29 July 2002
From: Executive Director, Malcolm Rich
To: Members/Friends of the Chicago Council of Lawyers
& the Chicago Appleseed Fund For Justice
In this e-Newsletter:
Current
Status of Child Support Legislation
In the May 29, 2002
edition of the e-Newsletter, I asked each of you to call the office of Speaker
Madigan and urge the passage of HB 5140 as important legislation that will
result in a vastly improved child support system in Illinois.
In several e-Newsletters
I have discussed the child support program of the Chicago Council of Lawyers
and the Chicago Appleseed Fund For Justice. The Council assembled
a panel of distinguished experts facilitated by retired Illinois Supreme
Court Justice Seymour Simon, and Chicago Appleseed has provided extensive
research and individual advocacy services. The result is a model of
child support collection and enforcement. This model has been incorporated
into proposed Illinois legislation, HB 5140, sponsored in the House by Rep.
Julie Hamos and Rep. Eileen Lyons. This legislation provides that
each state's attorney's office in Illinois may accept the responsibility
of overseeing most child support services in their particular county. In
Cook County, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office would provide these
services. However, each state's attorney's office must in advance
submit a plan to the Illinois Department of Public Aid spelling out
how they will provide these services. Included within this plan must
be the critical components of the Council/Appleseed model of child support
collection and enforcement.
This legislation had
been approved by the Illinois House and the Illinois Senate. It needed
a concurrence vote in the Illinois House before it could become law.
Speaker of the House Mike Madigan then attempted to keep the legislation
from reaching a vote, prompting my e-newsletter report to the Council
membership. Many of you responded, and I thank you on behalf
of the Council and Appleseed.
The substantive portion
of the bill was amended onto another piece of legislation, SB 1966.
This bill passed second and third readings in the Illinois House and then
went to the Senate for a concurrence vote on the last day of the regular
legislative session. Unfortunately, the bill has langished on
the Concurrence Calendar of the Illinois Senate. Again, the legislative
leadership is not allowing a vote to be taken.
The Illinois legislature
next meets in November, 2002. We will keep you informed about the
status of the bill as well as our other child support project efforts, including
the impending release of a massive report on the strengths and weaknesses
of the child support system.
Thanks for your help.
Volunteer
Opportunities
- State Judicial
Evaluation: Investigators Needed To Help Evaluate Judges Seeking
Retention
The Council thanks our judicial evaluation investigators and judicial
evaluation committee members from the associate judicial candidate evaluation
process. The Council recently completed evaluations of 235 candidates
and is now in the appellate process. We are now looking for investigators
to work with us and the Alliance of Bar Associations in evaluating judges
seeking retention on the November 2002 ballot. To volunteer or
to receive more information, please contact: Malcolm Rich at 312-427-0713
or http://us.f402.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=malcolmrich@chicagocouncil.org.
- Task Force
on Judicial Campaign Finance Reform Strategies
The Chicago Appleseed
Fund For Justice is completing a research program aimed at identifying
the factors that most contribute to the successful election of judicial
candidates and in what ways these factors operate. The Council
is assembling a task force to consider the policy implications of this
research. If you are interested in participating in this task
force, or to receive more information, please contact: Malcolm
Rich at 312-427-0713 or http://us.f402.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=malcolmrich@chicagocouncil.org.
- Task Force
on Child Support Reform Strategies
Chicago Appleseed
and the Council released to the public in 1998 a model system of child
support collection and enforcement. In 2002, we are about to release
a new report based on a comprehensive research program, including the
individual representation of parents having problems with the system.
As part of our effort to reform the child support system, we are
assembling a task force on child support reform strategies geared at
considering and implementing strategies aimed at implementing the nearly
90 recommendations developed within our work. If you are
interested in participating in this task force, or to receive more information,
please contact: Malcolm Rich at 312-427-0713 or http://us.f402.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=malcolmrich@chicagocouncil.org.
Seeking New Members of the Board of Governors of the Council
The Chicago Council
of Lawyers is seeking applicants to fill positions on the Board of Governors for
the 2002/2004 term. Each Board term is two years beginning at the
Annual Meeting to be held in October 2002.
The Council Board
of Governors meets at least once per month. Council Board members
are expected to serve on at least one committee or project task force
in addition to attending Board meetings.
If you are interested
in serving on the Council's Board of Governors, please send a letter expressing
your interest along with a resume to the attention of: Malcolm Rich, Executive
Director (mail: 220 S. State Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60604; by
fax: 312-427-0181; by e-mail: malcolmrich@chicagocouncil.org). Please
respond by August 26, 2002. My phone number is 312-427-0713.
Please contact me if you have questions.
|