Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB1782 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1782 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Rachel Ventura SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11 Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In a provision concerning the child care assistance program administered by the Department of Human Services, expands the list of families eligible to receive child care assistance to include families that are not TANF recipients but require financial assistance so that a responsible adult within the household can forgo work and care for a newborn child for the child's first 12 weeks of life. Provides that eligibility for cash assistance under the new category is conditioned on the responsible adult being the parent or legal guardian of the newborn child and participating in a Department-approved training program in health, safety, and early childhood development for the entire 12 weeks the family receives assistance. Provides that families eligible for child care assistance under the new category shall receive weekly assistance payments in an amount equal to the full day rate applied to licensed child care providers who provide 17 to 24 hours of care per day; and shall have their child care assistance payment amount adjusted according to the number of newborn children receiving care, up to a maximum of 3 children. LRB104 10236 KTG 20310 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1782 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Rachel Ventura SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11 305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11 Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In a provision concerning the child care assistance program administered by the Department of Human Services, expands the list of families eligible to receive child care assistance to include families that are not TANF recipients but require financial assistance so that a responsible adult within the household can forgo work and care for a newborn child for the child's first 12 weeks of life. Provides that eligibility for cash assistance under the new category is conditioned on the responsible adult being the parent or legal guardian of the newborn child and participating in a Department-approved training program in health, safety, and early childhood development for the entire 12 weeks the family receives assistance. Provides that families eligible for child care assistance under the new category shall receive weekly assistance payments in an amount equal to the full day rate applied to licensed child care providers who provide 17 to 24 hours of care per day; and shall have their child care assistance payment amount adjusted according to the number of newborn children receiving care, up to a maximum of 3 children. LRB104 10236 KTG 20310 b LRB104 10236 KTG 20310 b A BILL FOR
2	2	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1782 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Rachel Ventura SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3	3	305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11 305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11
4	4	305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11
5	5	Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In a provision concerning the child care assistance program administered by the Department of Human Services, expands the list of families eligible to receive child care assistance to include families that are not TANF recipients but require financial assistance so that a responsible adult within the household can forgo work and care for a newborn child for the child's first 12 weeks of life. Provides that eligibility for cash assistance under the new category is conditioned on the responsible adult being the parent or legal guardian of the newborn child and participating in a Department-approved training program in health, safety, and early childhood development for the entire 12 weeks the family receives assistance. Provides that families eligible for child care assistance under the new category shall receive weekly assistance payments in an amount equal to the full day rate applied to licensed child care providers who provide 17 to 24 hours of care per day; and shall have their child care assistance payment amount adjusted according to the number of newborn children receiving care, up to a maximum of 3 children.
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11	11	1 AN ACT concerning public aid.
12	12	2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
13	13	3 represented in the General Assembly:
14	14	4 Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
15	15	5 changing Section 9A-11 as follows:
16	16	6 (305 ILCS 5/9A-11) (from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11)
17	17	7 Sec. 9A-11. Child care.
18	18	8 (a) The General Assembly recognizes that families with
19	19	9 children need child care in order to work. Child care is
20	20	10 expensive and families with limited access to economic
21	21	11 resources, including those who are transitioning from welfare
22	22	12 to work, often struggle to pay the costs of day care. The
23	23	13 General Assembly understands the importance of helping working
24	24	14 families with limited access to economic resources become and
25	25	15 remain self-sufficient. The General Assembly also believes
26	26	16 that it is the responsibility of families to share in the costs
27	27	17 of child care. It is also the preference of the General
28	28	18 Assembly that all working families with limited access to
29	29	19 economic resources should be treated equally, regardless of
30	30	20 their welfare status.
31	31	21 (b) To the extent resources permit, the Illinois
32	32	22 Department shall provide child care services to parents or
33	33	23 other relatives as defined by rule who are working or
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37	37	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1782 Introduced 2/5/2025, by Sen. Rachel Ventura SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38	38	305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11 305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11
39	39	305 ILCS 5/9A-11 from Ch. 23, par. 9A-11
40	40	Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. In a provision concerning the child care assistance program administered by the Department of Human Services, expands the list of families eligible to receive child care assistance to include families that are not TANF recipients but require financial assistance so that a responsible adult within the household can forgo work and care for a newborn child for the child's first 12 weeks of life. Provides that eligibility for cash assistance under the new category is conditioned on the responsible adult being the parent or legal guardian of the newborn child and participating in a Department-approved training program in health, safety, and early childhood development for the entire 12 weeks the family receives assistance. Provides that families eligible for child care assistance under the new category shall receive weekly assistance payments in an amount equal to the full day rate applied to licensed child care providers who provide 17 to 24 hours of care per day; and shall have their child care assistance payment amount adjusted according to the number of newborn children receiving care, up to a maximum of 3 children.
