September
25, 2007
To the
Honorable Members of the
Illinois House of Representatives
95th
General Assembly
Pursuant to Article IV, Section
9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return
House Bill 291, entitled “AN
ACT concerning courts,” with the following specific recommendations for change:
on page 5, below line 10, by inserting “(d-5) The
Department shall, no later than January 1, 2008, create a task force to study the
best methods to assist local governments in providing services and care to
delinquent juveniles between the ages of 13 and 15 with due regard given to the
child’s health, safety, and best interests. Special consideration will be
taken to consider the difficulty that less populous counties face when caring
for delinquent minors. The Governor or his designee will be the chairperson of
the task force. Other members of the task force shall include the Director, or
his or her designee, of the Department of Children and Family Services, the
Director, or his or her designee, of the Department of Juvenile Justice, the
Director, or his or her designee, of the Department of Human Services, a representative
from a non-profit youth services organization and the Principal Sponsors in the
Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Senate of House Bill 291 of the
95th General Assembly. The task force shall submit a report on the
results of its study to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than January
1, 2009.”; and
on page 11, line 3, by deleting “15” and reinserting
“13”; and
on page 27, line 5, by deleting “15” and reinserting
“13”; and
on page 40, line 14 through 15, by deleting “15” and
reinserting “13”; and
on page 45, line 12, by deleting “15” and
reinserting “13”; and
on page 46, line 2, by deleting “15” and reinserting
“13”.
With these changes, House Bill 291 will have my approval. I
respectfully request your concurrence.
Sincerely,
ROD R.
BLAGOJEVICH
Governor