Bill Text: IL HB5161 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Act. Creates the Professionalized Street Outreach Workers Task Force under the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Provides the Task Force shall examine best practices for training and professionalizing street outreach staff and hold public hearings for recommendations on how to professionalize street outreach through training and accountability. Provides for Task Force members. Requires the Authority to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly on or before January 1, 2019. Repeals Task Force provision on January 1, 2020. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Failed) 2019-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB5161 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-HB5161-Introduced.html

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100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2017 and 2018 HB5161 Introduced , by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 3930/16 new
Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority Act. Creates the Professionalized Street Outreach Workers Task Force under the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Provides the Task Force shall examine best practices for training and professionalizing street outreach staff and hold public hearings for recommendations on how to professionalize street outreach through training and accountability. Provides for Task Force members. Requires the Authority to report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly on or before January 1, 2019. Repeals Task Force provision on January 1, 2020. Effective immediately.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly understands
holistic outreach services in communities experiencing
excessive rates of gun violence are a proven strategy for
reducing gun violence.
WHEREAS, Outreach services include: (1) crisis
intervention to pause or end ongoing conflicts between
community members or groups of community members that
frequently have resulted in gun violence; (2) pro-social
activities and events for at-risk youth and young adults that
encourage community members to enjoy public spaces and reclaim
parts of their community that have been overtaken by the fear
of gun violence; (3) case management referral services for
community members with the greatest risk of gun victimization
and perpetration to provide short and long term alternatives to
being at severe risk of being shot; and, (4) individual and
group counseling for community members with the greatest risk
of gun victimization and perpetration to improve personal
decision-making in crisis situations and everyday life.
WHEREAS, With the recent increase in gun violence in
Chicago, street outreach services broadly defined are being
increasingly deployed with State, federal, local, and private
foundation resources. Yet, effective, holistic outreach
services demand substantial professional skills from direct
line staff and supervisors. First and foremost, staff must have
cultural competence and credibility within the precise

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community where they work. Second, staff must have the ability
to navigate the human complexities of trauma in an environment
that can become violent with little or no notice. Finally,
staff must have the ability to establish trusting relationships
with diverse community members while encouraging highest risk
individuals to seek supports based on their unique strengths
and challenges.
WHEREAS, The General Assembly acknowledges that best and
promising practices for outreach staff training exists because
professionalized and standardized outreach services have been
provided in other cities as part of a comprehensive strategy to
reduce gun violence. Training should include at a minimum:
(1) teaching the core competencies, knowledge, and
skills required of outreach workers and violence
prevention practitioners and provide professional
certification for achieving basic competency;
(2) defining consistent professional standards of
conduct and practice for outreach workers including
appropriate partnerships with various public sector
entities engaged in violence reduction efforts such as law
enforcement;
(3) creating ongoing professional development of
outreach workers to promote best practices and continuous
learning; and
(4) establishing a city-wide network of outreach
workers to ensure the highest probability of success in

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creating safer communities and a support network that
allows for career development in a stressful occupation.
WHEREAS, To ensure high quality, holistic street outreach
services are delivered in this State's highest risk
communities, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information
Authority shall create professional standards for training of
street outreach workers in consultation with the
Professionalized Street Outreach Workers Task Force created by
this Act; therefore
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act is
amended by adding Section 16 as follows:
(20 ILCS 3930/16 new)
Sec. 16. Professionalized Street Outreach Workers Task
Force.
(a) In this Section, "Authority" means the Illinois
Criminal Justice Information Authority.
(b) The Professionalized Street Outreach Workers Task
Force is hereby created.
(1) The Task Force shall examine best practices for
training and professionalizing street outreach staff and
their supervisors and create a report of the type of

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training and accountability, if any, which should be
required for street outreach workers funded with State
appropriated funds.
(2) The Task Force shall hold public hearings at the
call of the Chairperson to receive testimony from the
public and make recommendations to the Illinois Criminal
Justice Information Authority on how to ensure that the
role of street outreach is professionalized with the proper
forms of training and accountability.
(c) The Task Force shall be an independent Task Force under
the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority for
administrative purposes, and shall consist of the following
members:
(1) the Executive Director of the Illinois Criminal
Justice Information Authority or his or her designee shall
be the Chairperson of the Task Force;
(2) the Executive Director of the Illinois Community
College Board or his or her designee;
(3) one representative of a statewide organization
that works on violence reduction issues appointed by the
Executive Director of the Authority;
(4) 2 representatives from academic or research
institutions who have studied issues related to violence
interruption appointed by the Executive Director of the
Authority;
(5) 2 representatives from community-based

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organizations that provide street outreach services to
persons at severe risk of gun victimization or perpetration
appointed by the Executive Director of the Authority;
(6) one representative from an organization that
specializes in non-profit training of direct-service staff
appointed by the Executive Director of the Authority; and
(7) 2 representatives from national organizations with
more than 7 years of experience in training street outreach
workers in multiple cities.
(d) The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
may consult, contract, work in conjunction with, and obtain any
information from any person, agency, association, or research
institution deemed appropriate by the Authority.
(e) The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
shall allow any training approved by the Professionalized
Street Outreach Workers Task Force to be a reimbursable expense
for any programs that receive funding for outreach services in
at-risk communities.
(f) The Task Force shall submit a written report of its
findings and recommendations to the General Assembly on or
before January 1, 2019.
(g) On or before January 1, 2019 the Illinois Community
College Board shall issue a request to community colleges
throughout this State to apply for Permanent Approval of Career
and Technical Education Curriculum or Temporary Approval of
Career and Technical Education Curriculum, or both, that

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addresses the educational and training needs identified as
required by the Professionalized Street Outreach Workers Task
Force. The Illinois Community College Board shall approve any
of these requests provided, the requests meet both the Illinois
Community College Board standards for approval and the
identified training standards of the Professionalized Street
Outreach Workers Task Force.
(h) This Section is repealed on January 1, 2020.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.