093_HR0180

 
                                     LRB093 11417 AMC 14107 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS,  The  Department  of  Human  Services  has   the
 3    responsibility for subsidizing child care in Illinois; and

 4        WHEREAS,  The  Department's practice of recalculating the
 5    subsidy when the custodial parent  has  been  called  up  for
 6    active  duty  by  the National Guard using the new guardian's
 7    income creates undue hardship for these families; and

 8        WHEREAS, The family  member  or  friend  is  the  child's
 9    guardian   while  the  parent  is  serving  our  country  and
10    additional hardship is placed on the  individual  caring  for
11    the child; and

12        WHEREAS,  The  cost  of  the  subsidy  has  already  been
13    allocated  for  the child; it is not an additional expense to
14    the Department to leave the subsidy  calculation  as  it  was
15    immediately prior to the parent being called up for duty; and

16        WHEREAS, The new guardian is generally the grandparent of
17    the  child  and  is  on a fixed income; the added expense for
18    child care creates an additional financial  burden  on  these
19    guardians; and

20        WHEREAS,  The  increase in the child's subsidy may result
21    in the removal of the child from the program; the  child  may
22    experience  more  stress  due  to  being unable to attend the
23    child care setting, which adds more disruption to his or  her
24    life; therefore, be it

25        RESOLVED   BY   THE   HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
26    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
27    we  urge  the  Secretary  of  Human  Services of the State of
28    Illinois to review the current practice of calculating  child
29    care  subsidies  to ensure that the children of parents being
30    called up to serve our country  through  the  National  Guard
31    will  not  be hurt by changing the child care subsidy while a
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11417 AMC 14107 r
 1    parent is in the service; and be it further

 2        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
 3    delivered to the Secretary of Human Services.