Rep. Theresa Mah

Filed: 5/19/2017

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1869

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1869 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Language Access to Government Services Task Force Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds the
7following:
8        (1) Nearly 10% of Illinois' population is limited
9    English proficient, giving Illinois the 5th largest
10    limited English proficient population in the United States
11    at over 1.1 million residents.
12        (2) Language barriers continue to exist for many
13    Illinois residents who are limited English proficient, and
14    these barriers limit their ability to fully participate in
15    civic life and maximize their economic productivity.
16        (3) Language barriers for limited English proficient

 

 

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1    residents create very real challenges when trying to access
2    information about available government services or an
3    individual's legal rights or obligations under State and
4    local laws.
5        (4) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires program
6    recipients of federal funds, such as certain State
7    agencies, to take reasonable steps to ensure that limited
8    English proficient persons have meaningful access to their
9    programs and activities.
10        (5) The public safety, health, economic prosperity,
11    and general welfare of all Illinois residents is furthered
12    by increasing language access to State programs and
13    services.
 
14    Section 10. The Language Access to Government Services Task
15Force.
16    (a) There is hereby created the Language Access to
17Government Services Task Force to study and reduce the language
18barriers existing among Illinois residents who are limited
19English proficient, and to maximize their ability to access
20government services and participate in civic discourse.
21    (b) The Task Force shall consist of the following members:
22        (1) one member of the Senate appointed by the President
23    of the Senate;
24        (2) one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority
25    Leader of the Senate;

 

 

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1        (3) one member of the House of Representatives
2    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
3        (4) one member of the House of Representatives
4    appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
5    Representatives;
6        (5) one member appointed by the Governor as a
7    representative of the Governor's Office;
8        (6) one member appointed by the Attorney General as a
9    representative of the Attorney General's Office;
10        (7) one member appointed by the Secretary of State as a
11    representative of the Secretary of State's Office;
12        (8) one member appointed by the Secretary of the
13    Illinois Department of Human Services as a representative
14    of the Department of Human Services;
15        (9) five members appointed by the Governor, upon
16    recommendation of a non-profit organization that promotes
17    civic engagement and advocates on behalf of immigrant
18    communities through a coalition of member organizations
19    that serve Latino, Asian, African, Arab, and European
20    immigrants; and
21        (10) five members appointed by the Governor, upon
22    recommendation of a non-profit organization that promotes
23    civic engagement among Asian American communities and
24    advocates on behalf of Asian American communities through
25    its Pan-Asian coalition.
26    (c) Members of the Task Force shall receive no compensation

 

 

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1for serving as members, and shall be appointed within 30 days
2after the effective date of this Act and begin meeting no later
3than 30 days after the appointments are finalized, but shall
4hold its first meeting no later than September 1, 2017. In the
5event that any appointment required to be made by the Governor
6under paragraphs (9) and (10) of subsection (b) is not made
7within 30 days after the effective date of this Act, the
8Secretary of Human Services shall make such appointments within
915 days after the appointment deadline.
10    (d) The Task Force shall elect a chairperson from among its
11membership, and the Department of Human Services shall provide
12technical support and assistance to the Task Force and shall be
13responsible for administering its operations and ensuring that
14the requirements of this Act are met. The Task Force may
15otherwise consult with any persons or entities it deems
16necessary to carry out its purposes.
 
17    Section 15. Duties of the Language Access to Government
18Services Task Force. The duties of the Task Force shall consist
19of the following:
20        (1) review existing language access laws or ordinances
21    in other parts of the country, including existing reports
22    or academic publications on such laws or ordinances;
23        (2) evaluate their effectiveness in eliminating
24    language barriers for limited English proficient
25    communities;

 

 

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1        (3) consider any other available and relevant
2    information on language access issues in Illinois,
3    including census data, community feedback, or surveys;
4        (4) identify and recommend specific best-practices and
5    provisions for a State language access law; and
6        (5) produce a final report summarizing the Task Force's
7    findings and detailing its specific recommendations for a
8    State language access law and highlight any areas of major
9    disagreement within the Task Force.
 
10    Section 20. Report. The Task Force shall submit its final
11report with findings and recommendations to the General
12Assembly, the Governor, and the Attorney General on or before
13July 1, 2018.
 
