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| | SJ0035 | | LRB098 11829 GRL 44984 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, Veterans of the United States Armed Forces served |
| 3 | | their country selflessly and honorably; and
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| 4 | | WHEREAS, Veterans face numerous barriers to stable |
| 5 | | employment and stable environments; and
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| 6 | | WHEREAS, Returning veterans who have served since 2001 have |
| 7 | | an unemployment rate 3.2% higher than the general population, |
| 8 | | which is just one contributing factor to many economic |
| 9 | | hardships they may face; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, All veterans have a higher risk of mental health |
| 11 | | issues, which may include, but is not limited to, |
| 12 | | post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and |
| 13 | | substance abuse; and
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| 14 | | WHEREAS, Many contributing factors lead to veterans, who |
| 15 | | comprise 7% of the total population, being 13% of the homeless |
| 16 | | population; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois State Senate and the |
| 18 | | Illinois House of Representatives recognize the need to ensure |
| 19 | | for the well-being of all veterans, to better protect homeless |
| 20 | | veterans, and to help homeless veterans reenter society as |
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| | SJ0035 | - 2 - | LRB098 11829 GRL 44984 r |
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| 1 | | productive citizens; and
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The licensing of halfway houses, shelters, and |
| 3 | | transitional housing programs that service homeless veterans, |
| 4 | | and oversight of such facilities and programs by local housing |
| 5 | | and community mental health boards, should be provided to |
| 6 | | protect the rights of homeless veterans; therefore, be it
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| 7 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL |
| 8 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
| 9 | | CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Homeless Veteran |
| 10 | | Protection Task Force; and be it further
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| 11 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of one |
| 12 | | representative from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, |
| 13 | | chosen by the Director of Veterans' Affairs; one representative |
| 14 | | from homeless shelters, chosen by the Governor; one |
| 15 | | representative from the Department of Human Services, chosen by |
| 16 | | the Secretary of Human Services; one representative from the |
| 17 | | Department of Public Health, chosen by the Director of Public |
| 18 | | Health; and one representative from local governments, chosen |
| 19 | | by the Governor; and be it further
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| 20 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall conduct a comprehensive |
| 21 | | study with the goal of determining necessary protections and |
| 22 | | oversights of homeless shelters to better protect the rights of |
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| | SJ0035 | - 3 - | LRB098 11829 GRL 44984 r |
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| 1 | | homeless veterans; and be it further
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| 2 | | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall serve |
| 3 | | without compensation; and be it further
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| 4 | | RESOLVED, That the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall |
| 5 | | provide staffing and administrative services to the Task Force |
| 6 | | upon request; and be it further
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| 7 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit a report of its |
| 8 | | findings to the Governor and the four legislative leaders no |
| 9 | | later than January 15, 2014.
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