STUDY-GENEALOGIC AFFAIR OFFICE

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB5486

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Full Text of HB5486

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HB5486 - 104th General Assembly

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HB5486 Engrossed
LRB104 17770 TRT 31202 b
1

AN ACT concerning State government.

2

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3
represented in the General Assembly:

4

Section 1.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the
Office
5
of Genealogical Affairs Study Commission Act.

6

Section 5.
Legislative findings and purpose.
7

(a) The General Assembly finds that:
8

(1) Illinois has a documented history of slavery,
9

coerced labor, family separation, racial violence, and
10

State-sanctioned discrimination, including, but not
11

limited to, the enslavement of African Americans at
12

State-operated salt mines, the enforcement of Black Codes,
13

and the long-term exclusion of African American families
14

from full civic participation.
15

(2) These historical practices resulted in the
16

systematic destruction, fragmentation, or non-creation of
17

genealogical records for African American families and
18

other historically displaced populations, impairing their
19

ability to document family identity, lineage, and
20

inheritance.
21

(3) Illinois recognizes genealogical access as a
22

public service and democratic good through its archival,
23

records preservation, and genealogical programs, and it

HB5486 Engrossed
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LRB104 17770 TRT 31202 b
1

recognizes family identity as a legally protected interest
2

for the purposes of adoption, parentage, and child welfare
3

law.
4

(4) Genealogical knowledge serves not only
5

administrative purposes but also reparative, forensic,
6

public health, and psychosocial functions, including
7

identity formation, family reunification, historical
8

accountability, and access to health-related genetic
9

information.
10

(5) The State lacks an integrated framework for
11

delivering genealogical services across restorative,
12

forensic, and administrative domains, particularly where
13

traditional documentation is absent.
14

(b) Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to commission a
15
comprehensive study on the establishment of an Office of
16
Genealogical Affairs, grounded in Illinois law and public
17
service traditions, to determine how the State may equitably
18
provide genealogical services that support identity repair,
19
historical accountability, and, where applicable,
20
administrative determinations.

21

Section 10.
Office of Genealogical Affairs Study
22
Commission.
23

(a) The Office of Genealogical Affairs Study Commission is
24
created. The members of the Commission shall be as follows:
25

(1) 10 public members appointed by the Governor with

HB5486 Engrossed
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LRB104 17770 TRT 31202 b
1

specialties in the following areas or with the following
2

expertise:
3

(A) expertise in anthropology and population
4

genetics genealogy;
5

(B) expertise in biological anthropology;
6

(C) expertise in cultural anthropology;
7

(D) specialty in archival studies;
8

(E) specialty in historical studies;
9

(F) specialty in genealogy;
10

(G) specialty in psycho-social or psycho-mental
11

health; and
12

(H) specialty in data governance, privacy, and
13

security;
14

(2) 2 members that are descendant community leadership
15

representatives appointed by the Governor;
16

(3) one public health professional from a
17

nongovernmental organization or academic institution
18

appointed by the Governor;
19

(4) one member appointed by the President of the
20

Senate;
21

(5) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
22

Senate;
23

(6) one member appointed by the Speaker of the House
24

of Representatives;
25

(7) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
26

House of Representatives; and

HB5486 Engrossed
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1

(8) 3 ex officio members:
2

(A) the Secretary of State, as the State
3

Archivist, or the Secretary's designee; and
4

(B) the Director of the Illinois State Archives,
5

or the Director's designee.
6

(C) a Director of the Illinois State Genealogical
7

Society or a Director's designee.
8

(b) Commission members appointed under paragraphs (3)
9
through (6) of subsection (a) shall co-chair the Commission.
10

(c) Each Commission member shall serve for a term of 2
11
years or until his or her successor is appointed and
12
qualified, except in the case of initial appointees who shall
13
serve for a period of 2 years after the effective date of this
14
Act.
15

(d) Beginning August 2026, the Commission shall meet
16
monthly, whether in-person or virtually, or as called by the
17
co-chairs of the Commission.

18

Section 15.
Duties of the Commission.
19

(a) The Commission shall have the following duties:
20

(1) to examine the feasibility, scope, and structure
21

of a permanent Office of Genealogical Affairs within State
22

government;
23

(2) to examine how an Office of Genealogical Affairs
24

could operationalize reparative genealogical services;
25

(3) to examine how an Office of Genealogical Affairs

HB5486 Engrossed
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LRB104 17770 TRT 31202 b
1

could support forensic and historical accountability
2

efforts; and
3

(4) to examine how an Office of Genealogical Affairs
4

could support administrative genealogical determinations.
5

(b) The Commission may engage with experts with the
6
approval of the chairperson or co-chairs and shall receive the
7
cooperation of those State agencies it deems appropriate to
8
assist the Commission in carrying out its duties.
9

(c) The Commission may consult with the Department of
10
Human Services, the Department of Public Health, the Illinois
11
State Archives, and the African Descent-Citizens Reparations
12
Commission to provide information or related data to support
13
the Commission's work.

14

Section 20.
Report to the Governor and General Assembly.
15
No later than 20 months after the effective date of this Act,
16
the Commission shall prepare a report to the Governor and the
17
General Assembly, which shall include, but shall not be
18
limited to:
19

(1) a recommended statutory placement, governance
20

structure, and staffing model for an Office of
21

Genealogical Affairs;
22

(2) a phased implementation plan prioritizing
23

reparative forensic services;
24

(3) an ethical, legal, and data-governance framework
25

for genealogical and genetic genealogy services;

HB5486 Engrossed
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LRB104 17770 TRT 31202 b
1

(4) a description of the estimated costs, funding
2

mechanisms, and interagency coordination needs; and
3

(5) a description of the options for pilot programs
4

and statewide scaling.

5

Section 25.
Construction.
Nothing in this Act shall be
6
construed to mandate genetic testing, limit access to existing
7
genealogical services, or authorize the use of genealogical
8
data for surveillance or for law enforcement purposes.

9

Section 99.
Effective date.
This Act takes effect upon
10
becoming law.

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