State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ PDF text ]   [ Legislation ]   
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]



92_HB5841

 
                                              LRB9213783DJmbA

 1        AN ACT in relation  to public aid.

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

 4        Section  5.  The  Illinois  Public Aid Code is amended by
 5    changing Section 9A-11 as follows:

 6        (305 ILCS 5/9A-11) (from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11)
 7        Sec. 9A-11. Child Care.
 8        (a)  The General Assembly recognizes that  families  with
 9    children  need  child  care  in order to work.  Child care is
10    expensive and families with low incomes, including those  who
11    are transitioning from welfare to work, often struggle to pay
12    the  costs of day care.  The General Assembly understands the
13    importance of helping low income working families become  and
14    remain  self-sufficient.   The General Assembly also believes
15    that it is the responsibility of families  to  share  in  the
16    costs  of  child  care.    It  is  also the preference of the
17    General Assembly that all working  poor  families  should  be
18    treated equally, regardless of their welfare status.
19        (b)  To   the   extent  resources  permit,  the  Illinois
20    Department shall provide child care services  to  parents  or
21    other  relatives  as  defined  by  rule  who  are  working or
22    participating in employment or Department approved  education
23    or  training programs.  At a minimum, the Illinois Department
24    shall cover the following categories of families:
25             (1)  recipients   of   TANF   under    Article    IV
26        participating   in   work   and  training  activities  as
27        specified  in  the  personal  plan  for  employment   and
28        self-sufficiency;
29             (2)  families transitioning from TANF to work;
30             (3)  families  at  risk  of  becoming  recipients of
31        TANF;
 
                            -2-               LRB9213783DJmbA
 1             (4)  families with special needs as defined by rule;
 2        and
 3             (5)  working  families  with  very  low  incomes  as
 4        defined by rule.
 5        The Department shall specify by rule  the  conditions  of
 6    eligibility, the application process, and the types, amounts,
 7    and  duration  of  services.    Eligibility  for  child  care
 8    benefits and the amount of child care provided may vary based
 9    on  family  size,  income,  and other factors as specified by
10    rule.  In  determining  income  eligibility  for  child  care
11    benefits, the Department shall establish, by rule, one income
12    threshold for each family size, in relation to percentage  of
13    State  median  income  for  a family of that size, that makes
14    families with incomes below the specified threshold  eligible
15    for  assistance and families with incomes above the specified
16    threshold   ineligible   for   assistance.   In   determining
17    eligibility for assistance, the  Department  shall  not  give
18    preference  to  any category of recipients or give preference
19    to individuals based on their receipt of benefits under  this
20    Code. The Department shall allocate $7,500,000 annually for a
21    test  program  for families who are income-eligible for child
22    care assistance, who are not recipients of TANF under Article
23    IV, and who need child  care  assistance  to  participate  in
24    education  and  training  activities.   The  Department shall
25    specify by rule the conditions of eligibility for  this  test
26    program.  It  is the intent of the General Assembly that, for
27    fiscal  year  1998,  to  the  extent  resources  permit,  the
28    Department shall establish an income eligibility threshold of
29    50% of the State median income.  Notwithstanding  the  income
30    level at which families become eligible to receive child care
31    assistance,  any  family that is already receiving child care
32    assistance on the effective date of this  amendatory  Act  of
33    1997  shall  remain  eligible  for assistance for fiscal year
34    1998.   Nothing  in  this  Section  shall  be  construed   as
 
                            -3-               LRB9213783DJmbA
 1    conferring  entitlement  status  to  eligible  families.  The
 2    Illinois Department is authorized to lower income eligibility
 3    ceilings, raise parent co-payments, create waiting lists,  or
 4    take such other actions during a fiscal year as are necessary
 5    to ensure that child care benefits paid under this Article do
 6    not  exceed  the  amounts  appropriated  for those child care
 7    benefits.  These changes may  be  accomplished  by  emergency
 8    rule  under  Section  5-45  of  the  Illinois  Administrative
 9    Procedure  Act,  except  that the limitation on the number of
10    emergency rules that may be  adopted  in  a  24-month  period
11    shall  not  apply.  The Illinois Department may contract with
12    other State agencies or  child  care  organizations  for  the
13    administration of child care services.
14        (c)  Payment  shall be made for child care that otherwise
15    meets  the  requirements  of  this  Section  and   applicable
16    standards  of  State  and local law and regulation, including
17    any requirements the Illinois Department promulgates by  rule
18    in  addition to the licensure requirements promulgated by the
19    Department  of  Children  and  Family   Services   and   Fire
20    Prevention  and Safety requirements promulgated by the Office
21    of the State Fire Marshal and  is  provided  in  any  of  the
22    following:
23             (1)  a child care center which is licensed or exempt
24        from licensure pursuant to Section 2.09 of the Child Care
25        Act of 1969;
26             (2)  a  licensed child care home or home exempt from
27        licensing;
28             (3)  a licensed group child care home;
29             (4)  other types of child care, including child care
30        provided by relatives or persons living in the same  home
31        as the child, as determined by the Illinois Department by
32        rule.
33        (d)  The  Illinois  Department  shall,  by  rule, require
34    co-payments for child care services by any parent,  including
 
                            -4-               LRB9213783DJmbA
 1    parents whose only income is from assistance under this Code.
 2    The  co-payment  shall  be  assessed based on a sliding scale
 3    based on family  income,  family  size,  and  the  number  of
 4    children in care.
 5        (e)  The  Illinois Department shall conduct a market rate
 6    survey based on the cost of care and other  relevant  factors
 7    which shall be completed by July 1, 1998.
 8        (f)  The Illinois Department shall, by rule, set rates to
 9    be  paid  for the various types of child care. Child care may
10    be provided through one of the following methods:
11             (1)  arranging  the  child  care  through   eligible
12        providers  by  use  of  purchase  of service contracts or
13        vouchers;
14             (2)  arranging with  other  agencies  and  community
15        volunteer groups for non-reimbursed child care;
16             (3)  (blank); or
17             (4)  adopting   such   other   arrangements  as  the
18        Department determines appropriate.
19        (g)  Families eligible for assistance under this  Section
20    shall be given the following options:
21             (1)  receiving  a  child  care certificate issued by
22        the Department or a subcontractor of the Department  that
23        may  be used by the parents as payment for child care and
24        development services only; or
25             (2)  if space is available, enrolling the child with
26        a child care provider that  has  a  purchase  of  service
27        contract  with  the  Department or a subcontractor of the
28        Department  for  the  provision   of   child   care   and
29        development   services.    The  Department  may  identify
30        particular priority populations for whom they may request
31        special consideration by  a  provider  with  purchase  of
32        service  contracts,  provided that the providers shall be
33        permitted to maintain a balance of clients  in  terms  of
34        household  incomes and families and children with special
 
                            -5-               LRB9213783DJmbA
 1        needs, as defined by rule.
 2    (Source: P.A. 90-17, eff. 7-1-97; 91-509, eff. 1-1-00.)

 3        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
 4    July 1, 2002.

[ Top ]