14    Section 25. Repeal. This Act is repealed on December 31,
152018.
 
16    Section 100. The Legislative Information System Act is
17amended by changing Section 5.09 as follows:
 
18    (25 ILCS 145/5.09)
19    Sec. 5.09. Public computer access; legislative
20information. To make available to the public all of the
21following information in electronic form:
22        (1) On or before July 1, 1999, the weekly schedule of

 

 

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1    legislative floor sessions for each of the 2 houses of the
2    General Assembly together with a list of matters pending
3    before them and the weekly schedule of legislative
4    committee hearings together with matters scheduled for
5    their consideration.
6        (2) On or before July 1, 1999, a list of the committees
7    of the General Assembly and their members.
8        (3) On or before July 1, 1999, the text of each bill
9    and resolution introduced and of each engrossed, enrolled,
10    and re-enrolled bill and resolution and the text of each
11    adopted amendment and conference committee report.
12        (4) On or before July 1, 1999, a synopsis of items
13    specified in paragraph (3) of this Section, together with a
14    summary of legislative and gubernatorial actions regarding
15    each bill and resolution introduced.
16        (5) On or before July 1, 1999, the Rules of the House
17    and the Senate of the General Assembly.
18        (6) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
19    Assembly, the text of Public Acts.
20        (7) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
21    Assembly, the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
22        (8) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
23    Assembly, the Constitution of the United States and the
24    Constitution of the State of Illinois.
25        (9) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
26    Assembly, the text of the Illinois Administrative Code.

 

 

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1        (10) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second
2    General Assembly, the most current issue of the Illinois
3    Register published on or after the effective date of this
4    amendatory Act of 1998.
5        (11) Any other information that the Joint Committee on
6    Legislative Support Services elects to make available.
7    The information shall be made available to the public
8through a website maintained by the System the World Wide Web.
9The information may also be made available by any other means
10of access that would facilitate public access to the
11information.
12    Any documentation that describes the electronic digital
13formats of the information shall be made available through a
14website maintained by the System the World Wide Web.
15    Personal information concerning a person who accesses this
16public information may be maintained only for the purpose of
17providing service to the person.
18    No fee or other charge may be imposed by the Legislative
19Information System as a condition of accessing the information,
20except that a reasonable fee may be charged for any customized
21services and shall be deposited into the General Assembly
22Computer Equipment Revolving Fund.
23    The electronic public access provided through the System's
24website World Wide Web shall be in addition to any other
25electronic or print distribution of the information.
26    Within one-year after the effective date of this amendatory

 

 

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1Act of the 100th General Assembly, to the extent practicable,
2the System shall use a free translation tool to enable
3translation into multiple languages of the information made
4available to the public through the website maintained by the
5System. The translation tool shall, at a minimum, translate the
6following content on the website maintained by the System: the
7home page; information regarding the members of the House of
8Representatives and the Senate, including, but not limited to,
9each member's biography, committee assignments, and sponsored
10bills; information regarding the membership of, bills assigned
11to, and meeting schedules of each standing and special
12committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate;
13information on the procedural status of each bill and
14resolution, together with any amendments thereto, and
15appointment message filed in the House of Representatives or
16the Senate, including both general information and
17user-selected information (through the "My Legislation"
18function or otherwise), but not including the synopsis or text
19of any bill or resolution, or any amendment thereto, or any
20appointment message, Public Act, or Executive Order;
21information regarding previous General Assemblies, not
22including the synopsis or text of any bill or resolution, or
23any amendment thereto, or any appointment message, Public Act,
24or Executive Order; contact information for the General
25Assembly, legislative support service agencies, and other
26related offices in the Capitol Complex; and information

 

 

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1regarding access for persons with disabilities. The System may,
2in its discretion, provide for additional content to be
3translated. The languages available for translation shall be
4those provided by the translation tool. Before a user accesses
5translated information, the System shall ensure that a
6disclaimer is first displayed, stating that: the translated
7information is offered as a convenience and should not be
8considered accurate as to the translation of the text in
9question; and the English language version is the official and
10authoritative version of the text in question.
11    No action taken under this Section shall be deemed to alter
12or relinquish any copyright or other proprietary interest or
13entitlement of the State of Illinois relating to any of the
14information made available under this Section.
15    The information shall be made available as provided in this
16Section in the shortest practicable time after it is publicly
17available in any other form; provided that the System may make
18information available under this Section only if the
19availability in no way reduces the quality and timeliness of
20service available to and required under this Act for
21legislative users and does not unduly burden the General
22Assembly or its support services agencies. Failure to provide
23information under this Section does not affect the validity of
24any action of the General Assembly. The General Assembly and
25the State of Illinois are not liable for the accuracy,
26availability, or use of the information provided under this

 

 

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1Section.
2(Source: P.A. 90-666, eff. 7-30-98.)
 
3    Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4becoming law.".