(305 ILCS 70/95-303)
Sec. 95-303. Powers and duties. The workgroup shall have the following powers and duties: (1) To collaborate in sharing and analyzing information and data for all of the following purposes: (i) Understanding the root causes of poverty and economic insecurity, including contributing social, economic, and cultural factors. (ii) Understanding and addressing intergenerational poverty by: (A) Identifying children who are at risk of continuing in the cycle of poverty absent intervention. (B) Identifying and developing effective and efficient plans, programs, and recommendations to help at-risk children in this State escape the cycle of poverty. (C) Implementing data-driven policies and programs, to the extent authorized by law, addressing poverty, public assistance, education, economic development, criminal justice, and other areas as needed to measurably reduce the incidence of children in this State who remain in poverty as they become adults. (D) Establishing and facilitating improved cooperation, data sharing, and policy coordination among all persons, from State agencies to case workers, in rescuing children from intergenerational poverty. (E) Studying and measuring the effect of intergenerational poverty on the ability of parents and children to achieve economic stability, including the effect on educational attainment, rates of incarceration, lifetime earnings, access to healthcare, and access to housing. (F) Studying, evaluating, and reporting on the status and effectiveness of policies, procedures, and programs that provide services to children in this State affected by intergenerational poverty. (G) Studying and evaluating the policies, procedures, and programs implemented by other states and nongovernmental entities that address the needs of children affected by intergenerational poverty. (H) Identifying State policies, procedures, and programs or federal requirements that are impeding efforts to help children in this State affected by intergenerational poverty escape the cycle of poverty. (I) Developing and implementing programs and policies that use the two-generation approach. (iii) Studying and measuring the effect that poverty and economic insecurity have on all of the following: (A) Worker productivity and economic output. (B) The health and welfare of children, including access to health care, housing, proper nutrition, and quality education. (iv) Identifying State programs, including those related to economic development, job creation, job training, the environment, disaster relief, hazard mitigation, extreme weather, and climate change, in need of reform to better target resources to low-income, minority, rural, urban, and other populations or geographic areas suffering from economic insecurity and disparate rates of poverty. (v) Measuring the fiscal impact on the State from successfully transitioning individuals and families from poverty to long-term economic stability. Fiscal impact measurements may include all of the following: (A) Reductions in long-term costs of social safety net programs. (B) Reductions in long-term health care costs by improving the health of households formerly facing economic insecurity or poverty. (C) Increases in State and local revenues attributable to new taxpaying individuals as a result of increased employment and disposable income. (D) Reductions in enrollment and costs in need-based benefits and services programs. (E) Improvements to the overall economy of this State and reduced financial pressures on the State and local governments. (2) To establish an ongoing system of data sharing, policy coordination and communication among and within State agencies, local agencies, and other organizations related to programs aimed at improving economic security and eliminating poverty. (3) To identify knowledge gaps, research needs, and policy and program deficiencies associated with economic insecurity and poverty. (4) To assist the Commission in the development of the strategic plan, including sharing data and information identified under paragraphs (1) and (3) and analyses of that data and information. (5) To implement the strategic plan adopted by the Commission, including all of the following: (i) Coordinating implementation of the strategic plan. (ii) Advising and assisting relevant agencies in the implementation of the strategic plan. (iii) Advising relevant agencies on specific programmatic and policy matters related to the strategic plan. (iv) Providing relevant subject matter expertise to each agency for purposes of implementing the strategic plan. (v) Identifying and addressing issues that may influence the future of the strategic plan. (Source: P.A. 101-636, eff. 6-10-20.)