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68	68	1 participating in employment or Department approved education
69	69	2 or training programs. At a minimum, the Illinois Department
70	70	3 shall cover the following categories of families:
71	71	4 (1) recipients of TANF under Article IV participating
72	72	5 in work and training activities as specified in the
73	73	6 personal plan for employment and self-sufficiency;
74	74	7 (2) families transitioning from TANF to work;
75	75	8 (3) families at risk of becoming recipients of TANF;
76	76	9 (4) families with special needs as defined by rule;
77	77	10 (5) working families with very low incomes as defined
78	78	11 by rule;
79	79	12 (6) families that are not recipients of TANF and that
80	80	13 need child care assistance to participate in education and
81	81	14 training activities;
82	82	15 (7) youth in care, as defined in Section 4d of the
83	83	16 Children and Family Services Act, who are parents,
84	84	17 regardless of income or whether they are working or
85	85	18 participating in Department-approved employment or
86	86	19 education or training programs. Any family that receives
87	87	20 child care assistance in accordance with this paragraph
88	88	21 shall receive one additional 12-month child care
89	89	22 eligibility period after the parenting youth in care's
90	90	23 case with the Department of Children and Family Services
91	91	24 is closed, regardless of income or whether the parenting
92	92	25 youth in care is working or participating in
93	93	26 Department-approved employment or education or training
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104	104	1 programs;
105	105	2 (8) families receiving Extended Family Support Program
106	106	3 services from the Department of Children and Family
107	107	4 Services, regardless of income or whether they are working
108	108	5 or participating in Department-approved employment or
109	109	6 education or training programs; and
110	110	7 (9) families with children under the age of 5 who have
111	111	8 an open intact family services case with the Department of
112	112	9 Children and Family Services. Any family that receives
113	113	10 child care assistance in accordance with this paragraph
114	114	11 shall remain eligible for child care assistance 6 months
115	115	12 after the child's intact family services case is closed,
116	116	13 regardless of whether the child's parents or other
117	117	14 relatives as defined by rule are working or participating
118	118	15 in Department approved employment or education or training
119	119	16 programs. The Department of Early Childhood, in
120	120	17 consultation with the Department of Children and Family
121	121	18 Services, shall adopt rules to protect the privacy of
122	122	19 families who are the subject of an open intact family
123	123	20 services case when such families enroll in child care
124	124	21 services. Additional rules shall be adopted to offer
125	125	22 children who have an open intact family services case the
126	126	23 opportunity to receive an Early Intervention screening and
127	127	24 other services that their families may be eligible for as
128	128	25 provided by the Department of Human Services; and .
129	129	26 (10) families that are not recipients of TANF but
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140	140	1 require financial assistance so that a responsible adult
141	141	2 within the household can forgo work and care for a newborn
142	142	3 child for the child's first 12 weeks of life. To be
143	143	4 eligible for child care assistance under this paragraph,
144	144	5 the responsible adult must be the parent or legal guardian
145	145	6 of the newborn child and must participate in a
146	146	7 Department-approved training program for the entire 12
147	147	8 weeks the family receives assistance. The Department shall
148	148	9 determine, by rule, the components of the training program
149	149	10 but at a minimum shall require training in health, safety,
150	150	11 and early childhood development provided by Gateways
151	151	12 Registry, Illinois i-learning courses, or Health and
152	152	13 Safety-approved courses offered by Illinois Action for
153	153	14 Children. Training requirements under this paragraph may
154	154	15 be less intensive that what is required for child care
155	155	16 providers under the child care assistance program.
156	156	17 Families eligible for child care assistance under this
157	157	18 paragraph shall receive weekly assistance payments in an
158	158	19 amount equal to the full day rate applied to licensed
159	159	20 child care providers who provide 17 to 24 hours of care per
160	160	21 day. A family's weekly child care assistance payment
161	161	22 amount shall be adjusted according to the number of
162	162	23 newborn children receiving care, up to a maximum of 3
163	163	24 children.
164	164	25 Beginning October 1, 2027, and every October 1 thereafter,
165	165	26 the Department of Children and Family Services shall report to
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176	176	1 the General Assembly on the number of children who received
177	177	2 child care via vouchers paid for by the Department of Early
178	178	3 Childhood during the preceding fiscal year. The report shall
179	179	4 include the ages of children who received child care, the type
180	180	5 of child care they received, and the number of months they
181	181	6 received child care.
182	182	7 The Department shall specify by rule the conditions of
183	183	8 eligibility, the application process, and the types, amounts,
184	184	9 and duration of services. Eligibility for child care benefits
185	185	10 and the amount of child care provided may vary based on family
186	186	11 size, income, and other factors as specified by rule.
