(The Center Square) – Democratic lawmakers in Illinois reintroduced three pieces of legislation aimed at improving the state’s child care system.
State Sens. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, and Christine Pacione-Zayas, D-Chicago, discussed Senate bills 1796, 2402 and 2053 last week in Springfield.
The measures all are geared toward addressing issues around child care in Illinois.
“We are going to focus on the issue of access, and we are going to focus on the issue of supporting our workers,” Pacione-Zayas said. “You can not have a child care industry without a workforce.”
SB2053 addresses the workforce by setting an hourly wage floor and salaried equivalent for workers in state-funded early childhood programs.
Villivalam has a measure that aims to make child care services more accessible for lower income families.
“We can not have a strong childcare system in Illinois without our childcare providers,” Villivalam said. “We all know that childcare is a fundamental right, and we know that childcare is the backbone of our state.”
SB2402 provides that beginning July 1, 2023, a family eligible for child care services whose income is at or below 140% of the most recent United States Department of Health and Human Services Federal Poverty Guidelines for the applicable family size shall pay a $1 monthly fee as co-payment for child care services, according to the bill’s language. A family of four making $40,000 is considered in poverty, according to the guidelines.
Villivalam said the state has the tax resources to fix these problems.
“We need to acknowledge two pieces. One is we have the money to fund the child care system that parents and providers deserve. We just have to prioritize and make it happen,” Villivalam said. “We also have to talk about the workforce.”
Pacione-Zayas said she looks forward to bringing these measures into law.
“Families need accessible, affordable child care to support their loved ones, and I am excited that our proposed legislation will work to make this a reality,” she said.
All three measures currently sit with the Senate Assignments Committee.
