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92_HB2511eng HB2511 Engrossed LRB9205055MWcs 1 AN ACT to create the Illinois Africa-America Peace 2 Brigade. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 6 Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Act. 7 Section 5. Legislative declaration. 8 (a) The General Assembly declares that it is the policy 9 of this State to promote peace and friendship with African 10 nations through the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. 11 The Peace Brigade shall make available to interested African 12 nations men and women of this State qualified for service 13 abroad and willing to serve under conditions of hardship if 14 necessary. A purpose of the Peace Brigade is to help the 15 peoples of African nations in meeting their needs for trained 16 manpower, particularly in meeting the basic needs of those 17 living in the poorest areas of those countries, and to help 18 promote a better understanding of the citizens of this State 19 on the part of the peoples served and a better understanding 20 of other peoples on the part of the citizens of this State. 21 (b) The General Assembly declares that it is the policy 22 of this State to promote the success of the descendants of 23 persons from Africa who reside in this State. In order to 24 meet this goal, the General Assembly finds that it is 25 necessary to provide emergency resources, especially human 26 resources, to the failing schools in the urban inner-city 27 areas of this State. A purpose of the Peace Brigade is to 28 provide those failing schools with their need for trained 29 manpower in meeting the basic and remedial educational needs 30 of African-American students. HB2511 Engrossed -2- LRB9205055MWcs 1 Section 10. Definitions. 2 "Agency of the United States government" means any 3 department, board, wholly or partially owned corporation, or 4 other instrumentality, commission, or establishment of the 5 United States. 6 "Council" means the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade 7 Advisory Council created by this Act. 8 "Director" means the Director of the Illinois 9 Africa-America Peace Brigade. 10 "Peace Brigade" means the Illinois Africa-America Peace 11 Brigade created by this Act. 12 "Secretary of State" means the Secretary of State of the 13 United States. 14 "Volunteer", unless the context otherwise requires, 15 includes volunteer leaders and applicants for enrollment as 16 volunteers. 17 Section 15. Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade; 18 director and deputy director; rules. 19 (a) There is created the Illinois Africa-America Peace 20 Brigade. The Peace Brigade shall be under the direction of a 21 Director and a Deputy Director appointed by the Governor with 22 the advice and consent of the Senate. 23 (b) The Director may adopt any rules necessary to carry 24 out the purposes of this Act and to perform any of the duties 25 of the Peace Brigade. 26 Section 20. Powers and duties. 27 (a) The Peace Brigade may enter into, perform, and 28 modify contracts and agreements with and may otherwise 29 cooperate with any agency of the United States government, 30 any state, any State agency, or any educational institutions, 31 voluntary agencies, farm organizations, labor unions, or 32 other organizations, persons, or firms. HB2511 Engrossed -3- LRB9205055MWcs 1 (b) The Director may, with the approval of the Secretary 2 of State, assign volunteers to temporary duty with 3 international organizations and agencies. 4 (c) The Director may assign volunteers to duty or make 5 them available to any entity referred to in subsection (a) of 6 this Section in order to assist those entities in providing 7 development or other assistance to African nations. 8 (d) In recognition of the fact that women in developing 9 countries play a significant role in economic production, 10 family support, and the overall development process, the 11 Peace Brigade shall, whenever possible, give particular 12 attention to programs and activities that integrate women 13 into the economies of African nations. 14 (e) In recognition of the fact that 95% of the disabled 15 people in the world are among the poorest of the poor, the 16 Peace Brigade shall, whenever possible, give particular 17 attention to programs and activities that integrate disabled 18 people into the economies of African nations. 19 (f) The Director may, in cooperation with the State Board 20 of Education and the State Superintendent of Education, 21 assign volunteers to duty in urban inner-city schools in this 22 State. 23 Section 25. Approval by the Secretary of State. 24 (a) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to infringe 25 upon the powers or functions of the Secretary of State. In 26 carrying out the purposes of this Act, the Director must seek 27 the approval of the Secretary of State for any programs or 28 activities of the Peace Brigade in foreign nations. 29 (b) Except with the approval of the Secretary of State, 30 the Peace Brigade may not be assigned to perform services in 31 foreign nations that could more usefully be performed by an 32 agency of the United States government. HB2511 Engrossed -4- LRB9205055MWcs 1 Section 30. Employees, experts, and consultants. The 2 Peace Brigade may employ any personnel, in accordance with 3 the Personnel Code, that may be necessary to carry out the 4 purposes of this Act. The Peace Brigade may enter into 5 contracts with any experts and consultants that it deems 6 necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. 