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Legislative update related to
legislation designed for the improvement and enhancement of services to the
Latino population in the State of Illinois
The following legislative initiatives are now pending
at the 95th Illinois General Assembly. We are asking our member
agencies and friends to become familiar with the following legislation. We
hope you will become interested and get involved in the legislative process
as this is a civic responsibility of every Illinois citizen. For additional
information, please click on the following link:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/
SB1448 - Short
Description: Access
to Government Services
Senate
Bill 1448 introduced by Senator Martin Sandoval creates the Access to Governmental Services
act. Requires each constitutional officer, State agency, circuit court
clerk, and State program to take reasonable steps to provide equal access to
public services for individuals with limited English proficiency, including:
(i) having a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public
contact positions or as interpreters and (ii) translation of important
documents ordinarily provided to the public into any language spoken by at
least 3% of the overall population of the State, as measured by the U.S.
Census. The act also will require the Illinois Human Rights Commission to
implement a process to address disputes arising under the Act.
Current Status:
Bill was re-referred to Rules and Committee.
SB1744 - Short
Description: Non-English-Speaking
Workers
Senate Bill 1744 introduced by Senator William Delgado creates
the Non-English-Speaking Workers Protection Act. Requires certain
meatpacking operations that recruit non-English-speaking persons and have
more than 10% non-English-speaking employees who speak the same non-English
language to: provide a bilingual employee to respond to employment-related
questions and serve as a referral agent to community services; file with the
Director of Labor statements with specified information about conditions of
employment; and provide transportation for a recruited employee, at no cost
to the employee, to the location from which the employee was recruited if
the employee meets certain criteria. The legislation provides for criminal
penalties, civil actions, and injunctive relief. Establishes the Meatpacking
Industry Worker Rights Coordinator within the Department of Labor to inspect
and review meatpacking operations as they relate to the Governor's Illinois
Meatpacking Industry Workers Bill of Rights, and outlines the Bill of
Rights. It also gives the Coordinator access to meatpacking operations and
provides that the Coordinator shall submit an annual report to the General
Assembly and the Governor regarding recommended actions for the fair
treatment of workers in the meatpacking industry. Bill 1744 sets forth
powers and duties of the Director of the Department of Labor.
Current Status: Bill
was re-referred to Rules and Committee
SB2361 - Short Description: Foster Parents Reimbursement Methodology
Amends the Children and Family Services Act.
Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall work with
representatives of voluntary foster care providers and foster parents to
determine rates to be paid to foster parents of wards of the State for State
fiscal year 2009 that will equitably distribute moneys appropriated to the
Department to fund an increase in the cost of care reimbursement rate for
foster parents according to a national methodology such as the Foster Care
MARC (Minimum Adequate Rates for Children) developed by the Children's
Rights/National Foster Parent Association and the University of Maryland
School of Social Work. Requires the Department to work with such
representatives to establish a methodology for calculating foster caregiver
reimbursement rates. Requires the Department to adopt rules for the
development and review of the methodology no later than January 1, 2009.
Effective July 1, 2008.
HB0942 - Short Description: IDPH-Hispanic/Latino-Health
House Bill 0942
introduced by State Representative Luis Arroyo appropriates $10,000,000 from
the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Public Health for grants and
related expenses targeted for diabetes and other medical conditions with
disparate impact on the Hispanic/Latino community.
Current Status:
Assigned to Appropriation Committee
HB1013 -Short
Description: Government
– Courts Health Language
House Bill 1013
introduced by State Representative Elizabeth Hernandez creates the Access to
Governmental Services Act. The proposed act provides that each State agency,
constitutional officer, State program, and circuit clerk shall take
reasonable steps to provide equal access to public services for individuals
with limited English proficiency. It provides that such reasonable steps
include (1) having a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in
public contact positions or as interpreters and (2) translating important
documents ordinarily provided to the public into any language spoken by any
limited-English-proficient population that constitutes at least a certain
percentage of the population served. It requires the Illinois Human Rights
Commission to implement a process to address disputes arising under the Act.
Creates the State Language Assistance/Translator Services Clearinghouse
within the Department of Central Management Services to assist in preparing,
review, and approve, as to language-appropriateness, materials distributed
to the public by State agencies and policy and procedure manuals used by
State agencies in delivering services to the public. It amends the Language
Assistance Services Act. Provides that a health facility (i) must adopt and
review annually a policy for providing language assistance services and (ii)
must provide its non bilingual staff with standardized picture and phrase
sheets (instead of having those 2 activities as options). Provides that a
health facility must also do at least one of the remaining 7 specified
activities (instead of must do one or more of 9 specified activities).
Current Status:
Bill was re-referred to Rules and Committee.
HB5095 - Short Description: Foster Parents Cost of Care Reimbursements
In addition to any other
amounts appropriated for this purpose, the sum of $24,000,000, or so much of
that amount as may be necessary, is appropriated from the General Revenue
Fund to the Department of Children and Family Services to fund an increase
in the cost of care reimbursement rate for foster parents of wards of the
State. If enacted into law, the Act will be effective July 1, 2008.
If the readers want additional information about the
above mention legislation or want to express their support, feel free to
contact your local elected officials. To find out who is your State
Representative or Senator please click the following link:
http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchtype.aspx?NavLink=1
or go to:
http://www.ilga.gov/sitemap.asp |
