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Intergenerational Poverty

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(305 ILCS 70/Art. 95 heading)

ARTICLE 95. INTERGENERATIONAL POVERTY

(305 ILCS 70/95-101)

Sec. 95-101. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Intergenerational Poverty Act. References in this Article to "this Act" mean this Article.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-102)

Sec. 95-102. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Antipoverty program" means a program with the primary goal of lifting individuals out of poverty and improving economic opportunities for individuals that operates, in whole or in part, utilizing federal or State money.

"Asset poverty" means the inability of an individual to access wealth resources sufficient to provide for basic needs for a period of 3 months.

"Child" means an individual who is under 18 years of age.

"Commission" means the Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security established under subsection (a) of Section 95-501.

"State poverty measure" means a uniform method for measuring poverty in this State that considers indicators and measures, other than traditional income-based measures of poverty, that provide a detailed picture of low-income and poverty populations and meaningfully account for other factors contributing to poverty and may include:

(1) access to health care, housing, proper nutrition, and quality education;
(2) the number of individuals kept out of poverty by government supports;
(3) the number of individuals who are impoverished due to medical expenses, child care expenses, or work expenses;
(4) the rates of food insecurity;
(5) the number of individuals in asset poverty;
(6) the number of disconnected youth;
(7) the teen birth rate;
(8) the participation rate in federal and State antipoverty programs for all eligible populations;
(9) the number of individuals who do not use a bank or similar financial institution;
(10) regional differences in costs of living;
(11) income necessary to achieve economic security and a livable standard of living in different regions of this State;
(12) the impact of rising income inequality;
(13) the impact of the digital divide; and
(14) the impact of trauma on intergenerational poverty.

"Cycle of poverty" means the set of factors or events by which the long-term poverty of an individual is likely to continue and be experienced by each child of the individual when the child becomes an adult unless there is outside intervention.

"Deep poverty" means an economic condition where an individual or family has a total annual income that is less than 50% of the federal poverty level for the individual or family as provided in the annual report of the United States Census Bureau on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.

"Department" means the Department of Human Services.

"Deprivation" means a lack of adequate nutrition, health care, housing, or other resources to provide for basic needs.

"Digital divide" means the gap between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different socioeconomic levels related to access to information and communication technologies, including the imbalance in physical access to technology and the resources, education, and skills needed to effectively use computer technology and the Internet for a wide variety of activities.

"Disconnected youth" means individuals who are 16 years of age to 25 years of age who are unemployed and not enrolled in school.

"Disparate impact" means the historic and ongoing impacts of the pattern and practice of discrimination in employment, education, housing, banking, and other aspects of life in the economy, society, or culture that have an adverse impact on minorities, women, or other protected groups, regardless of whether those practices are motivated by discriminatory intent.

"Economic insecurity" means the inability to cope with routine adverse or costly life events and recover from the costly consequences of those events and the lack of economic means to maintain an adequate standard of living.

"Economic security" means having access to the economic means and support necessary to effectively cope with adverse or costly life events and recover from the consequences of such events while maintaining an adequate standard of living.

"Intergenerational poverty" means poverty in which 2 or more successive generations of a family continue in the cycle of poverty and government dependence. The term does not include situational poverty.

"Outcome" means a change in the economic status, economic instability, or economic security of an individual, household, or other population that is attributable to a planned intervention, benefit, service, or series of interventions, benefits, and services, regardless of whether the intervention, benefit, or service was intended to change the economic status, economic stability, or economic security.

"Poverty" means an economic condition in which an individual or family has a total annual income that is less than the federal poverty level for the individual or family, as provided in the report of the United States Census Bureau on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.

"Regional cost of living" means a measure of the costs of maintaining an adequate standard of living in differing regional, geographic, urban, or rural regions of this State.

"Situational poverty" means temporary poverty that meets all of the following:

(1) Is generally traceable to a specific incident or time period within the lifetime of an individual.
(2) Is not continued to the next generation.

"Strategic plan" means the plan provided for under Section 95-502.

"System" means the Intergenerational Poverty Tracking System established under subsection (a) of Section 95-301.

"Two-generation approach" means an approach to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty by improving family economic security through programs that create opportunities for and address the needs of parents and children together.

"Workgroup" means the Interagency Workgroup on Poverty and Economic Insecurity established under Section 95-302.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-301)

Sec. 95-301. Intergenerational poverty tracking system.

(a) Establishment. Subject to appropriations, the Department shall establish and maintain a data system to track intergenerational poverty.

