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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 31

 
2     WHEREAS, In Illinois, over 200,000 children under the age
3 of 18 are living with and being cared for by more than 100,000
4 grandparents; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Grandparent caregivers, the majority of whom are
6 single women ranging in age from 30 to 90 with an average
7 annual income of $15,000 to $25,000, typically raise one to two
8 grandchildren and have been doing so for five years or longer;
9 and
 
10     WHEREAS, Factors contributing to the growing number of
11 grandparents raising grandchildren include, but are not
12 limited to, alcohol and drug abuse, neglect, abuse,
13 abandonment, death of a parent, HIV/AIDS, divorce,
14 unemployment, poverty, parental incarceration, teen pregnancy,
15 and welfare reform; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Due to their assumed caregiving responsibilities,
17 many grandparents deplete their savings and retirement income
18 and face severe financial risk and economic strains while
19 struggling to pay for expenses related to caring for the
20 grandchildren, such as, but not limited to, food, diapers,
21 clothing, child care, medical treatment, legal assistance, and
22 housing needs; and
 
23     WHEREAS, Many grandparents take custody of and raise their
24 grandchildren after a harmful incident has been suffered by
25 their grandchildren that has caused the Department of Children
26 and Family Services to designate them to be "at risk"; and
 
27     WHEREAS, Many other grandparents take preventive measures
28 by choosing to take custody of and raise their grandchildren
29 prior to their grandchildren suffering a harmful incident when
30 they recognize that their grandchildren's health, safety, and

 

 

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1 welfare are at risk; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Grandparents who take custody of their
3 grandchildren prior to the grandchildren's suffering of a
4 harmful incident are ineligible for foster care funding and
5 assistance from the Department of Children and Family Services;
6 and
 
7     WHEREAS, The only financial assistance option for this
8 group of grandparents is "child only" grants from the
9 Department of Human Services' Temporary Assistance to Needy
10 Families (TANF) program; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services'
12 foster care program provides monthly financial assistance that
13 is three to four times greater than the TANF "child only"
14 grants, and it also provides counseling, child care support,
15 education services, college scholarships, and health services;
16 and
 
17     WHEREAS, Grandparents raising grandchildren who are not in
18 the foster care program are as valuable to the grandchildren
19 and to the State as those who are in the foster care program;
20 and
 
21     WHEREAS, A significant function of government is to promote
22 the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; therefore, be
23 it
 
24     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
25 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
26 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Joint Task Force on
27 Grandparents Raising their Grandchildren is created and shall
28 be comprised of ten members of the Illinois General Assembly
29 appointed as follows: 3 members of the Senate, one of whom
30 shall be co-chairperson, appointed by the President of the

 

 

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1 Senate; 2 members of the Senate appointed by the Minority
2 Leader of the Senate; 3 members of the House of
3 Representatives, one of whom shall be co-chairperson,
4 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and 2
5 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the
6 Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; all Joint Task
7 Force members shall serve without compensation; and be it
8 further
 
9     RESOLVED, That the Department on Aging, in collaboration
10 with the Departments of Children and Family Services, Public
11 Aid, and Human Services and any other relevant agencies, shall
12 issue a report to the Joint Task Force on Grandparents Raising
13 their Grandchildren no later than July 1, 2005 that assesses
14 existing State and federal assistance programs that include the
15 following:
16         (a) a review of all guaranteed benefits and other
17 available support provided to grandparents through the
18 Department of Children and Family Services' foster care
19 program, including counseling, child care support, education
20 services, college scholarships, and health services; KidCare
21 and other relevant programs;
22         (b) a review of all guaranteed benefits and other
23 available support provided to grandparents through the
24 Department of Human Services' TANF program and other relevant
25 programs;
26         (c) a review of all other means of grandparent-related
27 support provided by State-funded and federally funded
28 programs; and
29         (d) the estimated cost to the State if grandparents
30 were not willing to or refused to take custody of and raise
31 their grandchildren; and be it further
 
32     RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force on Grandparents Raising
33 their Grandchildren shall hold public hearings throughout the
34 State regarding services needed by and available to

 

 

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1 grandparents raising their grandchildren; and be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force on Grandparents Raising
3 their Grandchildren shall issue a report to the General
4 Assembly no later than January 1, 2006 that makes
5 recommendations on changes that should be made to services
6 provided to grandparents raising their grandchildren through
7 the foster care and TANF "child only" grant programs.