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90_HB0131eng 305 ILCS 5/12-4.11 from Ch. 23, par. 12-4.11 Amends the "Administration" Article of the Public Aid Code. Increases the maximum public aid payment for funeral expenses from $630 to $650 and for burial expenses from $315 to $325. Effective immediately. LRB9001007DJcd HB0131 Engrossed LRB9001007DJcd 1 AN ACT to amend the Illinois Public Aid Code by changing 2 Section 12-4.11. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by 6 changing Section 12-4.11 as follows: 7 (305 ILCS 5/12-4.11) (from Ch. 23, par. 12-4.11) 8 (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 89-507) 9 Sec. 12-4.11. Standards of assistance; content; 10 limitations; grant amounts. Establish specific standards, by 11 rule, by which grant amounts and need for public aid will be 12 determined and amend the standards from time to time as 13 circumstances may require. 14 The standards shall provide a livelihood compatible with 15 health and well-being for persons eligible for financial aid 16 under any Article of this Code. They shall include 17 recognition of any special needs occasioned by the handicaps 18 and infirmities of age, blindness, or disability. They shall 19 include recognition of the special clothing needs of school 20 age children occasioned by cold weather conditions during the 21 winter season. Standards established to determine the 22 eligibility of medically indigent persons for aid under 23 Articles V or VII shall take into account the requirements of 24 the spouse or other dependent or dependents of the applicant 25 for medical aid. 26 The quantity and quality of the items included in the 27 standards established for food, clothing, and other basic 28 maintenance needs shall take account of the buying and 29 consumption patterns of self-supporting persons and families 30 of low income, as determined from time to time by the United 31 States Department of Agriculture, the United States Bureau of HB0131 Engrossed -2- LRB9001007DJcd 1 Labor Statistics, and other nationally recognized research 2 authorities in the fields of nutrition and family living. 3 The items in the standards shall be priced annually for 4 changes in cost, as provided in Section 12-4.15, and prices 5 of the standards adjusted as indicated by the findings of 6 these surveys. The Department, with due regard for and 7 subject to budgetary limitations, shall establish grant 8 amounts for each of the programs, by regulation. The grant 9 amounts may be less than the prices of the standards and may 10 vary by program, size of assistance unit and geographic area 11 and may be established in the form of a percentage of the 12 standards for any or all programs. Beginning July 1, 1991, 13 the annual appropriations law of the Illinois Department of 14 Public Aid shall, in respect to Articles IV and VI, specify 15 the percentage of the current Standard of Need, that the 16 current fiscal year appropriation is intended to cover as of 17 the beginning of that fiscal year. Nothing in the preceding 18 sentence shall be construed to require any grant increase at 19 any time during the remainder of that fiscal year. 20 In recognition of the inability of low income households 21 to afford the rising costs of energy, payments made by the 22 Department under Articles IV and VI shall include an amount 23 of money to offset, in whole or in part, the costs of energy 24 associated with seasonal variations. The Department may by 25 rule establish the amount of such energy payments which may 26 vary in accordance with the size of the assistance unit. The 27 Department for reasons of administrative simplicity may 28 provide the amounts in equal monthly payments. 29 During the first month that the Department pays grants 30 which include amounts authorized in the preceding paragraph, 31 the grant amounts for all sized assistance units within each 32 program the Department administers under Article IV of this 33 Code and for assistance units of more than one person under 34 Article VI of this Code shall be adjusted to approach more HB0131 Engrossed -3- LRB9001007DJcd 1 closely a single percentage of the standard of assistance 2 established under this Section, with grant amounts expressed 3 in whole dollar amounts. The percentage used for Article IV 4 need not be the same percentage used for Article VI. Energy 5 Assistance money provided in a separate payment and 6 identified as being exclusively for energy assistance shall 7 not be considered as a part of the grant for the purposes of 8 this paragraph; all of the grant amount, including any 9 portion thereof that may be provided for the purpose of 10 energy assistance provided under the preceding paragraph, 11 shall be considered under this paragraph. 