TANF reform passes with unanimous support in Senate

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator John Sullivan (D-Rushville) successfully spearheaded a bipartisan effort today to extract $9.2 million in savings over the next fiscal year. The legislation will change how the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) entitlement program is administered by limiting retroactive payments. The Senate concurred on the measure, sending it to the Governor.

Read more: Sullivan Extracts $9.2 Million in Savings from Entitlement Program (AUDIO)

Families across Illinois who rely on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) for daycare services are no longer facing the possibility of a disruption in care.  Senate Bill 2450, sponsored by Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago), passed the Senate today and will provide additional funding for the Child Care Assistance Program to ensure families are able to continue utilizing this vital economic development program. 

The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced subsidies to childcare providers would stop due to a lack of funds.  Senate Bill 2450 provides additional funding for the program to ensure sufficient funding is available until the start of the new fiscal year in July.  The legislation also makes over $300 million in overdue Medicaid payments to vendors and doctors due to an increase in expected tax revenues.   

Read more: Child care program to receive additional funding

“We need to do something for the other side of the equation: the wealth creators. Without the men and women who make their products and work in their stores, businesses can’t make a profit. Anyone who is willing to work more than 40 hours per week should be able to afford a modest lifestyle without any help from government or charities.”

-State Senator Kimberly A. Lightford

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – Acting on the belief that the minimum wage should be a living wage, State Senator Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) has shepherded legislation to the full Senate that she and other advocates believe will empower all full-time Illinois workers to afford food, clothing, shelter, and other basic necessities without taxpayer assistance.

“Over the past several years, we’ve done a lot to help businesses: tax reform, workers compensation insurance reform, and more. Businesses are job creators, and we need to work with them to keep Illinois a great state,” Lightford said. “But now we need to do something for the other side of the equation: the wealth creators. Without the men and women who make their products and work in their stores, businesses can’t make a profit. Anyone who is willing to work more than 40 hours per week should be able to afford a modest lifestyle without any help from government or charities.”

Read more: Lightford minimum wage legislation advances to full Senate

Senate President John J. Cullerton sat down with us recently to discuss major issues like the state budget, pensions, Medicaid and more.

Pension reform is one of the major issues facing the General Assembly as they wind down the 2012 Spring Session. In the second video of our series, Senate President Cullerton discusses upcoming pension reforms and how they could affect current retirees, current state worker and future workers.

Senate President John J. Cullerton sat down with us recently to discuss major issues like the state budget, pensions, Medicaid and more.

Lawmakers will be focusing on the Medicaid program in the next two weeks trying to identify waste, fraud, abuse, and savings in a program that has grown exponentially over the past several years. Watch our video to see what Senate President Cullerton has to say on the program and the progress made by state lawmakers.