Public Act 100-0320
 
SB1869 EnrolledLRB100 09019 RJF 19166 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Language Access to Government Services Task Force Act.
 
    Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds the
following:
        (1) Nearly 10% of Illinois' population is limited
    English proficient, giving Illinois the 5th largest
    limited English proficient population in the United States
    at over 1.1 million residents.
        (2) Language barriers continue to exist for many
    Illinois residents who are limited English proficient, and
    these barriers limit their ability to fully participate in
    civic life and maximize their economic productivity.
        (3) Language barriers for limited English proficient
    residents create very real challenges when trying to access
    information about available government services or an
    individual's legal rights or obligations under State and
    local laws.
        (4) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires program
    recipients of federal funds, such as certain State
    agencies, to take reasonable steps to ensure that limited
    English proficient persons have meaningful access to their
    programs and activities.
        (5) The public safety, health, economic prosperity,
    and general welfare of all Illinois residents is furthered
    by increasing language access to State programs and
    services.
 
    Section 10. The Language Access to Government Services Task
Force.
    (a) There is hereby created the Language Access to
Government Services Task Force to study and reduce the language
barriers existing among Illinois residents who are limited
English proficient, and to maximize their ability to access
government services and participate in civic discourse.
    (b) The Task Force shall consist of the following members:
        (1) one member of the Senate appointed by the President
    of the Senate;
        (2) one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority
    Leader of the Senate;
        (3) one member of the House of Representatives
    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
        (4) one member of the House of Representatives
    appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
    Representatives;
        (5) one member appointed by the Governor as a
    representative of the Governor's Office;
        (6) one member appointed by the Attorney General as a
    representative of the Attorney General's Office;
        (7) one member appointed by the Secretary of State as a
    representative of the Secretary of State's Office;
        (8) one member appointed by the Secretary of the
    Illinois Department of Human Services as a representative
    of the Department of Human Services;
        (9) five members appointed by the Governor, upon
    recommendation of a non-profit organization that promotes
    civic engagement and advocates on behalf of immigrant
    communities through a coalition of member organizations
    that serve Latino, Asian, African, Arab, and European
    immigrants; and
        (10) five members appointed by the Governor, upon
    recommendation of a non-profit organization that promotes
    civic engagement among Asian American communities and
    advocates on behalf of Asian American communities through
    its Pan-Asian coalition.
    (c) Members of the Task Force shall receive no compensation
for serving as members, and shall be appointed within 30 days
after the effective date of this Act and begin meeting no later
than 30 days after the appointments are finalized, but shall
hold its first meeting no later than September 1, 2017. In the
event that any appointment required to be made by the Governor
under paragraphs (9) and (10) of subsection (b) is not made
within 30 days after the effective date of this Act, the
Secretary of Human Services shall make such appointments within
15 days after the appointment deadline.
    (d) The Task Force shall elect a chairperson from among its
membership, and the Department of Human Services shall provide
technical support and assistance to the Task Force and shall be
responsible for administering its operations and ensuring that
the requirements of this Act are met. The Task Force may
otherwise consult with any persons or entities it deems
necessary to carry out its purposes.
 
    Section 15. Duties of the Language Access to Government
Services Task Force. The duties of the Task Force shall consist
of the following:
        (1) review existing language access laws or ordinances
    in other parts of the country, including existing reports
    or academic publications on such laws or ordinances;
        (2) evaluate their effectiveness in eliminating
    language barriers for limited English proficient
    communities;
        (3) consider any other available and relevant
    information on language access issues in Illinois,
    including census data, community feedback, or surveys;
        (4) identify and recommend specific best-practices and
    provisions for a State language access law; and
        (5) produce a final report summarizing the Task Force's
    findings and detailing its specific recommendations for a
    State language access law and highlight any areas of major
    disagreement within the Task Force.
 
    Section 20. Report. The Task Force shall submit its final
report with findings and recommendations to the General
Assembly, the Governor, and the Attorney General on or before
July 1, 2018.
 
    Section 25. Repeal. This Act is repealed on December 31,
2018.
 
