Health Care Justice Act

Section 1-1. The 29 members of the Adequate Health Care Task Force (the “Task Force”) are appointed by the Governor, President of the Senate, Minority Leader of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives (the “Appointing Authorities”), in accordance with Section 20 of “The Health Care Justice Act.” (P.A. 93-973)

Section 1-2. Members shall serve until the submission of the Task Force’s final report to the General Assembly. Vacancies in membership shall be filled by the corresponding Appointing Authority.

Section 1-3. The Director of the Department of Public Health (the “Department”) or his or her designee, the Director of the Department on Aging or his or her designee, the Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services or his or her designee, the Director of the Division of Insurance or his or her designee, and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services or his or her designee may represent their respective departments and shall be invited to attend Task Force meetings, but shall not be members of the Task Force.

Section 1-4. Absent Task Force members may be represented by surrogates, who may participate in Task Force meetings but are not entitled to vote or to receive reimbursement.

Section 2-1. Regular meetings shall be scheduled by the Task Force. It shall be the responsibility of the Department to give notices of the location, date and time of said regular meetings to each member of the Task Force at least ten (10) days prior to each of the said meetings.

Section 2-2. Special meetings may be called by the Chair or by request of eight members of the Task Force, in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. It shall be the responsibility of the Department to give notices of the location, date and time of said regular meetings to each member of the Task Force at least ten (10) days prior to each of the said meetings.

Section 2-4. All Task Force meetings shall be open to the public unless a meeting or portion thereof qualifies for a closed session in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. Minutes of Task Force meetings shall be kept in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

Section 2-5. The Chair shall work with the Director of the Department, or the Director’s designee, to prepare an Agenda of business scheduled for deliberation prior to each meeting. The approval of Minutes from the previous meeting shall be included on each Agenda. The Agenda shall be distributed to the members of the Task Force at least five days prior to a scheduled meeting.

Section 3-1. The Task Force shall elect a Chair and a Vice-Chair from among its members. The Chair shall have the duties and responsibilities described in these Bylaws. The Chair and Vice Chair shall not be appointees of the same Appointing Authority.

Section 3-2. If the Chair’s membership on the Task Force is vacated for any reason, or the Chair resigns from that office, the Vice Chair shall serve in place of the Chair until the election of a new Chair.

Section 4-1. A quorum shall be present in order to convene the Task Force and conduct business. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the appointed members (i.e., 15 members). A hearing of the Task Force shall be conducted as may be determined by the Task Force.

Section 4-2. All business shall be conducted in accordance with the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws.

Section 4-3. Each Task Force member shall have one vote on each motion. Except as otherwise provided in these bylaws, all motions shall be passed by a majority vote of the members present.

Section 4-4. The Chair shall preside at all Task Force meetings. In the Chair’s absence, the Vice Chair shall preside over that meeting and assume the Chair’s duties related to that meeting. In the absence of both the Chair and Vice Chair, the Task Force shall appoint a presiding officer for that meeting, by majority vote.

Section 4-5. The presiding officer shall be responsible for conducting the meeting in accordance with the Bylaws and the Agenda, and may recognize non-member attendees who wish to comment during the meeting. The duration of public comments shall be at the presiding officer’s discretion.

Section 4-6. Upon the engagement of a research entity to assist the Task Force and subject to available funds, the research entity may be asked to assess a health care model and its financial costs upon a motion of the Task Force receiving at least eight affirmative votes.

Section 5-1. The Task Force may form standing or ad hoc committees upon a passing vote of 15 Task Force members.

Section 5-2. The Chair of each committee shall be a Task Force member, appointed upon a passing vote of 15 Task Force members. The Committee Chair shall be responsible for selecting the members of the committee with the advice of the other members of the Task Force. Persons who are not members of the Task Force may serve as adjunct, non-voting members of a Committee, appointed by the Committee Chair.

Section 5-3. The Committee Chair shall promptly notify all Task Force members and the Department of all dates, times and locations for all regularly scheduled, rescheduled or special meetings of the committee.

Section 5-4. All committee meetings shall be open to the public unless a meeting or portion thereof qualifies for a closed session in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. Minutes of committee meetings shall be kept in accordance with the Open Meetings Act.

Section 5-5. A quorum shall be present in order to convene a committee and conduct business. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the Task Force members of the committee.

Section 5-6. All committee business shall be conducted in accordance with the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws.

Section 5-7. Each committee member shall have one vote on each motion. All motions shall be passed by a majority vote of the members present.

Section 5-8. A Steering Committee shall be established by the Task Force to (i) develop policy or program issues for presentation to the Task Force, (ii) develop the agenda for Task Force meetings, (iii) recommend standing and ad hoc Committees for Task Force consideration, (iv) recommend an implementation budget to the Task Force, and (v) work with the Department and other state agencies to provide parameters for the work of the research entity and to plan and conduct public hearings. The Steering Committee shall consist of 5 members of the Task Force, one each corresponding to and selected from among those members appointed by each Appointing Authority. The Chair and Vice Chair shall be among the 5 members of the Steering Committee. Each member of the Steering Committee, other than the Chair and Vice Chair, shall be elected by the majority vote of the members appointed by the corresponding Appointing Authority. The Chair shall be the chair of the Steering Committee.

Section 6-1. Each Task Force member, while serving on business of the Task Force, shall receive actual and necessary travel and subsistence expenses while so serving away from their places of residence.

Section 6-2. Members of the Task Force shall be subject to the Travel Regulations promulgated by the Illinois Travel Regulation Council.

Section 6-3. Members of the Task Force shall not be entitled to compensation for participation in the activities of the Task Force.

Section 6-4. For the purpose of travel expense reimbursement, expenses incurred by Task Force members participating singly, or as a unit of the whole, or as a total Task Force, shall be considered to be official business of the State and of the Task Force when such expenses are incurred as a participant in the following activities:

Section 7-1. Adoption or amendment of these Bylaws requires a two-thirds vote of the Task Force members present and voting. Amendments shall be proposed at a meeting of the Task Force and voted upon during the next subsequent meeting.

AS AMENDED AND ADOPTED AUGUST 1, 2005