12 Aid payments shall not be reduced except: (1) for changes 13 in the cost of items included in the standards, or (2) for 14 changes in the expenses of the recipient, or (3) for changes 15 in the income or resources available to the recipient, or (4) 16 for changes in grants resulting from adoption of a 17 consolidated standard, or (5) to accomplish the adjustment 18 described in the preceding paragraph, or (6) beginning July 19 1, 1992, to reduce grant amounts for recipients of cash 20 assistance under Sections 3-1a and 6-11 of this Code during 21 fiscal year 1993. 22 If recipients can obtain adequate shelter only if a 23 security deposit is given the landlord, the Department may 24 furnish one month's rent as a security deposit. This 25 provision shall be operative only to the extent that it does 26 not foster the granting of duplicate assistance. 27 In fixing standards to govern payments or reimbursements 28 for funeral and burial expenses, the Department shall take 29 into account the services essential to a dignified, low-cost 30 funeral and burial, but no payment shall be authorized from 31 public aid funds for the funeral in excess of $650$630, 32 exclusive of reasonable amounts as may be necessary for 33 burial space and cemetery charges, and any applicable taxes 34 or other required governmental fees or charges. The HB0131 Engrossed -4- LRB9001007DJcd 1 Department shall authorize no payment in excess of $325$3152 for a cemetery burial. 3 Nothing contained in this Section or in any other Section 4 of this Code shall be construed to prohibit the Illinois 5 Department (1) from consolidating existing standards on the 6 basis of any standards which are or were in effect on, or 7 subsequent to July 1, 1969, or (2) from employing any 8 consolidated standards in determining need for public aid and 9 the amount of money payment or grant for individual 10 recipients or recipient families. 11 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code to the 12 contrary, the Illinois Department is authorized to reduce 13 payment levels under Article VI as necessary to implement 14 contingency reserves under the Emergency Budget Act of Fiscal 15 Year 1992, to the extent permitted by federal law. Any such 16 reduction shall expire on July 1, 1992. 17 (Source: P.A. 86-127; 86-430; 86-1028; 86-1457; 87-528; 18 87-838; 87-860.) 19 (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 89-507) 20 Sec. 12-4.11. Standards of assistance; content; 21 limitations; grant amounts. Establish specific standards, by 22 rule, by which grant amounts and need for public aid will be 23 determined and amend the standards from time to time as 24 circumstances may require. 25 The standards shall provide a livelihood compatible with 26 health and well-being for persons eligible for financial aid 27 under any Article of this Code. They shall include 28 recognition of any special needs occasioned by the handicaps 29 and infirmities of age, blindness, or disability. They shall 30 include recognition of the special clothing needs of school 31 age children occasioned by cold weather conditions during the 32 winter season. Standards established to determine the 33 eligibility of medically indigent persons for aid under 34 Articles V or VII shall take into account the requirements of HB0131 Engrossed -5- LRB9001007DJcd 1 the spouse or other dependent or dependents of the applicant 2 for medical aid. 3 The quantity and quality of the items included in the 4 standards established for food, clothing, and other basic 5 maintenance needs shall take account of the buying and 6 consumption patterns of self-supporting persons and families 7 of low income, as determined from time to time by the United 8 States Department of Agriculture, the United States Bureau of 9 Labor Statistics, and other nationally recognized research 10 authorities in the fields of nutrition and family living. 11 The items in the standards shall be priced annually for 12 changes in cost, as provided in Section 12-4.15, and prices 13 of the standards adjusted as indicated by the findings of 14 these surveys. The Department, with due regard for and 15 subject to budgetary limitations, shall establish grant 16 amounts for each of the programs, by regulation. The grant 17 amounts may be less than the prices of the standards and may 18 vary by program, size of assistance unit and geographic area 19 and may be established in the form of a percentage of the 20 standards for any or all programs. Beginning July 1, 1991, 21 the annual appropriations law of the Illinois Department 22 shall, in respect to Articles IV and VI, specify the 23 percentage of the current Standard of Need, that