of the Senate, the
20Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of
21the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House of
22Representatives shall also each appoint 4 public members to the
23Council. The Governor shall select the chairperson of the
24Council from among the members.

 

 

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1    (b) Appointing authorities shall ensure, to the maximum
2extent practicable, that the Council is diverse with respect to
3race, ethnicity, age, gender, and geography.
4    (c) Appointments to the Council shall be persons of
5recognized ability and experience in one or more of the
6following areas: higher education, business, international
7trade, law, social services, human services, immigration,
8refugee services, community development, or healthcare.
9    (d) Members of the Council shall serve 2-year terms. A
10member shall serve until his or her successor shall be
11appointed. Members of the Council shall not be entitled to
12compensation for their services as members.
13    (e) The following officials shall serve as ex-officio
14members: the Deputy Director of the Office of Trade and
15Investment within the Department of Commerce and Economic
16Opportunity, or his or her designee, and the Chief of the
17Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services within the Department
18of Human Services, or his or her designee. In addition, the
19Department on Aging, the Department of Children and Family
20Services, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the
21Department of Public Health, the Department of Central
22Management Services, the Board of Education, the Board of
23Higher Education, and the Community College Board shall each
24appoint a liaison to serve as an ex-officio member of the
25Council.
26    (f) The Council may establish committees that address

 

 

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1certain issues, including, but not limited to, communications,
2economic development, and legislative affairs.
3    (g) The Office of the Governor shall provide administrative
4and technical support to the Council, including a staff member
5to serve as ethics officer.
 
6    Section 25. Meetings. The Council shall meet at least once
7per month. In addition, the Council may hold up to 2 public
8hearings annually to assist in the development of policy
9recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly. All
10meetings of the Council shall be conducted in accordance with
11the Open Meetings Act. Eleven members of the Council shall
12constitute a quorum.
 
13    Section 30. Reports. The Council shall issue semi-annual
14reports on its policy recommendations by June 30th and December
1531st of each year to the Governor and the General Assembly.
 
16    Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are
17severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19becoming law.