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Public Act 100-0913 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning State government.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||
Illinois Council on Women and Girls Act. | ||||
Section 5. Findings and declaration of policy. The General | ||||
Assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares the following:
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(1) the number of women and girls, of all ages in | ||||
Illinois as of 2013, was close to half of the State's | ||||
population, at 6,560,187;
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(2) approximately 13% of the total population of the | ||||
women are immigrants;
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(3) Illinois women who work full-time, year-round, | ||||
earn 80 cents on the dollar compared with similarly | ||||
employed men;
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(4) approximately 28.2% of those working in science, | ||||
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in | ||||
Illinois are women, compared with 28.8% nationwide;
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(5) approximately 32.7% of women in Illinois have a | ||||
bachelor's degree or higher, which is an increase of about | ||||
8 percentage points since the 2000;
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(6) women in Illinois who are unionized earn $122 more | ||||
per week, on average, than those who are not represented by |
a union;
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(7) approximately 61% of women in Illinois are part of | ||
the labor force, and 27.2% of businesses in Illinois are | ||
owned by women;
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(8) heart disease is the biggest killer of women in the | ||
United States, and Illinois ranks 29 of 51 with a mortality | ||
rate of 136.9 per 100,000 women, specifically, 133.8 for | ||
Caucasian women, 79.8 Hispanic women, 186.1 for African | ||
American women, 70.5 for Pacific Islander women, and 72.1 | ||
for Native American women;
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(9) the female lung cancer mortality rates for women, | ||
per 100,000, in 2011-2013, was 42.0 for Caucasian women, | ||
11.6 for Hispanic women; 44.2 for African American women; | ||
and 15.8 for Pacific Islander women;
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(10) the female breast cancer mortality rates for | ||
women, per 100,000, in 2011-2013, was 22.8 for Caucasian | ||
women, 10.6 for Hispanic women, 32.6 for African American | ||
women, and 11.5 for Pacific Islander women; and
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(11) wide racial and ethnic disparities exist in | ||
Illinois pregnancy-related mortality rates, which in 2013, | ||
in deaths per 100,000 births, were 8.1 for Caucasian women | ||
and 28.9 for African American women, and the severe | ||
maternal morbidity rate for Illinois between 2011-2013 was | ||
higher than the national rate; | ||
(12) teen pregnancy is often unintended and can have | ||
long-term negative health effects on future physical, |
behavioral, educational, and economic development of | ||
mothers and children, and teen birth rates in Illinois are | ||
significantly higher for African American and Hispanic | ||
teens than for Caucasian teens; | ||
(13) women who are transgender experience high rates of | ||
discrimination, harassment, and violence in every aspect | ||
of their lives, including health care settings, other | ||
public accommodations, housing, and employment; and | ||
(14) approximately 65.9% of women in Illinois are | ||
registered to vote. | ||
Based on the foregoing findings, the General Assembly | ||
determines and declares that it is the public policy of the | ||
State of Illinois to provide fair and equal access for women in | ||
Illinois to adequate healthcare, resources for professional | ||
and academic opportunity, and resources for safety and proper | ||
living conditions for them and their young children, paying | ||
attention to the variances of impact in these areas along the | ||
lines of race and ethnicity.
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Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
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"Council" means the Illinois Council on Women and Girls | ||
created by this Act.
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"Woman" or "women" means all persons of the female gender, | ||
including both cisgender and transgender persons. | ||
"Transgender" describes persons whose gender identity is | ||
different from the gender they were assigned at birth. |
"Cisgender" describes persons whose gender identity is the | ||
same as the gender they were assigned at birth. | ||
"Gender identity" means a person's deeply felt, inherent | ||
sense of who they are as a particular gender, such as female. | ||
Section 15. The Illinois Council on Women and Girls.
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(a) There is hereby created the Illinois Council on Women | ||
and Girls.