7 Section 35. Volunteers. 8 (a) The Director may enroll in the Peace Brigade for 9 service in African nations and in urban inner-city schools in 10 this State qualified citizens of this State without regard to 11 race, gender, creed, or color. No political test or 12 qualification may be used in selecting any person for 13 enrollment as a volunteer. No person may be assigned to duty 14 as a volunteer in any foreign country unless at the time of 15 the assignment he or she possess a reasonable proficiency in 16 speaking the language of the country to which he or she will 17 be assigned. The Director may, by rule, prescribe any other 18 qualifications for volunteers. 19 (b) The terms and conditions of service of volunteers 20 are those set forth in this Act and as the Director 21 prescribes. The service of any volunteer may be terminated at 22 the pleasure of the Director. Upon enrollment, every 23 volunteer shall take an oath of office. 24 (c) Subject to appropriations, volunteers may be 25 provided with any living, travel, and leave allowances and 26 any housing, transportation, supplies, equipment, 27 subsistence, and clothing that the Director determines is 28 necessary for their maintenance and to insure their health 29 and their capacity to serve effectively. Transportation and 30 travel allowances may also be provided, as the Director 31 determines, for applicants for enrollment as volunteers to or 32 from places of training and places of enrollment and for 33 former volunteers from places of service to their homes. HB2511 Engrossed -5- LRB9205055MWcs 1 (d) Subject to appropriations, volunteers who serve in a 2 foreign country may receive a readjustment allowance, in an 3 amount determined by the Director, for each month of 4 satisfactory service. The readjustment allowance of each 5 volunteer is payable on his or her return to the United 6 States. Under circumstances that the Director determines, 7 however, the readjustment allowance, or any part thereof, may 8 be paid to the volunteer or members of his or her family 9 during the period of his or her service or before his or her 10 return to the United States. In the event of a volunteer's 11 death during the period of service, the readjustment 12 allowance shall be paid to his or her family. 13 (e) Subject to appropriation, volunteers, applicants for 14 enrollment as volunteers, and former volunteers may receive 15 any health examinations, immunizations, or health and dental 16 care that the Director deems necessary or appropriate. 17 (f) In order to assure that the skills and experience of 18 former volunteers are fully used, the Director may, in 19 cooperation with agencies of the United States government, 20 State agencies, private employers, educational institutions, 21 and other entities, counsel volunteers with respect to 22 opportunities for further education and employment. 23 (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 24 attorneys may be employed and attorneys' fees, court costs, 25 bail, and other expenses incidental to the defense of 26 volunteers may be paid in foreign judicial or administrative 27 proceedings to which volunteers have been made parties. 28 (h) Subject to appropriation, the minor children of a 29 volunteer that are living with the volunteer may receive: 30 (1) any living, travel, education, and leave 31 allowances and any housing, transportation, subsistence, 32 and clothing that the Director determines; 33 (2) any health care, including health care 34 following the volunteer's service for an illness or HB2511 Engrossed -6- LRB9205055MWcs 1 injury incurred during the period of service, that the 2 Director determines; 3 (3) any orientation, language, and other training 4 that the Director determines; and 5 (4) the benefits of subsection (g) of this Section 6 on the same basis of volunteers. 7 (i) Subject to appropriations, the cost of packing and 8 unpacking, transporting to and from a place of storage, and 9 storing the furniture and household and personal effects of a 10 volunteer who has one or more minor children at the time of 11 his or her entering pre-enrollment training may be paid from 12 the date of his or her departure from his or her place of 13 residence to enter training until no later than 3 months 14 after his or her service is terminated. 15 Section 40. Volunteer leaders. The Director may enroll 16 as volunteer leaders in the Peace Brigade qualified citizens 17 of this State whose services are required for supervisory or 18 other special duties or responsibilities in connection with 19 programs or activities under this Act. The ratio of the 20 total number of volunteer leaders in service at any one time 21 may not exceed one to 25. Volunteer leaders are entitled to 22 the same benefits as volunteers. 23 Section 45. Training programs. The Director shall make 24 provision for any training that he or she deems appropriate 25 for each applicant for enrollment as a volunteer and each 26 enrolled volunteer. All of the provisions of this Act that 27 apply to volunteers apply to applicants for enrollment during 28 any period of training occurring before enrollment. 29 Section 50. Applications; background check; enrollment. 