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    AN ACT concerning Latino families.

 
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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 
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Illinois Latino Family Commission Act.
 
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    Section 5. Legislative Findings. It is the policy of this 
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State to promote family preservation and to strengthen 
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families. 
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    Latinos are well represented among the families of 
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Illinois. The Illinois Latino population is the fifth largest 
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in the nation. Over 14% of the estimated 12,000,000 people that 
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live in Illinois are Latinos. According to the 2000 Census 
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figures, more than 1,750,000 Latinos make Illinois their home. 
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This figure represents a 69.2% increase from the 1990 Census 
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figures compared to about 3.5% for non-Latinos. The Latino 
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population explosion accounted for two-thirds of the total 
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population change in Illinois and it is visible throughout the 
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State.
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    In Cook County alone, the Latino population has increased 
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to about 1,071,740. In the 6 county region including Cook 
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County, nearly 69% of new residents were Hispanic. Roughly 
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23.7% of Kane County  residents are Latino. In Lake County, 
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Latinos make up 14.4% of the total county population.
 


 






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    Latinos are not only the fastest growing ethnic group in 
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the State, they are also the youngest. The median age for 
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Latinos in Illinois is 25, compared to 36 for non-Latinos. 
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Despite unprecedented population growth, Latinos lag behind in 
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major indicators of well-being relative to education, health, 
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employment, and child welfare, as well as representation 
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throughout the State. Moreover, Latino children and families 
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present unique linguistic, cultural, and immigration issues 
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for the State.
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    Latinos have a well-established presence in the child 
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welfare system. Of the total 86,973 children that were reported 
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abused or neglected in Fiscal Year 2001, about 8,442 or 9.7% 
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were Hispanic children. About 25% of these hotline reports were 
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indicated, for a total of 2,155 Latino children in Fiscal Year 
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2001. As of August 2003, there were about 1,367 open Latino 
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child abuse cases in Illinois. This figure is only slightly 
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lower than the 1,491 open Latino child cases reported for the 
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previous fiscal year. Hispanic cases make up about 6% of all 
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open child cases (excluding adoption assistance and home of 
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parent living arrangement). Latino families receiving services 
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make up about 16% of all intact family cases. It is estimated 
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that between 60% and 80% of all Latino families involved with 
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the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) 
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will need bilingual services at some point during the time 
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their case is open. However, IDCFS struggles to meet the demand 
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for bilingual services. There are similar examples throughout 
 


 






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the State demonstrating that Illinois lacks a unified and 
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comprehensive strategy for addressing the unique needs of 
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Latino families.
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    Latino families remain outside of the margins of 
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opportunities in the State. There are tremendous challenges 
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faced by Latino families and children in the State. Clearly, 
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the growing Latino presence demands that government, child and 
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family advocates, and other key stakeholders come together to 
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identify and implement policy strategies that can create an 
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infrastructure of support for Latino families in the State. 
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Building this needed infrastructure of policies must involve 
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multiple State agencies. The Illinois Latino Family Commission 
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shall lead the effort, advising the Governor and assisting 
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State agencies with this task.
 
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    Section 10. Established. The Illinois Latino Family 
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Commission is established. 
 
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    Section 15. Purpose and objectives. 
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    (a) The purpose of the Illinois Latino Family Commission is 
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to advise the Governor and General Assembly, as well as work 
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directly with State agencies to improve and expand existing 
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policies, services, programs, and opportunities for Latino 
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families. Subject to appropriation, the Illinois Latino Family 
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Commission shall guide the efforts of and collaborate with 
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State agencies, including: the Department on Aging, the 
 


 






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Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of 
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Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of 
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Corrections, the Department of Human Services, the Department 
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of Public Aid, the Department of Public Health, the Department 
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of Transportation, and others. This shall be achieved primarily 
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by:


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        (1) monitoring and commenting on existing and proposed 
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    legislation and programs designed to address the needs of 
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    Latinos in Illinois;

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        (2) assisting State agencies in developing programs, 
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    services, public policies, and research strategies that 
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    will expand and enhance the social and economic well-being 
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    of Latino children and families;

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        (3) facilitating the participation and representation 
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    of Latinos in the development,
implementation, and 
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    planning of policies, programs, and services; and

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        (4) promoting research efforts to document the impact 
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    of policies and programs
on Latino families.

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    The work of the Illinois Latino Family Commission shall 
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include the use of existing reports, research, and planning 
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efforts, procedures, and programs.
 
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    Section 20. Appointment; terms. The Illinois Latino Family 
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Commission shall be comprised of 15 members. Members shall be 
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appointed by the Governor. Each member shall have working 
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knowledge of human services, community development, and 
 


 






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economic public policies in Illinois. The Governor shall 
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appoint the chairperson or chairpersons.
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    The members shall reflect regional representation to 
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ensure that the needs of Latino families and children 
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throughout the State are met. The members shall be selected 
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from a variety of disciplines. They shall represent a 
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partnership and collaborative effort between public and 
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private agencies, the business sector, and community-based 
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human services organizations.
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    Members shall serve 3-year terms, except in the case of 
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initial appointments. Five members, as determined by lot, shall 
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be appointed to one-year terms; 5 members shall be appointed to 
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2-year terms; and 5 members shall be appointed to 3-year terms, 
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so that the terms are staggered. Members shall serve without 
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compensation, but shall be reimbursed for Commission-related 
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expenses.
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    The Department on Aging, the Department of Children and 
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Family Services, the Department of Commerce and Economic 
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Opportunity, the Department of Corrections, the Department of 
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Human Services, the Department of Public Aid, the Department of 
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Public Health, and the Department of Transportation shall each 
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appoint a liaison to serve ex-officio on the Commission.
 
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    Section 25. Funding. The Illinois Latino Family Commission 
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may receive funding through specific appropriations available 
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for its purposes made to the Department on Aging, the 
 


 






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Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of 
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Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of 
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Corrections, the Department of Human Services, the Department 
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of Public Aid, the Department of Public Health, and the 
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Department of Transportation. The funding allocation for the 
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Commission shall be no less than $500,000.
 
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    Section 30. Reporting. The Illinois Latino Family 
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Commission shall annually report to the Governor and the 
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General Assembly on the Commission's progress towards its goals 
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and objectives.
 

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    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
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becoming law.