102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB0212
 
Introduced , by Rep. Deb Conroy
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:



105 ILCS 5/22-90 new

 Amends the School Code to create the Mental Health Task Force for Communication, Intelligence, Empathy, Emotion, and Empowerment. Provides that the purpose of the task force is to explore and determine a method and program for all students in primary and secondary school to receive mandated mental health care. Sets forth the membership of the task force. Contains provisions concerning the intent of the program, the goals of mandated health care, and task force meetings, duties, and reporting. Repeals these provisions on January 1, 2023. Effective immediately.



LRB102 10171 CMG 15493 b


FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
 
 
A BILL FOR
 


HB0212LRB102 10171 CMG 15493 b



1 AN ACT concerning education.


2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3represented in the General Assembly:



4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 
522-90 as follows:

6 (105 ILCS 5/22-90 new)
7 Sec. 22-90. Mental Health Task Force for Communication, 
8Intelligence, Empathy, Emotion, and Empowerment.
9 (a) The General Assembly makes all of the following 
10findings:
11  (1) Mental health is not specific to any faith, color, 
12 community, gender, or socioeconomic standard. It applies 
13 to everyone. It impacts everyone. Access and availability 
14 to mental health services is a human right. A right that 
15 should be available to all people. The removal of the 
16 stigma that society has historically placed upon those 
17 seeking to obtain mental health services begins with 
18 education and accessibility to mental health services for 
19 all persons. Removing the stigma of mental health care 
20 could be one of the greatest gifts that our State can give 
21 to our children and to our society and a standard that 
22 other states should follow. 
23  (2) The State of Illinois has a social and ethical

 
 
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1 responsibility to help guide Illinois youth by providing 
2 necessary resources for mental health care. Providing 
3 resources for students to learn how to effectively 
4 articulate their thoughts and feelings and to become 
5 emotionally responsible shall provide the tools and skill 
6 sets needed to succeed professionally and personally 
7 throughout the course of a lifetime.
8  (3) Our schools and educational systems continue to 
9 operate with the highest of expectations and with minimal 
10 resources. We can no longer ask or expect our schools and 
11 educators to fill the much-needed gaps in mental health 
12 development, including social and personal growth. 
13 Additional resources are necessary to address and resolve 
14 significant social problems and issues that include, but 
15 are not limited to, mass shootings, racism, 
16 cyber-bullying, special needs, adaptation to emerging 
17 technologies, the unknown long-term consequences of the 
18 use of those technologies, a global pandemic, human 
19 trafficking, and unspeakable trauma and abuse.
20 (b) The Mental Health Task Force for Communication, 
21Intelligence, Empathy, Emotion, and Empowerment is created as 
22a proactive and preventative approach to protect and empower 
23our State and nation. 
24 (c) The primary purpose of this task force is to explore 
25and determine a method and program for all students in primary 
26and secondary school to receive mandated mental health care. 
 
 
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1 The overarching intent of the program is to provide open 
2access to mental health care for everyone, but the program

3shall begin with students enrolled in grades kindergarten 
4through 12. The goals of mandated health care are to: 
5  (1) create empathy in students for other students 
6 whose needs may differ from their own;
7  (2) teach emotional responsibility and empowerment;
8  (3) remove the stigma of seeing a mental health

9 provider through exposure and education;
10  (4) normalize counseling by also approaching it as a 
11 sort of life-coaching application to which all students 
12 should have access;
13  (5) teach and develop interest in the field of mental 
14 health so that our youth will have a solid and applicable 
15 approach as needs change with evolving emerging 
16 technologies;
17  (6) ensure that the science of psychology evolves with 
18 advancements in technology by normalizing mental health 
19 care and incorporating it into the daily lives of future 
20 mental health care providers;
21  (7) determine a method for the collection of data for 
22 evaluating the needs, progress, and successes of the 
23 program that does not reveal or expose student identities;
24  (8) determine data markers that may be delineated 
25 geographically for the purpose of future funding and the 
26 allocation of resources, with the resources required to 
 
 
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1 collect, store, and administer the data being reported in 
2 the findings submitted by the task force under subsection