187	187	12 The Department shall update the Child Care Assistance
188	188	13 Program Eligibility Calculator posted on its website to
189	189	14 include a question on whether a family is applying for child
190	190	15 care assistance for the first time or is applying for a
191	191	16 redetermination of eligibility.
192	192	17 A family's eligibility for child care services shall be
193	193	18 redetermined no sooner than 12 months following the initial
194	194	19 determination or most recent redetermination. During the
195	195	20 12-month periods, the family shall remain eligible for child
196	196	21 care services regardless of (i) a change in family income,
197	197	22 unless family income exceeds 85% of State median income, or
198	198	23 (ii) a temporary change in the ongoing status of the parents or
199	199	24 other relatives, as defined by rule, as working or attending a
200	200	25 job training or educational program.
201	201	26 In determining income eligibility for child care benefits,
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212	212	1 the Department annually, at the beginning of each fiscal year,
213	213	2 shall establish, by rule, one income threshold for each family
214	214	3 size, in relation to percentage of State median income for a
215	215	4 family of that size, that makes families with incomes below
216	216	5 the specified threshold eligible for assistance and families
217	217	6 with incomes above the specified threshold ineligible for
218	218	7 assistance. Through and including fiscal year 2007, the
219	219	8 specified threshold must be no less than 50% of the
220	220	9 then-current State median income for each family size.
221	221	10 Beginning in fiscal year 2008, the specified threshold must be
222	222	11 no less than 185% of the then-current federal poverty level
223	223	12 for each family size. Notwithstanding any other provision of
224	224	13 law or administrative rule to the contrary, beginning in
225	225	14 fiscal year 2019, the specified threshold for working families
226	226	15 with very low incomes as defined by rule must be no less than
227	227	16 185% of the then-current federal poverty level for each family
228	228	17 size. Notwithstanding any other provision of law or
229	229	18 administrative rule to the contrary, beginning in State fiscal
230	230	19 year 2022 through State fiscal year 2023, the specified income
231	231	20 threshold shall be no less than 200% of the then-current
232	232	21 federal poverty level for each family size. Beginning in State
233	233	22 fiscal year 2024, the specified income threshold shall be no
234	234	23 less than 225% of the then-current federal poverty level for
235	235	24 each family size.
236	236	25 In determining eligibility for assistance, the Department
237	237	26 shall not give preference to any category of recipients or
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248	248	1 give preference to individuals based on their receipt of
249	249	2 benefits under this Code.
250	250	3 Nothing in this Section shall be construed as conferring
251	251	4 entitlement status to eligible families.
252	252	5 The Illinois Department is authorized to lower income
253	253	6 eligibility ceilings, raise parent co-payments, create waiting
254	254	7 lists, or take such other actions during a fiscal year as are
255	255	8 necessary to ensure that child care benefits paid under this
256	256	9 Article do not exceed the amounts appropriated for those child
257	257	10 care benefits. These changes may be accomplished by emergency
258	258	11 rule under Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative
259	259	12 Procedure Act, except that the limitation on the number of
260	260	13 emergency rules that may be adopted in a 24-month period shall
261	261	14 not apply.
262	262	15 The Illinois Department may contract with other State
263	263	16 agencies or child care organizations for the administration of
264	264	17 child care services.
265	265	18 (c) Payment shall be made for child care that otherwise
266	266	19 meets the requirements of this Section and applicable
267	267	20 standards of State and local law and regulation, including any
268	268	21 requirements the Illinois Department promulgates by rule.
269	269	22 Through June 30, 2026, the rules of this Section include
270	270	23 licensure requirements adopted by the Department of Children
271	271	24 and Family Services. On and after July 1, 2026, the rules of
272	272	25 this Section include licensure requirements adopted by the
273	273	26 Department of Early Childhood. In addition, the regulations of
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284	284	1 this Section include the Fire Prevention and Safety
285	285	2 requirements promulgated by the Office of the State Fire
286	286	3 Marshal, and is provided in any of the following:
287	287	4 (1) a child care center which is licensed or exempt
288	288	5 from licensure pursuant to Section 2.09 of the Child Care
289	289	6 Act of 1969;
290	290	7 (2) a licensed child care home or home exempt from
291	291	8 licensing;
292	292	9 (3) a licensed group child care home;
293	293	10 (4) other types of child care, including child care
294	294	11 provided by relatives or persons living in the same home
295	295	12 as the child, as determined by the Illinois Department by
296	296	13 rule.
