Creates the Office of Language Equity and Access Act. Provides that the Office of Language Equity and Access is created in the Governor's Office of New Americans to ensure equitable and meaningful access to State information, services, programs, and activities for persons who have limited English proficiency. Provides that the Director of the Office shall work with State agencies and use available resources within the Office of New Americans and Office of Equity to ensure that, among other things, each State agency takes reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to services, programs, and activities by persons with limited English proficiency. Provides that the Office shall have a full-time Director who is bilingual and has experience in serving immigrant populations. Describes the duties and responsibilities of the Director. Provides that there shall be a bilingual employment plan, which would require designations of positions as bilingual and result in the hiring of qualified personnel who are bilingual. Provides that the Director shall comply with specified requirements concerning the need for interpreters and translators. Provides that the Director shall develop a template and mechanism for collecting, storing, and analyzing language access plans.
Sen. Adriane Johnson
Sponsored bills
Creates the Second Chance Public Health and Safety Act and amends the Freedom of Information Act, the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, and the Unified Code of Corrections. Contains declarations and findings. Creates the Department of Returning Resident Affairs and sets forth its powers in relation to returning residents (residents who have been detained, are defendants in criminal prosecutions, are incarcerated, or have been incarcerated) and other matters. Provides that the Department shall develop and administer the Second Chance State Program for returning residents and provides for the establishment of hub sites to provide specified services to eligible individuals and other elements of the Program. Provides for the appointment of a Director of Returning Resident Affairs who has experience working with or for a community-based organization and was incarcerated in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility for not less than one year, as well as an Assistant Director and a General Counsel. Contains provisions regarding other matters. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.
Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. Provides that all agency rules establishing procedures for contested cases may include procedures for requesting language assistance. Provides that, in a contested case, all parties shall be afforded an opportunity for an administrative hearing after reasonable notice in the preferred spoken language of the parties, if known by the agency. Provides that notice for the administrative hearings shall include instructions at the top of the notice, written in, at a minimum, English, Spanish, Polish, Gujarati, Urdu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Tagalog, for assistance in translating the contents of the notice, and a statement written in those languages. Defines "language assistance". Provides that the administrative law judge has the duty to inquire and determine if a participant in the hearing needs language assistance to participate in or understand the hearing. Provides that if an individual for whom English is a second language knows some English, it should not prohibit that individual from being allowed to receive language assistance. Provides that the examination of the individual believed to be in need of language assistance must be done on the record, and the conclusion of the administrative law judge must be stated on the record. Provides that any party or witness has the right to request language assistance to participate in or understand the hearing at any time during the course of the hearing. Creates qualifications for the certification of administrative hearing interpreters.
Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that the minimum standards for child care licensing include regulations to allow for staffing flexibility of qualified early childhood assistants to enable the early childhood assistants to supervise a classroom outside of the core developmental hours of the day, which shall not exceed more than 3 consecutive hours.
Amends the Government Electronic Records Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that the month of September of each year is designated as Alopecia Awareness Month to be observed throughout the State to bring awareness to the disease of alopecia.
Amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. In provisions allowing the filling or refilling of personal containers with bulk food, refers to restaurants and retailers (rather than just retailers). Allows restaurants and retailers to fill or refill a consumer-owned container with ready-made food. Allows clean consumer-owned containers provided or returned to a restaurant or retailer for filling or refilling to be filled or refilled and returned to the same consumer if the consumer-owned container is filled or refilled by either an employee of the restaurant or retailer or the owner of the consumer-owned container. Requires filled or refilled consumer-owned containers to be designed and constructed for reuse in accordance with specified federal requirements. Contains requirements for restaurants and retailers. Directs the Department of Public Health to produce materials for restaurants and retailers on or before January 1, 2024 indicating that consumer-owned containers are not prohibited for use under Illinois law and specifying best practices for food safety requirements for consumer-owned containers. Effective immediately.
Amends the Code of Civil Procedure. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the effect of Article, Part, and Section headings.
Amends the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Creates the Graduate and Retain Our Workforce Act. Establishes the GROW Illinois Program, in which public institutions of higher education award incentive loans to applicants. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission may, each year, administer applications for assistance under the GROW Illinois Program. Sets forth qualifications for recipients, degrees, and jobs. Provides for loan repayment and rulemaking. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (GROW) Illinois Fund as a special fund in the State treasury.