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(b) The Council shall advise the Governor and the General | ||
Assembly on policy issues impacting women and girls in this | ||
State, including, but not limited to, the following goals:
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(1) to advance the role and civic participation of | ||
women and girls in this State;
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(2) to put in place programs and advocate policies that | ||
work to end the gender pay gap and discrimination in | ||
professional and academic opportunities;
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(3) to promote resources and opportunities for | ||
academic and professional growth;
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(4) to allow women and young girls to have legal | ||
protections and recourse in cases of sexual harassment in | ||
the workplace;
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(5) to prevent and protect women from domestic | ||
violence; | ||
(6) to provide proper standards of healthcare, and to | ||
study the disparate impacts on women as it pertains to | ||
diverse demographics;
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(7) to promote increased access to reproductive health | ||
care; | ||
(8) to protect women who are transgender from violence | ||
and harassment, and increase their fair and equal access to | ||
culturally competent health care, housing, employment, and | ||
other opportunities; | ||
(9) to disseminate information and build relationships | ||
between State agencies and commissions in furtherance of | ||
the Council's goals under this Act; and | ||
(10) to give significant attention to the inclusion of | ||
women of color in decision-making capacities and | ||
identifying barriers toward parity, and for leadership | ||
inclusion that works to realize America's founding | ||
principles of equity and opportunity for all. | ||
Section 20. Council members.
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(a) The Council shall consist of 21 members. The Governor | ||
shall appoint one member to be the representative of the Office | ||
of the Governor. The Governor, the President of the Senate, the | ||
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of | ||
the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House of | ||
Representatives shall also each appoint 4 public members to the | ||
Council. The Governor shall select the chairperson of the | ||
Council from among the members.
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(b) Appointing authorities shall ensure, to the maximum | ||
extent practicable, that the Council is diverse with respect to |
race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and | ||
geography.
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(c) Appointments to the Council shall be persons of | ||
recognized ability and experience in one or more of the | ||
following areas: higher education, business, law, social | ||
services, human services, immigration, refugee services, | ||
community development, or healthcare.
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(d) Members of the Council shall serve 2-year terms. A | ||
member shall serve until his or her successor shall be | ||
appointed and qualified. Members of the Council shall not be | ||
entitled to compensation for their services as members.
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(e) The following officials shall serve as ex officio | ||
members: the Lieutenant Governor, or his or her designee, and | ||
the Chief of the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services | ||
within the Department of Human Services, or his or her | ||
designee. Additionally, the Director, Executive Director, or | ||
Superintendent of the following State agencies shall each | ||
appoint one liaison to serve as an ex officio member of the | ||
Council: the Department on Aging, the Department of Human | ||
Rights, the Department of Children and Family Services, the | ||
Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of | ||
Public Health, the Department of Labor, the Illinois State | ||
Board of Education, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and | ||
the Illinois Community College Board.
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(f) The Council may establish committees that address | ||
certain issues, including, but not limited to, communications, |
economic development, and legislative affairs.
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(g) The Office of the Governor shall provide administrative | ||
and technical support to the Council, including a staff member | ||
to serve as the Council's ethics officer.
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Section 25. Meetings. The Council shall meet at least once | ||
per quarter. In addition, the Council may hold up to 2 public | ||
hearings annually to assist in the development of policy | ||
recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly, and | ||
implement programming to meet its overall mission goals. All | ||
meetings of the Council shall be conducted in accordance with | ||
the Open Meetings Act. A majority of current non-ex-officio | ||
members of the Council shall constitute a quorum. | ||
Section 30. Reports. The Council shall electronically | ||
issue semi-annual
reports on its policy recommendations by June | ||
30th and December
31st of each year to the Governor and the | ||
General Assembly. The reports issued to the General Assembly | ||
under this Section shall be filed electronically with the | ||
General Assembly as provided under Section 3.1 of the General | ||
Assembly Organization Act, and shall be provided to any member | ||
of the General Assembly upon request. | ||
Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are | ||
severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
becoming law.
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