30 (a) Applicants for enrollment as volunteers must submit 31 any information, including fingerprints taken by a law HB2511 Engrossed -7- LRB9205055MWcs 1 enforcement officer, that the Director requires on a form 2 furnished by the Director. The Director shall provide any 3 information necessary for a background check to the 4 Department of State Police. The Director may request that the 5 Secretary of State conduct a security investigation of an 6 applicant for enrollment for service in a foreign nation. 7 (b) If the Director is satisfied that an applicant meets 8 the qualifications for a volunteer and after the applicant 9 completes any pre-enrollment training that the Director 10 requires, the applicant may be enrolled as a volunteer. 11 Section 55. Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade 12 Advisory Council. 13 (a) The Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade Advisory 14 Council is created. The Council consists of 15 members 15 appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the 16 Senate. Members of the Council shall be broadly 17 representative of the general public, including educational 18 institutions; private volunteer agencies; private industry; 19 farm organizations; labor unions; different regions of the 20 State; different educational, economic, racial, and national 21 backgrounds; different age groupings; and both genders. No 22 member of the Council may be a State employee. 23 (b) The first appointments of members of the Council 24 shall be made not more than 60 days after the effective date 25 of this Act. Of the members initially appointed under this 26 Section, 8 shall be appointed to one-year terms and 7 shall 27 be appointed to 2-year terms. Thereafter, all members shall 28 serve 2-year terms. No member may serve for more than 2 29 consecutive 2-year terms. 30 Members of the Council serve at the pleasure of the 31 Governor. A member of the Council may be removed by a vote 32 of 9 members for malfeasance in office, for persistent 33 neglect of or inability to discharge duties, or for offenses HB2511 Engrossed -8- LRB9205055MWcs 1 involving moral turpitude. 2 Within 30 days after any vacancy occurs in the office of 3 a member of the Council, the Governor shall nominate an 4 individual to fill the vacancy. A member appointed to fill a 5 vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which 6 the member's predecessor was appointed shall be appointed 7 only for the remainder of that term. 8 (c) Subject to appropriation, members of the Council may 9 be compensated for each day (including travel time) during 10 which the member is engaged in the actual performance of his 11 or her duties as a Council member. Members may not receive 12 compensation for more than 20 days in any calendar year. 13 (d) A member of the Council must disclose to the Council 14 the existence of any direct or indirect financial interest in 15 any particular matter before the Council and may not vote or 16 otherwise participate as a Council member with respect to 17 that matter. 18 (e) At its first meeting and at its first regular 19 meeting in each calendar year thereafter, the Council must 20 elect a chair and a vice-chair from its members. The chair 21 and vice-chair may not be members of the same political 22 party. 23 (f) The Council must hold a regular meeting during each 24 calendar year and shall meet at the call of the Governor, the 25 Director, the chair, or 1/4 of its members. The Council 26 shall adopt any by-laws and rules that it considers necessary 27 to carry out its functions. The by-laws and rules must 28 include procedures for fixing the time and place of meetings, 29 giving or waiving notice of meetings, and keeping minutes of 30 meetings. A majority of the members of the Council constitute 31 a quorum for the purposes of transacting any business. 32 (g) The Council shall evaluate the accomplishments of 33 the Peace Brigade, assess the potential capabilities and the 34 future role of the Peace Brigade, and make recommendations to HB2511 Engrossed -9- LRB9205055MWcs 1 the Governor, the Director, and, as the Council considers 2 appropriate, the General Assembly for the purpose of guiding 3 the future direction of the Peace Brigade and of helping to 4 ensure that the purposes and programs of the Peace Brigade 5 are carried out in ways that are economical, efficient, 6 responsive to changing needs, and in accordance with the law. 7 The Council may also make any other evaluations, assessments, 8 and recommendations it considers appropriate. 9 Subject to appropriation, the Council may conduct on-site 10 inspections and make examinations of the activities of the 11 Peace Brigade in other countries. 12 (h) Not later than January 1 of each year, the Council 13 must submit to the Governor and the Director a report on its 14 views on the programs and activities of the Peace Brigade. 15 Each report must contain a summary of the advice and 16 recommendations of the Council. Within 90 days after 17 receiving the report, the Governor must submit the report to 18 the General Assembly, together with any comments concerning 19 the report that the Governor or the Director considers 20 appropriate. 21 (i) The Director shall make available to the Council any 22 personnel, administrative support services, and technical 23 assistance necessary to carry out its functions effectively. 