SB3119 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 17644 KTG 31075 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3119

Introduced 2/2/2026, by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act
30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new

Creates the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families Act. Provides that the purpose of the Act is to promote the recognition of the importance of the participation of both parents in the lives of their children. Creates the Strengthening Fathers and Families Initiative (Initiative) with the goal of increasing the awareness of the problems created when a child grows up without the presence and support of a caring and loving father, identifying strategies that are successful in overcoming identified obstacles that discourage the active engagement of fathers, and other specified goals. Requires the Initiative to also promote positive interactions between fathers and their children, while promoting positive interactions between fathers and the mothers of their children. Creates the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families to carry out the purposes, goals, and initiatives of the Act. Contains provisions on the Commission's membership, goals, and duties, including, but not limited to, (i) developing a comprehensive plan that promotes the positive involvement and engagement of fathers and that advances family strengthening strategies, (ii) evaluating State programs, governmental policies, and community initiatives related to fatherhood and family strengthening, (iii) making recommendations to the Governor, the Deputy Governor of Health and Human Services, and the General Assembly, (iv) developing criteria for grants to fatherhood and family strengthening projects, and (v) receiving grants, contributions, and other funds for projects and activities related to advancing father involvement and engagement, and family strengthening. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall provide staffing support to the Commission. Creates the Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund to hold grants, contributions, and other funds received by the Commission to be expended for the purposes of the Act. Amends the State Finance Act to add the Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund to the list of State funds.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning families.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families Act.

Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to promote the recognition of the importance of the participation of both parents in the lives of their children. While social policy and practice have often focused on the difficulties of raising a child in a single-parent family and have often created barriers to the involvement of both parents in their child's life, the purpose of this Act is to promote a social policy and practice that values the contribution that each parent brings to the family unit, whether that parenting is occurring with parents who have never been married, parents who are divorced, or parents who are married and cohabitating.

Section 10. Strengthening Fathers and Families Initiative.

(a) The purpose of this Act shall be implemented through a family strengthening initiative to be directed by the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families created under Section 15.

(b) The Strengthening Fathers and Families Initiative is created with the following goals:

(1) to increase the awareness of the problems created when a child grows up without the presence and support of a caring and loving father;

(2) to identify obstacles that impede or prevent the involvement of caring and loving fathers in the lives of their children;

(3) to identify strategies that are successful in overcoming identified obstacles that discourage the active engagement of fathers; and

(4) to facilitate the transition from current policies, perceptions, and practices that adversely affect the participation of fathers in their children's lives due to such policies, perceptions, and practices failing to promote the contributions of caring and loving fathers.

The Strengthening Fathers and Families Initiative shall promote positive interactions between fathers and their children, as well as promote positive interactions between fathers and the mothers of their children. While the emphasis of the initiative must be on the population of children whose families have received or are receiving public assistance, the initiative may not exclude those populations of children for whom the initiative is appropriate.

Section 15. Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families; membership and goals.

(a) The Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families is created to carry out the purposes, goals, and initiatives of this Act. The Commission shall consist of a maximum of 21 members. The Chair of the Commission shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Deputy Governor of Health and Human Services. Upon appointing the inaugural Chair of the Commission, the Inaugural Chair and the Deputy Governor of Health and Human Services shall work collaboratively to identify and install the Commission members.

The Commission shall be operational when at least an additional 10 Commission members have been identified and installed. Election of the co-chair of the Commission and the establishment of Commission bylaws must occur within a reasonable time and manner after the Commission is effectively operational.

All decisions made and policies established by the Commission shall be by consensus of the Commission membership based on the vote of a simple majority.

(b) The Commission membership may be comprised of, but not limited to: fathers, mothers, representatives of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, advocates from the child welfare community, advocates from fatherhood organizations, advocates from mother advocacy organizations, family law representatives, judicial or family court representatives, representatives from legal service organizations, social service agency representatives, family support organization representatives, representatives from the Department of Corrections, representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, and representatives from either the Illinois State's Attorneys Association or the Division of Child Support Services within the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

At least 50% of the Commission's membership shall be comprised of parents.

Members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for their actual expenses in carrying out their duties as members of the Commission.

The Department of Human Services must provide staff support to ensure the operational integrity and to assist in advancing the work of the Commission.

(c) The goals of the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families must include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Advocating for growing public will to support the role of fathers in families across the socio-economic spectrum of families and family configurations.

(2) Supporting education opportunities that prepare fathers to effectively meet their legal, financial, nurturing, and emotional obligations to their children.

(3) The promotion of the establishment of paternity upon the birth of a child.

(4) Promoting strategies that assist fathers in fostering nurturing and emotional connections with their children, while building cooperative and collaborative relationships with the mothers of their children.

(5) Supporting the promotion of peer-to-peer father support groups that support fathers in developing and maintaining positive and supportive relationships with their children, as well as with the mothers of their children.

(6) Reducing the negative outcomes of divorce, separation, custody, and visitation by advancing opportunities for parent and family mediation and promoting approaches that support autonomous parental decision-making through mutually agreed on parenting plans.

(7) Encouraging the coordination, integration, and leveraging of State and local services so they function more seamlessly and holistically to strengthen and support fathers and families.

Section 20. Duties of the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families. The duties of the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families may evolve over time as the Commission executes its mission. The Commission's duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) To develop a comprehensive plan that promotes the positive involvement and engagement of fathers and that advances family strengthening strategies that improve the social, emotional, and physical development of children.

(2) To evaluate State programs, governmental policies, and community initiatives related to fatherhood and family strengthening and make recommendations regarding those programs and policy initiatives to the Governor, the Deputy Governor of Health and Human Services, and the General Assembly.

(3) To engage in a partnership with a university collaborator that will advance basic research and data analysis associated with promoting practices and policies that support father engagement and involvement and family strengthening. The inaugural research partner for the Commission shall be the Lab for Empowerment and Advancement through Dad-Driven Research in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

(4) With the support of the Office of the Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services, to convene statewide symposia to discuss and accelerate efforts to advance fatherhood and family strengthening initiatives statewide.

(5) Subject to appropriations, to develop criteria for and to issue requests for proposals for grants to fatherhood and family strengthening projects that are approved by the Commission.

(6) To receive grants, contributions, and other funds for the purpose of projects and activities related to advancing father involvement and engagement and family strengthening.

(7) As appropriate, and as resources and capacity allow, to annually develop a report associated with the work of the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families.

Section 25. Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund. Grants, contributions, and other funds received by the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families must be deposited into the Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund, a special fund created in the State treasury. Subject to appropriation and as directed by the Commission, moneys in the Fund may be expended for the purposes of this Act. The Department of Human Services may direct discretionary funds to the Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund to support the core functions and operations of the Commission on Strengthening Fathers and Families.

Section 85. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.1038 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new)

Sec. 5.1038. The Fatherhood and Family Strengthening Fund.