Rep. Sonya Harper

Recognizes the need to reunite communities split by the creation of the interstate highway system. Recognizes the importance of expressway lids as a partial solution to that problem. Urges the State of Illinois to utilize federal resources, in partnership with state agencies and local entities, to begin reconnecting these communities with, among other things, expressway lids.

Declares April 1 through April 6, 2024 as Black Farmers Week in the State of Illinois. Encourages the people of Illinois and their representatives in government to learn about the history of Black farming communities and the contributions made by African Americans to agriculture in the United States.

Declares March 6, 2024 as Rare Disease Day in the State of Illinois in order to raise awareness of rare diseases, support individuals and families who struggle with rare diseases, bring attention to the need for research and funding to support the discovery and development of therapies designed to treat and potentially cure rare diseases, and support the continued work of the Illinois Rare Disease Commission.

Maddy summaryThis bill declares May 1, 2024, as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Day in the State of Illinois. It directly affects members of the sorority and the state government by officially recognizing the organization's history and its ongoing advocacy work in the community. The resolution highlights the sorority's role in promoting social issues and notes the presence of its members within various branches of Illinois state government. This measure serves as a commemorative acknowledgment rather than establishing new laws or policies.

Congratulates the Honorable Michael Christopher Fountain, Honorary Consul of the Consulate of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in Chicago for the Midwestern United States, on serving as a crucial link to the bilateral relationship between The Bahamas and the United States for over a decade. Wishes him continued success while conducting his consular duties.

Urges all agencies in the State of Illinois, in particular those concerned with the economic opportunity, education, health care, housing, justice, nutrition, protection, and recreation of children, to ensure their policies and programs comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Urges the President of the United States to submit the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for review. Urges the Senate of the United States to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Appropriates $519,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Corrections for cost and administrative expenses associated with the Healing Beyond Harm program. Effective July 1, 2024.

Urges the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to continue taking appropriate action to facilitate equitable access to adolescent and adult vaccinations, including establishing appropriate programs and initiatives to raise public awareness on the importance of adolescent and adult vaccinations. Urges the IDPH to continue working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in-state healthcare providers, and patients to implement an effective and actionable state immunization strategy that includes adult immunizations. Urges the IDPH to continue increasing community resilience to communicable and other emerging disease threats. Urges the IDPH to continue determining goals on which to center the immunization plan. Urges the IDPH to continue exploring federal funding opportunities and partnerships to support vaccine awareness and access programs aligned with the goals established in the state immunization strategy.

Amends the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act. Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Good Food Purchasing Law. Repeals provisions regarding procurement goals for local farm or food products. Provides that, no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act, each State agency and State-owned facility that purchases food, including, without limitation, facilities for persons with mental health and development disabilities, correction facilities, and public institutions of higher education, including community colleges, shall have a timely plan for undergoing a Good Food Purchasing Program baseline assessment, conducted by the Center for Good Food Purchasing, to determine current alignment with Good Food Purchasing Program core values and Good Food Purchasing Program equity, transparency, and accountability and how better to meet Good Food Purchasing Program core values and Good Food Purchasing Program equity, transparency, and accountability. Provides that, no later than one year after completion of the baseline assessment, each State agency and State-owned facility shall develop and adopt a multi-year action plan with benchmarks to align food purchasing processes with Good Food Purchasing Program equity, transparency, and accountability and food purchases with Good Food Purchasing Program core values. Sets forth other provisions regarding the Program. Provides that the Good Food Purchasing Task Force created by House Joint Resolution 33 of the 102nd General Assembly is reestablished and shall continue with its study of current procurement of food within the State and to explore how good food purchasing can be implemented to maximize the procurement of healthy foods that are sustainably, locally, and equitably sourced. Provides that the Good Food Purchasing Fund is established as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the Department of Agriculture to administer the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act. Makes other changes. Amends the State Finance Act and the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act to make conforming changes.

Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program Act. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program within the Department of Agriculture to support current Black farmers and to encourage the growth of Black farmers into the field of agriculture. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that the Fund shall consist of gifts, grants, donations, and appropriations which must be made to support the Program. Provides that expenditures from the Fund must be used exclusively to pay costs, fees, and expenses necessary to administer the Program. Establishes requirements and limitations for the Program. Establishes the Farm Conservation Corps to provide training in an on-field environment for socially disadvantaged residents. Provides that the Director shall make publicly available annual reports describing data on the recipients of the Department programs, including assistance from farm subsidy programs, and the amounts of the assistance, delineated by the race, ethnicity, and gender of the recipients. Defines terms. Effective immediately.