(b) System requirements. The system shall have the ability to do all of the following:

(1) Identify groups that have a high risk of experiencing intergenerational poverty.
(2) Identify incidents, patterns, and trends that explain or contribute to intergenerational poverty.
(3) Gather and track available local, State, and national data on all of the following:

(i) Official poverty rates.
(ii) Child poverty rates.
(iii) Years spent by an individual in childhood poverty.
(iv) Years spent by an individual in adult poverty.
(v) Related poverty information.

(1) Use available data in the system, including public assistance data, census data, and other data made available to the Department, to track intergenerational poverty.
(2) Develop and implement methods to integrate, compare, analyze, and validate the data for the purposes described under subsection (b).
(3) Protect the privacy of an individual living in poverty by using and distributing data within the system in compliance with federal and State laws.
(4) Include, in the report required under Section 95-304, a summary of the data, findings, and potential additional uses of the system.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-302)

Sec. 95-302. Interagency Workgroup on Poverty and Economic Insecurity.

(a) Establishment. The Interagency Workgroup on Poverty and Economic Insecurity is established.

(b) Membership. The workgroup shall be comprised of the following members:

(1) The Secretary of Human Services, or a designee who is a Deputy Secretary or the equivalent within the Department of Human Services, who shall serve as chair.
(2) The Director of Labor, or a designee who is a Deputy Director or the equivalent within the Department of Labor.
(3) The State Superintendent of Education, or his or her designee.
(4) The Director of Public Health, or a designee who is an Assistant Director or the equivalent within the Department of Public Health.
(5) The Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or a designee who is an Assistant Director or the equivalent within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
(6) The Director of Aging, or a designee who shall be a Deputy Director or the equivalent within the Department on Aging.
(7) The Director of Corrections, or a designee who shall be a Deputy Chief or the equivalent within the Department of Corrections.
(8) The Director of Agriculture, or designee who shall be an Assistant Director or the equivalent within the Department of Agriculture.
(9) The Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget, or his or her designee.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-303)

Sec. 95-303. Powers and duties. The workgroup shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) To collaborate in sharing and analyzing information and data for all of the following purposes:

(i) Understanding the root causes of poverty and economic insecurity, including contributing social, economic, and cultural factors.
(ii) Understanding and addressing intergenerational poverty by:

(A) Identifying children who are at risk of continuing in the cycle of poverty absent intervention.
(B) Identifying and developing effective and efficient plans, programs, and recommendations to help at-risk children in this State escape the cycle of poverty.
(C) Implementing data-driven policies and programs, to the extent authorized by law, addressing poverty, public assistance, education, economic development, criminal justice, and other areas as needed to measurably reduce the incidence of children in this State who remain in poverty as they become adults.
(D) Establishing and facilitating improved cooperation, data sharing, and policy coordination among all persons, from State agencies to case workers, in rescuing children from intergenerational poverty.
(E) Studying and measuring the effect of intergenerational poverty on the ability of parents and children to achieve economic stability, including the effect on educational attainment, rates of incarceration, lifetime earnings, access to healthcare, and access to housing.
(F) Studying, evaluating, and reporting on the status and effectiveness of policies, procedures, and programs that provide services to children in this State affected by intergenerational poverty.
(G) Studying and evaluating the policies, procedures, and programs implemented by other states and nongovernmental entities that address the needs of children affected by intergenerational poverty.
(H) Identifying State policies, procedures, and programs or federal requirements that are impeding efforts to help children in this State affected by intergenerational poverty escape the cycle of poverty.
(I) Developing and implementing programs and policies that use the two-generation approach.

(iii) Studying and measuring the effect that poverty and economic insecurity have on all of the following:

(A) Worker productivity and economic output.
(B) The health and welfare of children, including access to health care, housing, proper nutrition, and quality education.

(iv) Identifying State programs, including those related to economic development, job creation, job training, the environment, disaster relief, hazard mitigation, extreme weather, and climate change, in need of reform to better target resources to low-income, minority, rural, urban, and other populations or geographic areas suffering from economic insecurity and disparate rates of poverty.
(v) Measuring the fiscal impact on the State from successfully transitioning individuals and families from poverty to long-term economic stability. Fiscal impact measurements may include all of the following:

(A) Reductions in long-term costs of social safety net programs.
(B) Reductions in long-term health care costs by improving the health of households formerly facing economic insecurity or poverty.
(C) Increases in State and local revenues attributable to new taxpaying individuals as a result of increased employment and disposable income.
(D) Reductions in enrollment and costs in need-based benefits and services programs.
(E) Improvements to the overall economy of this State and reduced financial pressures on the State and local governments.