3 (j); and
4  (9) establish consistent and clear procedures among 
5 State and local agencies concerning the manner in which 
6 the mental health records of students are legally 
7 collected, stored, sealed, and expunged under the program. 
8 (d) Members of this task force shall represent the 
9magnitude and importance of mandated mental health care and 
10mental health education for students. This task force shall 
11include all of the following members: 
12  (1) Ten professional mental health providers whose 
13 licensure and practice specialize in child and adolescent 
14 care, who employ culturally sensitive, evidence-based 
15 practices, and who hold current and good standing 
16 licensure in the State of Illinois that has never been 
17 suspended or revoked as follows: 
18   (A) Two professional clinical psychologists 
19 licensed under the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act 
20 as follows: 
21    (i) One clinical psychologist appointed by the 
22 Governor.
23    (ii) One clinical psychologist appointed by 
24 the Lieutenant Governor.
25   (B) Two psychiatrists licensed under the Medical 
26 Practice Act of 1987 as follows: 
 
 
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1    (i) One psychiatrist appointed by the 
2 Governor.
3    (ii) One psychiatrist appointed by the 
4 Lieutenant Governor. 
5   (C) Two professional clinical social workers 
6 licensed under the Clinical Social Work and Social 
7 Work Practice Act as follows:
8    (i) One clinical social worker appointed by 
9 the Governor.
10    (ii) One clinical social worker appointed by 
11 the Lieutenant Governor.
12   (D) One clinical professional counselor and one 
13 professional counselor licensed under the Professional 
14 Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor 
15 Licensing and Practice Act as follows:
16    (i) One clinical professional counselor 
17 appointed by the Governor.
18    (ii) One professional counselor appointed by 
19 the Lieutenant Governor. 
20   (E) Two licensed marriage and family therapists 
21 licensed under the Marriage and Family Therapy 
22 Licensing Act as follows:
23    (i) One marriage and family therapist 
24 appointed by the Governor.
25    (ii) One marriage and family therapist 
26 appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. 
 
 
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1  (2) One full-time school nurse or one nurse who is a 
2 member of the United States Congress licensed under the 
3 Nurse Practice Act and holding current and good standing 
4 licensure in the State of Illinois that has never been 
5 suspended or revoked, appointed by the Lieutenant 
6 Governor. 
7  (3) Six members of the General Assembly as follows: 
8   (A) Two members of the General Assembly who are 
9 appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
10 Representatives.
11   (B) Two members of the General Assembly who are 
12 appointed by the President of the Senate.
13   (C) One member of the General Assembly who is 
14 appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of 
15 Representatives.
16   (D) One member of the General Assembly who is 
17 appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate. 
18  (4) Four school board members who are appointed by the 
19 Illinois Association of School Boards as follows: 
20   (A) One member of the Chicago Board of Education.
21   (B) One school board member of a school district

22 other than City of Chicago School District 299 that is 
23 located north of Interstate 80.
24   (C) One school board member of a school district 
25 located south of Interstate 80 and north of Interstate 
26 72.
 
 
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1   (D) One school board member of a school district 
2 located south of Interstate 72. 
3  (5) Three school district superintendents from the 
4 geographic regions identified by the Illinois Association 
5 of Regional Superintendents of Schools and who are 
6 appointed by the Illinois Association of School 
7 Administrators as follows:
8   (A) One superintendent from region 1 or 2.
9   (B) One superintendent from region 3 or 4.
10   (C) One superintendent from region 5 or 6. 
11  (6) Three full-time principals appointed by the State 
12 Board of Education as follows: 
13   (A) One full-time principal of a primary school.
14   (B) One full-time principal of a secondary school.
15   (C) One full-time principal of a special education

16 school. 
17  (7) Three full-time teachers appointed by the State 
18 Board of Education as follows: 
19   (A) One full-time teacher of a primary school.
20   (B) One full-time teacher of a secondary school.
21   (C) One full-time special education teacher. 
22  (8) Three parents who have children currently enrolled 
23 in a primary or secondary school and who are appointed by 
24 the State Board of Education as follows: 
25   (A) One parent who has a child enrolled in a public 
26 school.
 
