Ask Governor Ryan to Adopt the Family Violence Option

The Family Violence Option (FVO), a state option included in the federal welfare reform law, allows states increased flexibility in applying program requirements of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to families affected by domestic violence. This flexibility helps ensure a successful and safe transition from welfare to work. Illinois is among only a handful of states that have not already adopted the FVO.

The FVO can be adopted by a state administratively or legislatively. The National Center on Poverty Law has led the effort in Illinois for adoption of the FVO. This past spring the Illinois House of Representatives passed the FVO by a vote of 115 to 0. The bill stalled in the Senate Rules Committee. A similar scenario has played out over the last few years; unfortunately, the Center does not expect a different outcome for the coming legislative session.

WomanView is again asking its readers to help get this important provision adopted by the State of Illinois. Please send to Governor George Ryan a letter requesting that he administratively adopt the FVO. A sample letter follows. The Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois has already sent a similar letter to the governor. Feel free to use the letter as is, or retype it onto your own stationary and adapt the letter to include something about yourself or your organization and why you or your organization supports adoption of the FVO. Also, please fax a copy of the letter you send to the governor to Wendy Pollack, National Center on Poverty Law, 312.263.3846.

If you have any questions about the FVO or the sample letter, please contact Wendy Pollack, National Center on Poverty Law, 312.263.3830 ext. 238 or wendypollack@povertylaw.org. Thank you.

November 7, 2000

The Honorable George Ryan 
Governor
State House
Springfield, IL 62706

Dear Governor Ryan:

Domestic violence is a reality in the lives of far too many women. Domestic violence and its role in making women poor and keeping them poor are well documented. The prevalence of domestic violence among welfare recipients convinced Congress to include the Family Violence Option in the 1996 federal welfare reform law. Forty-one states have already adopted the Family Violence Option because they understand that it is in the best interests of their residents to do so. The State of Illinois has not yet adopted the Family Violence Option. It is time for Illinois to adopt the Family Violence Option. I am writing to you to ask you to adopt the Family Violence Option administratively.

The Family Violence Option allows states increased flexibility in applying welfare program requirements to families impacted by domestic violence. The Family Violence Option is designed to ensure that recipients successfully make the transition from welfare to work and out of poverty by increasing the likelihood that battered women and their children receive the services and financial assistance they need without the pressure of program requirements.

The Family Violence Option was never intended to allow women to receive cash assistance and then be forgotten. With proper implementation, the Department of Human Services would retain full power to keep domestic violence survivors on the path to work—a safe path that ends with financial independence.

Adoption of the Family Violence Option will demonstrate the State of Illinois’s strong commitment to women and to the prevention and reduction of domestic violence in the lives of Illinois families.

The Family Violence Option can be adopted legislatively or administratively. This past spring the House passed the Family Violence Option (H.B. 4160) by a vote of 115 to 0. The bill stalled in the Senate Rules Committee. A similar scenario has played out over the last few years, and, unfortunately, I do not expect a different outcome for the coming legislative session. But stalling will not help the women who so desperately need help; further delays put women and their families at great risk.

While the Department of Human Services is making strides in helping welfare recipients who are domestic violence survivors, more is needed. I believe that adoption of the Family Violence Option would be a significant tool for the department in addressing the needs of domestic violence survivors. The option can be enacted administratively rather than relying on legislative action. I urge you to take administrative action. Please authorize the adoption of the Family Violence Option, incorporate it into the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and instruct the Department of Human Services to work closely with domestic violence and welfare advocates to ensure proper implementation. It is time to adopt the Family Violence Option.