(2) To establish an ongoing system of data sharing, policy coordination and communication among and within State agencies, local agencies, and other organizations related to programs aimed at improving economic security and eliminating poverty.
(3) To identify knowledge gaps, research needs, and policy and program deficiencies associated with economic insecurity and poverty.
(4) To assist the Commission in the development of the strategic plan, including sharing data and information identified under paragraphs (1) and (3) and analyses of that data and information.
(5) To implement the strategic plan adopted by the Commission, including all of the following:

(i) Coordinating implementation of the strategic plan.
(ii) Advising and assisting relevant agencies in the implementation of the strategic plan.
(iii) Advising relevant agencies on specific programmatic and policy matters related to the strategic plan.
(iv) Providing relevant subject matter expertise to each agency for purposes of implementing the strategic plan.
(v) Identifying and addressing issues that may influence the future of the strategic plan.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-304)

Sec. 95-304. Report.

(a) Report. No later than September 1 of each year, the workgroup shall issue a report that includes the following:

(1) A summary of actions taken and outcomes obtained by the workgroup in fulfilling its duties under Section 95-303.
(2) Progress made on reducing poverty and economic insecurity in this State, including policies or procedures implemented to reduce or eliminate the cycle of poverty and intergenerational poverty as a result of the data collected by the workgroup.
(3) Relevant data assessing the scope and depth of intergenerational poverty in this State.
(4) A 20-year history of poverty rates in this State with focus on any reduction or increase in the rates during the previous 10 years and since the inception of the workgroup.
(5) Any recommendations for legislative or regulatory action to adopt or repeal laws, policies, or procedures to further the goal of eliminating poverty and economic insecurity in this State.

(b) Distribution. The workgroup shall distribute the report created under subsection (a) as follows:

(1) To the Governor.
(2) To each member of the General Assembly.
(3) By prominently posting the report on each State Department's and agency's publicly accessible Internet website.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-501)

Sec. 95-501. The Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security.

(a) Establishment. The Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security is established.

(b) Purpose. The purpose of the Commission is to:

(1) Inform the public policy making process by:

(i) Improving policymakers' understanding of the root causes of poverty and economic insecurity, including contributing social, economic, and cultural factors and the reasons that poverty and economic insecurity persist in this State.
(ii) Expanding policymakers' understanding of poverty by distinguishing a standard that measures a level of freedom from deprivation from a standard that measures economic security provided by a living wage and access to a livable standard of living.
(iii) Educating policymakers on the impact poverty has on other measures of economic stability and economic outcomes, including educational attainment, rates of incarceration, lifetime earnings, access to health care, health care outcomes, and access to housing.

(2) Support governmental efforts to ensure that residents of this State have equal opportunity to achieve economic security.
(3) Reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty in this State by making policy and other recommendations to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of this State.

(1) Four members of the General Assembly, one each appointed by the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representative.
(2) Two members of the judiciary who shall be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.
(3) Twenty members of the public appointed under subsection (d) representing stakeholders as follows:

(i) Two representatives, one of whom shall represent an organization that focuses on rural poverty and one of whom shall represent an organization that focuses on urban and suburban poverty.
(ii) Two individuals who have experienced deep poverty.
(iii) One representative of an organization that advocates for health care access, affordability, and availability.
(iv) One representative of an organization that advocated for individuals with mental illness.
(v) One representative of an organization that advocates for children and youth.
(vi) One representative of an organization that advocates for equity and equality in education.
(vii) One representative of an organization that advocates for individuals who are homeless.
(viii) One representative of a Statewide antihunger organization.
(ix) One representative of an organization that advocates for military veterans.
(x) One representative of an organization that advocates for individuals with disabilities.
(xi) One representative of an organization that advocates for immigrants.
(xii) One representative of a Statewide faith-based organization that provides direct social services in this State.
(xiii) One representative of an organization that advocates for economic security for women.
(xiv) One representative of an organization that advocates for older adults.
(xv) One representative of a labor organization that represents primarily low-wage and middle-wage earners.
(xvi) One representative of school districts in this State.
(xvii) One representative of county governments in this State.
(xviii) One representative of municipal corporation governments in this State.

(4) The members of the workgroup shall serve as nonvoting ex officio members of the Commission.

(d) Appointment. The following shall apply:

(1) The public members of the Commission under paragraph (3) of subsection (c) shall be appointed as follows:

(i) Four shall be appointed by the Governor.
(ii) Four shall be appointed by the President of the Senate.
(iii) Four shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.
(iv) Four shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(v) Four shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(2) It shall be determined by lot which appointing authority appoints which public members to the Commission.
(3) The appointed members shall reflect the racial, gender, and geographic diversity of this State and shall include representation from regions of this State experiencing economic insecurity and the highest rates of deep poverty.
(4) Public members of the Commission shall be selected for service on the Commission within 45 days after the effective date of this Act.

