Full Text of HJR0031 94th General Assembly
HJ0031eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 31
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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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| welfare are at risk; and
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| WHEREAS, A significant function of government is to promote | 22 |
| the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; therefore, be | 23 |
| it
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| 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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| 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
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| 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:
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| (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;
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| (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;
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| (c) a review of all other means of grandparent-related | 27 |
| support provided by State-funded and federally funded | 28 |
| programs; and
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| (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
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| 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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| grandparents raising their grandchildren; and be it further
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| 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.
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