Family Violence Option bill passes Illinois House


With a vote of 110 to 0, the Family Violence Option (FVO), House Bill 650, passed the full Illinois House on March 25. It is now pending in the Senate. A state option in the federal welfare reform law, the FVO allows states increased flexibility in applying program requirements of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to families affected by domestic violence. Illinois is among only a handful of states that have not yet adopted the FVO.

Negotiations with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) resulted in the version of the bill that was passed by the House. IDHS assures advocates that the bill as written is not intended to be more restrictive than the federal law allows. Also, even without language in the bill mandating consultation with domestic violence experts, IDHS is committed to working with domestic violence experts to develop the proposed and final regulations and other policies and practices—such as training, confidentiality, and office protocols—related to the implementation of the FVO.

H.B. 650 must now make its way through the Senate. It will first go to a committee—probably the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee—for consideration. If the bill is passed out of the committee, it will go to the Senate floor for a full vote. If it passes the Senate without any further amendments, the bill goes to Gov. George Ryan to sign into law.

Please call your state senator and ask her or him to vote in favor of H.B. 650 and to cosponsor it.

If you have any questions about H.B. 650, contact Wendy Pollack at 312.263.3830 ext. 238.