(e) Qualifications. Each member of the Commission must have been a resident of this State for a period of at least one year immediately preceding appointment and must continue residence in this State during the member's tenure of service on the Commission.

(f) Organizational meeting. The organizational meeting of the Commission shall take place after all members are appointed but no later than 60 days after the effective date of this Act.

(g) Compensation. Members shall serve without compensation, but public members may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary travel expenses connected to Commission business.

(h) Commission chairperson. The representatives of the antipoverty organizations appointed under subparagraph (i) of paragraph (3) of subsection (c) shall serve as cochairs of the Commission.

(i) Committees. The Commission may establish subcommittees to address specific issues or populations and may collaborate with individuals with relevant expertise who are not members of the Commission to assist the subcommittee in carrying out its duties.

(j) Meetings. The full Commission shall meet at least once annually.

(k) Quorum. A majority plus one of the voting members shall constitute a quorum.

(l) Voting. All actions of the Commission and any subcommittees established by the Commission shall be approved by a majority vote of the Commission or subcommittee as applicable.

(m) Open meetings. The meetings of the Commission shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Section 2 of the Open Meetings Act.

(n) Administrative support. The Department of Human Services shall provide staff and administrative support to assist the Commission in carrying out its duties.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20; 102-90, eff. 7-9-21.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-502)

Sec. 95-502. Strategic plan to address poverty and economic insecurity.

(a) Plan required. No later than March 31, 2022, the Commission shall develop and adopt a strategic plan to address poverty and economic insecurity in this State.

(b) Goals. The goals of the strategic plan shall be to:

(1) Ensure that State programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity reflect the goal of helping individuals and families rise above poverty and achieve long-term economic stability rather than simply providing relief from deprivation.
(2) Eliminate disparate rates of poverty, deep poverty, child poverty, and intergenerational poverty based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or identity, English language proficiency, ability, and geographic location in a rural, urban, or suburban area.
(3) Reduce deep poverty in this State by 50% by 2026.
(4) Eliminate child poverty in this State by 2031.
(5) Eliminate all poverty in this State by 2036.

(1) Collaborate with the workgroup, including sharing data and information identified under paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (a) of Section 95-303 and analyses of that data and information.
(2) Review each program and service provided by the State that targets poverty and economic insecurity for purposes of:

(i) determining which programs and services are the most effective and of the highest importance in reducing poverty and economic insecurity in this State; and
(ii) providing an analysis of unmet needs, if any, among individuals, children, and families in deep poverty and intergenerational poverty for each program and service identified under subparagraph (i).

(3) Study the feasibility of using public or private partnerships and social impact bonds, to improve innovation and cost-effectiveness in the development of programs and delivery of services that advance the goals of the strategic plan.
(4) Hold at least 6 public hearings in different geographic regions of this State, including areas that have disparate rates of poverty and that have historically experienced economic insecurity, to collect information, take testimony, and solicit input and feedback from interested parties, including members of the public who have personal experiences with State programs and services targeting economic insecurity, poverty, deep poverty, child poverty, and intergenerational poverty and make the information publicly available.
(5) To request and receive from a State agency or local governmental agency information relating to poverty in this State, including all of the following:

(i) Reports.
(ii) Audits.
(iii) Data.
(iv) Projections.
(v) Statistics.

(d) Subject areas. The strategic plan shall address all of the following:

(1) Access to safe and affordable housing.
(2) Access to adequate food and nutrition.
(3) Access to affordable and quality health care.
(4) Equal access to quality education and training.
(5) Equal access to affordable, quality post-secondary education options.
(6) Dependable and affordable transportation.
(7) Access to quality and affordable child care.
(8) Opportunities to engage in meaningful and sustainable work that pays a living wage and barriers to those opportunities experienced by low-income individuals in poverty.
(9) Equal access to justice through a fair system of criminal justice that does not, in effect, criminalize poverty.
(10) The availability of adequate income supports.
(11) Retirement security.