the current 24 fiscal year appropriation is intended to cover as of the 25 beginning of that fiscal year. Nothing in the preceding 26 sentence shall be construed to require any grant increase at 27 any time during the remainder of that fiscal year. 28 In recognition of the inability of low income households 29 to afford the rising costs of energy, payments made by the 30 Department under Articles IV and VI shall include an amount 31 of money to offset, in whole or in part, the costs of energy 32 associated with seasonal variations. The Department may by 33 rule establish the amount of such energy payments which may 34 vary in accordance with the size of the assistance unit. The HB0131 Engrossed -6- LRB9001007DJcd 1 Department for reasons of administrative simplicity may 2 provide the amounts in equal monthly payments. 3 During the first month that the Department pays grants 4 which include amounts authorized in the preceding paragraph, 5 the grant amounts for all sized assistance units within each 6 program the Department administers under Article IV of this 7 Code and for assistance units of more than one person under 8 Article VI of this Code shall be adjusted to approach more 9 closely a single percentage of the standard of assistance 10 established under this Section, with grant amounts expressed 11 in whole dollar amounts. The percentage used for Article IV 12 need not be the same percentage used for Article VI. Energy 13 Assistance money provided in a separate payment and 14 identified as being exclusively for energy assistance shall 15 not be considered as a part of the grant for the purposes of 16 this paragraph; all of the grant amount, including any 17 portion thereof that may be provided for the purpose of 18 energy assistance provided under the preceding paragraph, 19 shall be considered under this paragraph. 20 Aid payments shall not be reduced except: (1) for changes 21 in the cost of items included in the standards, or (2) for 22 changes in the expenses of the recipient, or (3) for changes 23 in the income or resources available to the recipient, or (4) 24 for changes in grants resulting from adoption of a 25 consolidated standard, or (5) to accomplish the adjustment 26 described in the preceding paragraph, or (6) beginning July 27 1, 1992, to reduce grant amounts for recipients of cash 28 assistance under Sections 3-1a and 6-11 of this Code during 29 fiscal year 1993. 30 If recipients can obtain adequate shelter only if a 31 security deposit is given the landlord, the Department may 32 furnish one month's rent as a security deposit. This 33 provision shall be operative only to the extent that it does 34 not foster the granting of duplicate assistance. HB0131 Engrossed -7- LRB9001007DJcd 1 In fixing standards to govern payments or reimbursements 2 for funeral and burial expenses, the Department shall take 3 into account the services essential to a dignified, low-cost 4 funeral and burial, but no payment shall be authorized from 5 public aid funds for the funeral in excess of $650$630, 6 exclusive of reasonable amounts as may be necessary for 7 burial space and cemetery charges, and any applicable taxes 8 or other required governmental fees or charges. The 9 Department shall authorize no payment in excess of $325$31510 for a cemetery burial. 11 Nothing contained in this Section or in any other Section 12 of this Code shall be construed to prohibit the Illinois 13 Department (1) from consolidating existing standards on the 14 basis of any standards which are or were in effect on, or 15 subsequent to July 1, 1969, or (2) from employing any 16 consolidated standards in determining need for public aid and 17 the amount of money payment or grant for individual 18 recipients or recipient families. 19 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code to the 20 contrary, the Illinois Department is authorized to reduce 21 payment levels under Article VI as necessary to implement 22 contingency reserves under the Emergency Budget Act of Fiscal 23 Year 1992, to the extent permitted by federal law. Any such 24 reduction shall expire on July 1, 1992. 25 (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97.) 26 Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act 27 makes changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by 28 text that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a 29 Section represented by multiple versions), the use of that 30 text does not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) 31 the changes made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from 32 any other Public Act. HB0131 Engrossed -8- LRB9001007DJcd 1 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 2 becoming law.