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91_HB2313
LRB9105349LDmb
1 AN ACT to amend the Department of Human Services Act by
2 adding Section 10-30.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is
6 amended by adding Section 10-30 as follows:
7 (20 ILCS 1305/10-30 new)
8 Sec. 10-30. Abstinence education program study. The
9 Department shall design and implement an outcome evaluation
10 of all abstinence education programs funded under Section
11 510, Title V (Maternal and Child Health) of the 1996 Social
12 Security Act and report its findings to the General Assembly.
13 The goal of this evaluation is to determine the outcomes
14 for youths who participate in abstinence-only education
15 programs and to determine the effects of those programs in
16 achieving key outcomes, including reduced rates of sexual
17 activity, reduced pregnancy and births, and reduced incidence
18 of sexually transmitted diseases. The evaluation shall
19 describe the abstinence-only education programs, including
20 what the interventions are and how the Department expects to
21 change the following behaviors of interest: initiation of
22 sexual intercourse, pregnancy, out-of-wedlock birth, and
23 infection with a sexually transmitted disease. The evaluator
24 shall review appropriate program documents (including, but
25 not limited to, training manuals, curricula, and policies)
26 that describe programs at each site. To identify significant
27 aspects of program operation, the evaluator shall develop and
28 implement a protocol or guide for conducting interviews with
29 a sample of teachers, administrators, or workers involved in
30 the execution of the program at each site.
31 The evaluation shall assess the rate of behavior change
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1 for the population targeted. The evaluation shall also
2 determine whether there are possible causes other than the
3 interventions being studied for the behavior changes, if any
4 changes are found in the evaluation.
5 The evaluator shall identify a control group along with
6 each intervention group and conduct interviews with
7 participants 3 times. All interviews shall use questions
8 appropriate for populations with multiple cultural and
9 linguistic backgrounds. To address the outcomes of this
10 evaluation the evaluator shall be required to ask youths
11 directly about their sexual experiences. Given the sensitive
12 nature of this evaluation, active parental consent shall be
13 assumed to be required for all data collection efforts
14 involving minors.
15 The first or baseline survey shall record each youth's
16 demographic characteristics; knowledge of key elements to be
17 affected by the program; prior history of sexual activity,
18 pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases; and other
19 information relevant to understanding the effects of the
20 intervention, including participation in other interventions.
21 The first follow-up survey shall take place as soon as
22 possible following the completion of the program for the
23 intervention group and at approximately the same time for the
24 control group.
25 The second survey shall take place approximately one year
26 following the completion of the program. Follow-up surveys
27 shall include questions necessary to gather data on knowledge
28 (for comparison to the baseline data) and to assess changes
29 in attitudes, knowledge, and sexual activity since completion
30 of the program.
31 At the end of each project year, beginning in State
32 fiscal year 2000, the evaluator shall submit to the General
33 Assembly an annual progress report. These reports shall
34 include summaries of accomplishments, status of the
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1 evaluation at each site, problems encountered, problems
2 solved, problems remaining, and proposed next steps for the
3 study. This report shall follow the process and
4 implementation of the study. Analyses and findings shall be
5 presented in the interim and final reports.
6 The Department shall develop a competitive reapplication
7 process for abstinence-only programs funded under Section
8 510, Title V of the 1996 Social Security Act and implement
9 this process every 2 years beginning with State fiscal year
10 2000.