 
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1   (B) One parent who has a child enrolled in a 
2 nonpublic school.
3   (C) One parent who has a child with special needs

4 enrolled in a public or nonpublic school. 
5  (9) Two members who represent emerging technology 
6 industries, preferably with a strong presence in science, 
7 technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) 
8 programs, as follows:
9   (A) One member appointed by the Governor.
10   (B) One member appointed by the Lieutenant 
11 Governor. 
12  (10) Three student representatives as follows: 
13   (A) One high school student who, for the duration 
14 of the task force, is in attendance at a high school 
15 located north of Interstate 80 and who is appointed by 
16 the Governor.
17   (B) One high school student who, for the duration 
18 of the task force, is in attendance at a high school 
19 located south of Interstate 80 and north of Interstate 
20 72 and who is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.
21   (C) One high school student who, for the duration 
22 of the task force, is in attendance at a high school 
23 located south of Interstate 72 and who is appointed by 
24 the Governor. 
25 To assist the task force in establishing the best legal 
26and ethical practices for protecting the privacy, 
 
 
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1confidentiality, and identity of students who participate in 
2the program and to ensure consistency in the application of 
3these practices, as well as laws, among State agencies and 
4entities, the State Board of Education shall consult, as 
5necessary, with the appropriate agencies and entities who 
6handle and administer the legal, safety, or reform interests 
7of juveniles. 
8 (e) The task force shall meet initially at the call of the 
9State Board of Education within 45 days after the effective 
10date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly and 
11shall thereafter meet at the call of the State Board of 
12Education. At its initial meeting, the task force shall elect 
13a chairperson or chairpersons and any other officers it deems 
14appropriate from among its members and shall establish and 
15approve a meeting schedule under the advisement of the State 
16Board of Education. The task force shall meet by 
17videoconference, teleconference, or any other method 
18determined to be an efficient use of State resources by the 
19State Board of Education.
20 (f) Due to the size of the task force, the State Board of 
21Education and the chairperson or chairpersons of the task 
22force shall, at the task force's initial meeting, determine a 
23scalable means to efficiently administer the task force. 
24Options may include that one member from each group or 
25profession represented on the task force be selected to 
26represent that member's designated group or profession or that 
 
 
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1members of each group or profession alternate their attendance 
2at meetings. If an appropriate scalability is determined, it 
3shall be the responsibility of the members of each group or 
4profession to communicate within their group or profession 
5about the agenda of each meeting and to also confirm which 
6member will be in attendance. To promote efficiency and 
7transparency among the members of the task force, the State 
8Board of Education may arrange for a shared channel or other 
9similar means of electronic communication for members of the 
10task force to communicate with each other and to upload 
11documents. The State Board of Education and the chairperson or 
12chairpersons of the task force may collaborate with other 
13State task forces whose missions are similar in purpose and 
14nature to the task force created under this Section. 
15 (g) Members of the task force shall serve without 
16compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and 
17necessary expenses from funds appropriated to the State Board 
18of Education for that purpose, including travel, subject to 
19the rules of the appropriate travel control board.
20 (h) The task force shall receive administrative and other 
21support from the State Board of Education. Additionally, the 
22Department of Innovation and Technology may provide technical 
23advice and guidance to the task force on the collection of 
24data.
25 (i) The task force shall determine the feasibility and 
26funding of and the best course of action to implement the 
 
 
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1program. This course of action shall include the type of 
2provider or providers and the frequency of seeing the provider 
3or providers. The course of action may include pilot programs 
4throughout this State, including pilot programs that use and 
5provide access to telehealth services as described under the 
6Telehealth Act.
7 (j) The task force shall submit a report of its findings to 
8the Governor and the General Assembly on or before December 
931, 2022. Once the task force has submitted its report and a 
10positive course of action is set in place, all of the following 
11shall apply:
12  (1) A parent or guardian of a student has the option to 
13 exclude the student from the program.
14  (2) Mental health records may not become a part of the 
15 student's school record.
16  (3) Safety standards in mental health and child care 
17 reporting shall remain in place. 
18 (k) The task force is dissolved upon submission of its 
19report under subsection (j). 
20 (l) This Section is repealed on January 1, 2023. 


21 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
22becoming law.