297	297	14 (c-5) Solely for the purposes of coverage under the
298	298	15 Illinois Public Labor Relations Act, child and day care home
299	299	16 providers, including licensed and license exempt,
300	300	17 participating in the Department's child care assistance
301	301	18 program shall be considered to be public employees and the
302	302	19 State of Illinois shall be considered to be their employer as
303	303	20 of January 1, 2006 (the effective date of Public Act 94-320),
304	304	21 but not before. The State shall engage in collective
305	305	22 bargaining with an exclusive representative of child and day
306	306	23 care home providers participating in the child care assistance
307	307	24 program concerning their terms and conditions of employment
308	308	25 that are within the State's control. Nothing in this
309	309	26 subsection shall be understood to limit the right of families
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320	320	1 receiving services defined in this Section to select child and
321	321	2 day care home providers or supervise them within the limits of
322	322	3 this Section. The State shall not be considered to be the
323	323	4 employer of child and day care home providers for any purposes
324	324	5 not specifically provided in Public Act 94-320, including, but
325	325	6 not limited to, purposes of vicarious liability in tort and
326	326	7 purposes of statutory retirement or health insurance benefits.
327	327	8 Child and day care home providers shall not be covered by the
328	328	9 State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971.
329	329	10 In according child and day care home providers and their
330	330	11 selected representative rights under the Illinois Public Labor
331	331	12 Relations Act, the State intends that the State action
332	332	13 exemption to application of federal and State antitrust laws
333	333	14 be fully available to the extent that their activities are
334	334	15 authorized by Public Act 94-320.
335	335	16 (d) The Illinois Department shall establish, by rule, a
336	336	17 co-payment scale that provides for cost sharing by families
337	337	18 that receive child care services, including parents whose only
338	338	19 income is from assistance under this Code. The co-payment
339	339	20 shall be based on family income and family size and may be
340	340	21 based on other factors as appropriate. Co-payments may be
341	341	22 waived for families whose incomes are at or below the federal
342	342	23 poverty level.
343	343	24 (d-5) The Illinois Department, in consultation with its
344	344	25 Child Care and Development Advisory Council, shall develop a
345	345	26 plan to revise the child care assistance program's co-payment
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356	356	1 scale. The plan shall be completed no later than February 1,
357	357	2 2008, and shall include:
358	358	3 (1) findings as to the percentage of income that the
359	359	4 average American family spends on child care and the
360	360	5 relative amounts that low-income families and the average
361	361	6 American family spend on other necessities of life;
362	362	7 (2) recommendations for revising the child care
363	363	8 co-payment scale to assure that families receiving child
364	364	9 care services from the Department are paying no more than
365	365	10 they can reasonably afford;
366	366	11 (3) recommendations for revising the child care
367	367	12 co-payment scale to provide at-risk children with complete
368	368	13 access to Preschool for All and Head Start; and
369	369	14 (4) recommendations for changes in child care program
370	370	15 policies that affect the affordability of child care.
371	371	16 (e) (Blank).
372	372	17 (f) The Illinois Department shall, by rule, set rates to
373	373	18 be paid for the various types of child care. Child care may be
374	374	19 provided through one of the following methods:
375	375	20 (1) arranging the child care through eligible
376	376	21 providers by use of purchase of service contracts or
377	377	22 vouchers;
378	378	23 (2) arranging with other agencies and community
379	379	24 volunteer groups for non-reimbursed child care;
380	380	25 (3) (blank); or
381	381	26 (4) adopting such other arrangements as the Department
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392	392	1 determines appropriate.
393	393	2 (f-1) Within 30 days after June 4, 2018 (the effective
394	394	3 date of Public Act 100-587), the Department of Human Services
395	395	4 shall establish rates for child care providers that are no
396	396	5 less than the rates in effect on January 1, 2018 increased by
397	397	6 4.26%.
398	398	7 (f-5) (Blank).
399	399	8 (g) Families eligible for assistance under this Section
400	400	9 shall be given the following options:
401	401	10 (1) receiving a child care certificate issued by the
402	402	11 Department or a subcontractor of the Department that may
403	403	12 be used by the parents as payment for child care and
404	404	13 development services only; or
405	405	14 (2) if space is available, enrolling the child with a
406	406	15 child care provider that has a purchase of service
407	407	16 contract with the Department or a subcontractor of the
408	408	17 Department for the provision of child care and development
409	409	18 services. The Department may identify particular priority
410	410	19 populations for whom they may request special
411	411	20 consideration by a provider with purchase of service
412	412	21 contracts, provided that the providers shall be permitted
413	413	22 to maintain a balance of clients in terms of household
414	414	23 incomes and families and children with special needs, as
415	415	24 defined by rule.
416	416	25 (Source: P.A. 102-491, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22;
417	417	26 102-926, eff. 5-27-22; 103-8, eff. 6-7-23; 103-594, eff.
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