    Section 100. The Legislative Information System Act is
amended by changing Section 5.09 as follows:
 
    (25 ILCS 145/5.09)
    Sec. 5.09. Public computer access; legislative
information. To make available to the public all of the
following information in electronic form:
        (1) On or before July 1, 1999, the weekly schedule of
    legislative floor sessions for each of the 2 houses of the
    General Assembly together with a list of matters pending
    before them and the weekly schedule of legislative
    committee hearings together with matters scheduled for
    their consideration.
        (2) On or before July 1, 1999, a list of the committees
    of the General Assembly and their members.
        (3) On or before July 1, 1999, the text of each bill
    and resolution introduced and of each engrossed, enrolled,
    and re-enrolled bill and resolution and the text of each
    adopted amendment and conference committee report.
        (4) On or before July 1, 1999, a synopsis of items
    specified in paragraph (3) of this Section, together with a
    summary of legislative and gubernatorial actions regarding
    each bill and resolution introduced.
        (5) On or before July 1, 1999, the Rules of the House
    and the Senate of the General Assembly.
        (6) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
    Assembly, the text of Public Acts.
        (7) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
    Assembly, the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
        (8) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
    Assembly, the Constitution of the United States and the
    Constitution of the State of Illinois.
        (9) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second General
    Assembly, the text of the Illinois Administrative Code.
        (10) Before the conclusion of the Ninety-second
    General Assembly, the most current issue of the Illinois
    Register published on or after the effective date of this
    amendatory Act of 1998.
        (11) Any other information that the Joint Committee on
    Legislative Support Services elects to make available.
    The information shall be made available to the public
through a website maintained by the System the World Wide Web.
The information may also be made available by any other means
of access that would facilitate public access to the
information.
    Any documentation that describes the electronic digital
formats of the information shall be made available through a
website maintained by the System the World Wide Web.
    Personal information concerning a person who accesses this
public information may be maintained only for the purpose of
providing service to the person.
    No fee or other charge may be imposed by the Legislative
Information System as a condition of accessing the information,
except that a reasonable fee may be charged for any customized
services and shall be deposited into the General Assembly
Computer Equipment Revolving Fund.
    The electronic public access provided through the System's
website World Wide Web shall be in addition to any other
electronic or print distribution of the information.
    Within one-year after the effective date of this amendatory
Act of the 100th General Assembly, to the extent practicable,
the System shall use a free translation tool to enable
translation into multiple languages of the information made
available to the public through the website maintained by the
System. The translation tool shall, at a minimum, translate the
following content on the website maintained by the System: the
home page; information regarding the members of the House of
Representatives and the Senate, including, but not limited to,
each member's biography, committee assignments, and sponsored
bills; information regarding the membership of, bills assigned
to, and meeting schedules of each standing and special
committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate;
information on the procedural status of each bill and
resolution, together with any amendments thereto, and
appointment message filed in the House of Representatives or
the Senate, including both general information and
user-selected information (through the "My Legislation"
function or otherwise), but not including the synopsis or text
of any bill or resolution, or any amendment thereto, or any
appointment message, Public Act, or Executive Order;
information regarding previous General Assemblies, not
including the synopsis or text of any bill or resolution, or
any amendment thereto, or any appointment message, Public Act,
or Executive Order; contact information for the General
Assembly, legislative support service agencies, and other
related offices in the Capitol Complex; and information
regarding access for persons with disabilities. The System may,
in its discretion, provide for additional content to be
translated. The languages available for translation shall be
those provided by the translation tool. Before a user accesses
translated information, the System shall ensure that a
disclaimer is first displayed, stating that: the translated
information is offered as a convenience and should not be
considered accurate as to the translation of the text in
question; and the English language version is the official and
authoritative version of the text in question.
    No action taken under this Section shall be deemed to alter
or relinquish any copyright or other proprietary interest or
entitlement of the State of Illinois relating to any of the
information made available under this Section.
    The information shall be made available as provided in this
Section in the shortest practicable time after it is publicly
available in any other form; provided that the System may make
information available under this Section only if the
availability in no way reduces the quality and timeliness of
service available to and required under this Act for
legislative users and does not unduly burden the General
Assembly or its support services agencies. Failure to provide
information under this Section does not affect the validity of
any action of the General Assembly. The General Assembly and
the State of Illinois are not liable for the accuracy,
availability, or use of the information provided under this
Section.
(Source: P.A. 90-666, eff. 7-30-98.)
 
    Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/24/2017