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1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Health insurance for educators throughout our
3 State has become increasingly unaffordable; and
4 WHEREAS, Many school districts find themselves facing
5 financial stress to provide a quality public education for our
6 students and to offer a reasonable compensation package that
7 attracts, retains, and rewards educational employees; and
8 WHEREAS, Illinois has staffing shortages in 62% of its
9 education agencies, which include K-12 schools, special
10 education cooperatives, and career centers, according to a
11 report published by the Illinois State Board of Education and
12 the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of
13 Schools; and
14 WHEREAS, The number of educator vacancies throughout
15 Illinois exceeds 7,000 trained professionals; and
16 WHEREAS, Local governments continue to do more with less,
17 and the idea of creating health insurance efficiencies should
18 be explored; therefore, be it
19 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20 HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
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1 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Educator Health Insurance
2 Task Force is created to study the feasibility of creating
3 regional health insurance purchasing pools of school districts
4 accessible to all public educators in school districts that
5 have a population of less than 500,000; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of the
7 following members who will serve without compensation:
8 (1) One member of the Senate appointed by the Senate
9 President, who shall serve as Co-Chair;
10 (2) One member of the House of Representatives
11 appointed by the House Speaker, who shall serve as
12 Co-Chair;
13 (3) One member of the Senate appointed by the Senate
14 Minority Leader;
15 (4) One member of the House of Representatives
16 appointed by the House Minority Leader;
17 (5) One person representing an association that
18 advocates on behalf of school boards appointed by the
19 Governor;
20 (6) One person representing an association that
21 advocates on behalf of school management appointed by the
22 Governor;
23 (7) One person representing an association that
24 advocates on behalf of certified teachers appointed by the
25 Governor; and
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1 (8) One person representing an association that
2 advocates on behalf of educational support staff appointed
3 by the Governor; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the Illinois State Board of Education and
5 the Illinois Department of Central Management Services shall
6 provide administrative support for the Task Force; and be it
7 further
8 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall conduct a minimum of
9 two public hearings in at least two different counties within
10 the State at the call of the co-chairs; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall convene a wide array
12 of stakeholders to examine the current provision of health
13 insurance to public educators from throughout the State and to
14 explore and study the viability of a plan to create at least
15 five regional insurance purchasing pools; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall explore local
17 governance options for these pools, study the costs and
18 funding associated with this type of health insurance option,
19 consider transition plans and costs for school districts to
20 participate, consider healthcare accessibility, find ways to
21 integrate the program with efficiencies in state government,
22 and consider a variety of health insurance benefits and
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1 options while studying the feasibility of regional pools; and
2 be it further
3 RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit its final
4 report to the General Assembly no later than July 1, 2026, and
5 upon the filing of its final report, the Task Force is
6 dissolved; and be it further
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