HJ0031HAM001 LRB094 11668 DRJ 45178 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 31

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Joint Resolution 31 by
3 replacing lines 2 through 30 on page 1 and all of pages 2
4 through 4 with the following:
5     "WHEREAS, In Illinois, over 200,000 children under the age
6 of 18 are living with and being cared for by more than 100,000
7 grandparents; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Grandparent caregivers, the majority of whom are
9 single women ranging in age from 30 to 90 with an average
10 annual income of $15,000 to $25,000, typically raise one to two
11 grandchildren and have been doing so for five years or longer;
12 and
 
13     WHEREAS, Factors contributing to the growing number of
14 grandparents raising grandchildren include, but are not
15 limited to, alcohol and drug abuse, neglect, abuse,
16 abandonment, death of a parent, HIV/AIDS, divorce,
17 unemployment, poverty, parental incarceration, teen pregnancy,
18 and welfare reform; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Due to their assumed caregiving responsibilities,
20 many grandparents deplete their savings and retirement income
21 and face severe financial risk and economic strains while
22 struggling to pay for expenses related to caring for the
23 grandchildren, such as, but not limited to, food, diapers,

 

 

HJ0031HAM001 - 2 - LRB094 11668 DRJ 45178 a

1 clothing, child care, medical treatment, legal assistance, and
2 housing needs; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Many grandparents take custody of and raise their
4 grandchildren after a harmful incident has been suffered by
5 their grandchildren that has caused the Department of Children
6 and Family Services to designate them to be "at risk"; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Many other grandparents take preventive measures
8 by choosing to take custody of and raise their grandchildren
9 prior to their grandchildren suffering a harmful incident when
10 they recognize that their grandchildren's health, safety, and
11 welfare are at risk; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Grandparents who take custody of their
13 grandchildren prior to the grandchildren's suffering of a
14 harmful incident are ineligible for foster care funding and
15 assistance from the Department of Children and Family Services;
16 and
 
17     WHEREAS, The only financial assistance option for this
18 group of grandparents is "child only" grants from the
19 Department of Human Services' Temporary Assistance to Needy
20 Families (TANF) program; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services'
22 foster care program provides monthly financial assistance that
23 is three to four times greater than the TANF "child only"
24 grants, and it also provides counseling, child care support,
25 education services, college scholarships, and health services;
26 and
 
27     WHEREAS, Grandparents raising grandchildren who are not in
28 the foster care program are as valuable to the grandchildren

 

 

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1 and to the State as those who are in the foster care program;
2 and
 
3     WHEREAS, A significant function of government is to promote
4 the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; therefore, be
5 it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
8 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Joint Task Force on
9 Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren is created and shall
10 be comprised of ten members of the Illinois General Assembly
11 appointed as follows: 3 members of the Senate, one of whom
12 shall be co-chairperson, appointed by the President of the
13 Senate; 2 members of the Senate appointed by the Minority
14 Leader of the Senate; 3 members of the House of
15 Representatives, one of whom shall be co-chairperson,
16 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and 2
17 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the
18 Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; all Joint Task
19 Force members shall serve without compensation; and be it
20 further
 
21     RESOLVED, That the Department on Aging, in collaboration
22 with the Departments of Children and Family Services, Public
23 Aid, and Human Services and any other relevant agencies, shall
24 issue a report to the Joint Task Force on Grandparents Raising
25 their Grandchildren no later than July 1, 2005 that assesses
26 existing State and federal assistance programs that include the
27 following:
28         (a) a review of all guaranteed benefits and other
29 available support provided to grandparents through the
30 Department of Children and Family Services' foster care
31 program, including counseling, child care support, education

 

 

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1 services, college scholarships, and health services; KidCare
2 and other relevant programs;
3         (b) a review of all guaranteed benefits and other
4 available support provided to grandparents through the
5 Department of Human Services' TANF program and other relevant
6 programs;
7         (c) a review of all other means of grandparent-related
8 support provided by State-funded and federally funded
9 programs; and
10         (d) the estimated cost to the State if grandparents
11 were not willing to or refused to take custody of and raise
12 their grandchildren; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force on Grandparents Raising
14 their Grandchildren shall hold public hearings throughout the
15 State regarding services needed by and available to
16 grandparents raising their grandchildren; and be it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force on Grandparents Raising
18 their Grandchildren shall issue a report to the General
19 Assembly no later than January 1, 2006 that makes
20 recommendations on changes that should be made to services
21 provided to grandparents raising their grandchildren through
22 the foster care and TANF "child-only" grant programs.".