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91_HB3355eng HB3355 Engrossed LRB9111808STsb 1 AN ACT to amend the Illinois Public Aid Code by changing 2 Section 12-4.11. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by 6 changing Section 12-4.11 as follows: 7 (305 ILCS 5/12-4.11) (from Ch. 23, par. 12-4.11) 8 Sec. 12-4.11. Grant amounts; studies. 9 (a) The Department, with due regard for and subject to 10 budgetary limitations, shall establish grant amounts for each 11 of the programs, by regulation. The grant amounts may vary 12 by program, size of assistance unit and geographic area. 13 Aid payments shall not be reduced except: (1) for changes 14 in the cost of items included in the grant amounts, or (2) 15 for changes in the expenses of the recipient, or (3) for 16 changes in the income or resources available to the 17 recipient, or (4) for changes in grants resulting from 18 adoption of a consolidated grant amount. 19 In fixing standards to govern payments or reimbursements 20 for funeral and burial expenses, the Department shall take 21 into account the services essential to a dignified, low-cost 22 funeral and burial, including reasonable amounts that may be 23 necessary for burial space and cemetery charges, and any 24 applicable taxes or other required governmental fees or 25 charges. 26 Nothing contained in this Section or in any other Section 27 of this Code shall be construed to prohibit the Illinois 28 Department (1) from consolidating existing standards on the 29 basis of any standards which are or were in effect on, or 30 subsequent to July 1, 1969, or (2) from employing any 31 consolidated standards in determining need for public aid and HB3355 Engrossed -2- LRB9111808STsb 1 the amount of money payment or grant for individual 2 recipients or recipient families. 3 (b) The Department shall contract with one or more 4 universities or other established social research 5 organizations for periodic studies of the level of the 6 monthly cash assistance provided to families under Article IV 7 of this Code, the impact of that level on the well-being of 8 those families, and the accomplishment of the aims of the 9 program established under Article IV. Each study shall be 10 included in a report to the Governor and the General 11 Assembly, and that report shall also be made public. The 12 first study shall be conducted in the year 2000 and the 13 report shall be due on October 1, 2000. Subsequent studies 14 shall be conducted every 2 years and reports due on October 1 15 of even numbered years. 16 Each study shall include, at a minimum: 17 (1) the maximum grant levels for the family sizes, 18 family compositions, and geographic groupings in effect 19 at the time of the study, expressed in dollars and, after 20 including a reasonable average amount of food stamps 21 received by recipient families, as percentages of the 22 then-applicable federal poverty levels for the 23 corresponding family sizes; 24 (2) the levels of the maximum cash grants for the 25 family sizes, family compositions, and geographic 26 groupings under the Department's cash grant system if 27 they had kept pace with the Consumer Price Index since 28 1990; 29 (3) the levels of the maximum cash grants for the 30 family sizes, family compositions, and geographic 31 groupings under the Department's cash grant system if 32 they had kept pace with the Consumer Price Index since 33 the previous increase in monthly grant levels; 34 (4) the impact of the level of the monthly cash HB3355 Engrossed -3- LRB9111808STsb 1 assistance on: 2 (A) the ability of recipient families to 3 engage in education or training and move into the 4 work force; 5 (B) the ability of recipient families to meet 6 subsistence needs for food, clothing, shelter, 7 utilities, and transportation; 8 (5) incidence among recipient families, and a 9 comparison of that with incidence among the general 10 public, of: 11 (A) evictions, homelessness, and overcrowding; 12 (B) utility shutoffs; 13 (C) hunger; 14 (D) use of emergency services such as shelters 15 and food pantries; 16 (E) transferring between schools, poor school 17 attendance, and dropping out of school; 18 (F) investigations for abuse or neglect, or 19 temporary or permanent state custody of children in 20 the recipient family by the Illinois child welfare 21 system. 22 The Family Self Sufficiency Advisory Council or successor 23 advisory body shall advise the Department on additional 24 criteria to be included in the studies and on the form and 25 additional content of the reports. The Department shall 26 require the study to be based upon diligent research of 27 existing research, data, and literature to acquire the best 28 possible information regarding the study criteria; the 29 Department shall make its own data bases available to the 30 researchers. The Department need not fund new or original 31 social science research for the required studies, but the 32 Department may pay for the extraction of reports from 33 existing social science data bases if doing so is necessary 34 to produce the most complete information for the study HB3355 Engrossed -4- LRB9111808STsb 1 criteria. 2 (Source: P.A. 90-17, eff. 7-1-97; 90-326, eff. 8-8-97; 3 90-372, eff. 7-1-98; 90-655, eff. 7-30-98; 91-24, eff. 4 7-1-99.) 5 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 6 becoming law.