24 Section 60. Report. At least once during each fiscal 25 year, the Governor must report on the programs and activities 26 of the Peace Brigade under this Act to the General Assembly. 27 The report must include: 28 (1) a description of the purpose and scope of any 29 project that the Peace Brigade undertook during the 30 preceding fiscal year; and 31 (2) recommendations for improving coordination of 32 projects between the Peace Brigade, the United States, 33 and other State agencies. HB2511 Engrossed -10- LRB9205055MWcs 1 Section 800. The Departments of State Government Law of 2 the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by 3 changing Sections 5-15 and 5-20 and by adding Section 5-425 4 as follows: 5 (20 ILCS 5/5-15) (was 20 ILCS 5/3) 6 Sec. 5-15. Departments of State government. The 7 Departments of State government are created as follows: 8 The Department on Aging. 9 The Department of Agriculture. 10 The Department of Central Management Services. 11 The Department of Children and Family Services. 12 The Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. 13 The Department of Corrections. 14 The Department of Employment Security. 15 The Department of Financial Institutions. 16 The Department of Human Rights. 17 The Department of Human Services. 18 The Department of Insurance. 19 The Department of Labor. 20 The Department of the Lottery. 21 The Department of Natural Resources. 22 The Department of Nuclear Safety. 23 The Department of Professional Regulation. 24 The Department of Public Aid. 25 The Department of Public Health. 26 The Department of Revenue. 27 The Department of State Police. 28 The Department of Transportation. 29 The Department of Veterans' Affairs. 30 The Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. 31 (Source: P.A. 91-239, eff. 1-1-00.) 32 (20 ILCS 5/5-20) (was 20 ILCS 5/4) HB2511 Engrossed -11- LRB9205055MWcs 1 Sec. 5-20. Heads of departments. Each department shall 2 have an officer as its head who shall be known as director or 3 secretary and who shall, subject to the provisions of the 4 Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, execute the powers and 5 discharge the duties vested by law in his or her respective 6 department. 7 The following officers are hereby created: 8 Director of Aging, for the Department on Aging. 9 Director of Agriculture, for the Department of 10 Agriculture. 11 Director of Central Management Services, for the 12 Department of Central Management Services. 13 Director of Children and Family Services, for the 14 Department of Children and Family Services. 15 Director of Commerce and Community Affairs, for the 16 Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. 17 Director of Corrections, for the Department of 18 Corrections. 19 Director of Employment Security, for the Department of 20 Employment Security. 21 Director of Financial Institutions, for the Department of 22 Financial Institutions. 23 Director of Human Rights, for the Department of Human 24 Rights. 25 Secretary of Human Services, for the Department of Human 26 Services. 27 Director of Insurance, for the Department of Insurance. 28 Director of Labor, for the Department of Labor. 29 Director of the Lottery, for the Department of the 30 Lottery. 31 Director of Natural Resources, for the Department of 32 Natural Resources. 33 Director of Nuclear Safety, for the Department of Nuclear 34 Safety. HB2511 Engrossed -12- LRB9205055MWcs 1 Director of Professional Regulation, for the Department 2 of Professional Regulation. 3 Director of Public Aid, for the Department of Public Aid. 4 Director of Public Health, for the Department of Public 5 Health. 6 Director of Revenue, for the Department of Revenue. 7 Director of State Police, for the Department of State 8 Police. 9 Secretary of Transportation, for the Department of 10 Transportation. 11 Director of Veterans' Affairs, for the Department of 12 Veterans' Affairs. 13 Director of the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade, 14 for the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. 15 (Source: P.A. 91-239, eff. 1-1-00.) 16 (20 ILCS 5/5-425 new) 17 Sec. 5-425. In the Illinois Africa-America Peace 18 Brigade. The Director and the Assistant Director of the 19 Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade shall receive annual 20 salaries that are the same as the salaries of the Director 21 and Assistant Director of Agriculture, respectively, until 22 such time as their salaries are set by the Compensation 23 Review Board, and thereafter shall receive salaries as set by 24 the Compensation Review Board. 25 Section 805. The Department of State Police Law of the 26 Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding 27 Section 2605-345 as follows: 28 (20 ILCS 2605/2605-345 new) 29 Sec. 2605-345. Criminal background investigations for 30 the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. Upon the request 31 of the Director of the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade, HB2511 Engrossed -13- LRB9205055MWcs 1 to conduct criminal background investigations of applicants 2 for enrollment as volunteers in the Illinois Africa-America 3 Peace Brigade and to report any criminal history information 4 to the Director of the Illinois Africa-America Peace Brigade. 5 The request shall be in the form and manner specified by the 6 Department.