HB4897 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 37778 KTG 67907 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4897

Introduced 2/7/2024, by Rep. Michelle Mussman

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 505/4a

from Ch. 23, par. 5004a

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Removes a provision permitting the Department of Children and Family Services to fund outside agencies that contract with the Department to operate child abuse prevention shelters and service programs if the shelters certify a 20% financial match for operating expenses.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended by changing Section 4a as follows:

(20 ILCS 505/4a) (from Ch. 23, par. 5004a)

Sec. 4a. (a) To administer child abuse prevention shelters and service programs for abused and neglected children, or provide for their administration by not-for-profit corporations, community-based organizations or units of local government.

The Department is hereby designated the single State agency for planning and coordination of child abuse and neglect prevention programs and services. On or before the first Friday in October of each year, the Department shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly a State comprehensive child abuse and neglect prevention plan. The plan shall: identify priorities, goals and objectives; identify the resources necessary to implement the plan, including estimates of resources needed to investigate or otherwise process reports of suspected child abuse or neglect and to provide necessary follow-up services for child protection, family preservation and family reunification in "indicated" cases as determined under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act; make proposals for the most effective use of existing resources to implement the plan, including recommendations for the optimum use of private, local public, State and federal resources; and propose strategies for the development of additional resources to meet the goal of reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect and reducing the number of reports of suspected child abuse and neglect made to the Department.

(b) The administration of child abuse prevention, shelters and service programs under subsection (a) shall be funded in part by appropriations made from the Child Abuse Prevention Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury, and in part by appropriations from the General Revenue Fund. All interest earned on monies in the Child Abuse Prevention Fund shall remain in such fund. The Department and the State Treasurer may accept funds as provided by Sections 507 and 508 of the Illinois Income Tax Act and unsolicited private donations for deposit into the Child Abuse Prevention Fund. Annual requests for appropriations for the purpose of providing child abuse and neglect prevention programs and services under this Section shall be made in separate and distinct line-items. In setting priorities for the direction and scope of such programs, the Director shall be advised by the State-wide Citizen's Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect.

(c) (Blank). Where the Department contracts with outside agencies to operate the shelters or programs, such outside agencies may receive funding from the Department, except that the shelters must certify a 20% financial match for operating expenses of their programs. In selecting the outside agencies to administer child shelters and service programs, and in allocating funds for such agencies, the Department shall give priority to new and existing shelters or programs offering the broadest range of services to the community served.

(d) The Department shall have the power to make grants of monies to fund comprehensive community-based services to reduce the incidence of family dysfunction typified by child abuse and neglect; to diminish those factors found to increase family dysfunction; and to measure the effectiveness and costs of such services.

(e) For implementing such intergovernmental cooperation and involvement, units of local government and public and private agencies may apply for and receive federal or State funds from the Department under this Act or seek and receive gifts from local philanthropic or other private local sources in order to augment any State funds appropriated for the purposes of this Act.

(e-5) The Department may establish and maintain locally held funds to be individually known as the Youth in Care Support Fund. Moneys in these funds shall be used for purchases for the immediate needs of youth in care or for the immediate support needs of youth, families, and caregivers served by the Department. Moneys paid into funds shall be from appropriations made to the DCFS Children's Services Fund. Funds remaining in any Youth in Care Support Fund must be returned to the DCFS Children's Services Fund upon dissolution. Any warrant for payment to a vendor for the same product or service for a youth in care shall be payable to the Department to reimburse the immediate payment from the Youth in Care Support Fund.

(f) For the purposes of this Section:

(1) The terms "abused child" and "neglected child" have meanings ascribed to them in Section 3 of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

(2) "Shelter" has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1-3 of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.

(Source: P.A. 103-259, eff. 1-1-24.)