(e) Plan content. The strategic plan shall, at a minimum, contain policy and fiscal recommendations relating to all of the following:

(1) Developing fact-based measures to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of existing and proposed programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity.
(2) Increasing enrollment in programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity by reducing the complexity and difficulty of enrollment in order to maximize program effectiveness and increase positive outcomes.
(3) Increasing the reach of programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity by ensuring that State agencies have adequate resources to maximize the public awareness of the programs and services, especially in historically disenfranchised communities.
(4) Reducing the negative impacts of asset limits for eligibility on the effectiveness of State programs targeting poverty and economic insecurity by ensuring that eligibility limits do not:

(i) create gaps in necessary service and benefit delivery or restrict access to benefits as individuals and families attempt to transition off assistance programs; or
(ii) prevent beneficiaries from improving long-term outcomes and achieving long-term economic independence from the program.

(5) Improving the ability of community-based organizations to participate in the development and implementation of State programs designed to address economic insecurity and poverty.
(6) Improving the ability of individuals living in poverty, low-income individuals, and unemployed individuals to access critical job training and skills upgrade programs and find quality jobs that help children and families become economically secure and rise above poverty.
(7) Improving communication and collaboration between State agencies and local governments on programs targeting poverty and economic insecurity.
(8) Creating efficiencies in the administration and coordination of programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity.
(9) Connecting low-income children, disconnected youth, and families of those children and youth to education, job training, and jobs in the communities in which those children and youth live.
(10) Ensuring that the State's services and benefits programs, emergency programs, discretionary economic programs, and other policies are sufficiently funded to enable the State to mount effective responses to economic downturns and increases in economic insecurity and poverty rates.
(11) Creating one or more State poverty measures.
(12) Developing and implementing programs and policies that use the two-generation approach.
(13) Using public or private partnerships and social impact bonds to improve innovation and cost-effectiveness in the development of programs and delivery of services that advance the goals of the strategic plan.
(14) Identifying best practices for collecting data relevant to all of the following:

(i) Reducing economic insecurity and poverty.
(ii) Reducing the racial, ethnic, age, gender, sexual orientation, and sexual identity-based disparities in the rates of economic insecurity and poverty.
(iii) Adequately measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of programs on the outcomes for individuals, families, and communities who receive benefits and services.
(iv) Streamlining enrollment and eligibility for programs.
(v) Improving long-term outcomes for individuals who are enrolled in service and benefit programs.
(vi) Reducing reliance on public programs.
(vii) Improving connections to work.
(viii) Improving economic security.
(ix) Improving retirement security.
(x) Improving the State's understanding of the impact of extreme weather and natural disasters on economically vulnerable communities and improving those communities' resilience to and recovery from extreme weather and natural disasters.
(xi) Improving access to living-wage employment.
(xii) Improving access to employment-based benefits.

(f) Other information. In addition to the plan content required under subsection (e), the strategic plan shall contain all of the following:

(1) A suggested timeline for the stages of implementation of the recommendations in the plan.
(2) Short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term benchmarks to measure the State's progress toward meeting the goals of the strategic plan.
(3) A summary of the review and analysis conducted by the Commission under paragraph (1) of subsection (c).

(g) Impact of recommendations. For each recommendation in the plan, the Commission shall identify in measurable terms the actual or potential impact the recommendation will have on poverty and economic insecurity in this State.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-671, eff. 11-30-21.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-503)

Sec. 95-503. Commission reports.

(a) Interim report. No later than June 30, 2021, the Commission shall issue an interim report on the Commission's activities to the Governor and the General Assembly.

(b) Report on strategic plan. Upon the Commission's adoption of the strategic plan, but no later than March 31, 2022, the Commission shall issue a report containing a summary of the Commission's activities and the contents of the strategic plan. The Commission shall submit the report to the Governor and each member of the General Assembly.

(c) Annual reports. Beginning March 31, 2022, and each year thereafter, the Commission shall issue a report on the status of the implementation of the Commission's strategic plan. The report may contain any other recommendations of the Commission to address poverty and economic insecurity in this State.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20; 102-671, eff. 11-30-21.)

(305 ILCS 70/95-504)

Sec. 95-504. Duties of the Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget. The Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget shall include in the materials submitted to the General Assembly outlining the Governor's proposed annual budget a description of any budget proposals or other activities, ongoing projects, and plans of the executive branch designed to meet the goals and objectives of the strategic plan. The information shall include the following:

(1) An accounting of the savings to the State from any increased efficiencies in the delivery of services.
(2) Any savings realized from reducing the number of individuals living in poverty and reducing the demand for need-based services and benefits.
(3) A projection of any increase in revenue collections due to any increase in the number of individuals who become employed and pay taxes into the State treasury.
(4) Any other information related to the proposed annual budget that the Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget believes furthers the goals and objectives of the strategic plan.

(Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20.)

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