In the early morning of Saturday, May 27, the 103rd General Assembly adjourned this year’s spring legislative session. Most significantly, lawmakers passed the final budget for Fiscal Year 2024, including nearly $300 million in new investments for child care, preschool, home visiting, and Early Intervention (EI) as part of Smart Start Illinois. Read our full response to the FY2024 budget.

Legislators approved several other bills advancing our prenatal-to-age-three policy priorities during this session. The following measures now await the Governor’s signature or have recently been signed into law:

• HB 3817, the FY 2024 Budget Implementation Act, which:
  • Makes permanent the income threshold of 225% of the federal poverty level for eligibility to participate in the Child Care Assistance Program
  • Creates the Smart Start Child Care Program
  • Increases the cash assistance amount for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program by 5% to 35% of the federal poverty level (the equivalent of $103.58 more per month for a parent with two children)
• SB 1794, which establishes in law the existing Illinois Department of Human Services home visiting programs and protects their current funding streams
• HB 2039, the Access to Public Health Data Act, which directs various state departments and agencies to share public health data, including information on adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, with local health departments
• HB 2450, which adds cultural competency training as a prerequisite for health care provider licensure and renewal beginning in 2025 (in addition to the newly implemented implicit bias training requirement)
• HB 2519, which requires all hospitals and birth centers to provide parents of newborns with instructional materials about voluntarily donating milk to premature infants
• HB 2820, which requires all birthing facilities to establish policies and continuing education on addressing airway emergencies experienced during childbirth
• HR 86 and SR 36, non-binding resolutions which affirm the importance of home visiting and EI programs in Illinois and requests a portion of the state’s opioid lawsuit settlement funds be allotted to them

Proposals to establish paid family and medical leave, a refundable child tax credit, and a monthly diaper allowance in our state all gained traction, but did not pass. Raising Illinois supports these important strategies for strengthening the financial security of infants, toddlers, and expecting families. Learn more about our objectives on family-friendly income supports and work policies.

Coming up next, the General Assembly will hold its veto session from October 24-26 and November 7-9. Stay tuned!