Child Care Advocates United Statement on Partial Restoration of IL Child Care

Louis Lang, D-Skokie, speaks to lawmakers while on…

A spokesman says IL House Democrats will not immediately consider Gov. Bruce Rauner’s suggested changes to legislation that would send collected tax dollars to cities and lottery winners. Also Monday, he announced a deal with business and union groups to tighten restrictions on workers who claim unemployment benefits.

On Monday, Rauner softened his money-saving approach by easing the angrily resisted restrictions he imposed on state-subsidized child care for the working poor and on eligibility for seniors to receive at-home or institutional assistance.

There’s been a big compromise on child care income eligibility.

That brought heavy criticism from child care advocates and from legislative Democrats, who are in the midst of pushing legislation to rollback the governor’s change and limit the executive branch’s rulemaking authority.

Likewise, Rauner announced he would drop plans to reconstruct the assessment procedure for determining which seniors are eligible for in-home or nursing care with state help.

The activity at the Capitol followed a series of Monday announcements by Rauner meant to stave off showdowns over child care and services for the elderly and disabled.

“We have a lot of work left to turn around IL, but today’s agreement is a step towards making us more competitive so we can increase investment in the state and grow jobs”, Rauner, R-Winnetka, said in a news release.

It comes just one day before the General Assembly votes on the bill, but childcare providers are still calling for a vote on the bill.

The new rule will raise the income eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program from 50 percent to 162 percent of the poverty level.

Since the governor apparently now realizes the needless pain caused by his actions, we call on him to expedite the rules returning children to the program instead of figuring out ways to use them as political pawns.

“This bipartisan agreement will allow us to avoid the unintended consequences and costs that Senate Bill 570 would have brought”, Trover wrote.

Earlier, Democrats failed to override an amendatory veto of House Bill 2482, a bill to restore cuts to community care. But it will be in place should he again reverse course, like a form of legislative insurance.

An Associated Press analysis of state records shows Gov. Bruce Rauner’s order to stop work affected 218 jobs worth $707 million.