Family Violence Option Passes Illinois House

H.B. 3446, sponsored by Representatives Schakowsky (D) and Stephens (R), passed the Illinois House with a clear mandate with 110 Representatives voting for the bill and only 6 voting against it.

H.B. 3446

does two things. First, the bill requires Illinois to adopt the Family Violence Option (FVO). The FVO allows Illinois increased flexibility in applying the requirements of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program to families affected by domestic violence while avoiding federal financial penalties. Second, the bill adds three categories to the list of legal immigrants eligible for public benefits in the Illinois Public Aid Code to bring Illinois into compliance with federal law.

The screening and referral provisions of the FVO are designed to promote case-by-case consideration and increased access to services. When appropriate, the state can grant temporary waivers of TANF requirements to make it possible for recipients to escape domestic violence without being punished for not complying with those requirements. Or it can intelligently package domestic violence services with work activities to ensure that the violence does not block the path to work. The FVO will help ensure a successful transition from welfare to work and prevent and reduce domestic violence in the lives of Illinois’s families.

States that adopt the FVO will avoid federal financial penalties if, because of waivers granted under the FVO, they fail to meet the caseload work participation rates or exceed the allowable number (capped at 20 percent of the caseload) of recipients who receive benefits beyond the 60-month lifetime limit on receipt of assistance. Therefore, adoption of the FVO is a fiscally responsible strategy because it insulates states from financial penalties.

H.B. 3447

, sponsored by Silva (D), Schakowsky (D), Kubik (R), Morrow (D), and Feigenholtz (D), also passed the Illinois House by an overwhelming margin. H.B. 3447 allows legal immigrants who enter the United States after August 22, 1996, and thus are excluded from receiving public benefits for their first five years in the United States by federal and state law, to receive state-funded cash, food, and medical benefits if they are victims of domestic violence in the United States. Benefit eligibility would extend to the children of an abused parent and the parent of an abused child or abused children.

What You Can Do to Help

Now our attention turns to the Illinois Senate. Call or fax your state senator and tell her or him to support and sponsor both H.B. 3446 and H.B. 3447 in the Senate. The Senate is adjourned for spring break until April 21. This is a good time to catch senators in their home district offices. For more information on either bill contact Wendy Pollack at 312.263.3830 ext. 238.

Thanks to your efforts, these important bills will become law in Illinois

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