SPRINGFIELD – Responding to a situation that puts parents in the impossible position of choosing between maintaining custody of their child or providing their child mental health care, State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) put forth legislation addressing eligibility for various Department of Child and Family Services programs.

“Many parents must face a heart-wrenching choice between providing their child the care they need and retaining custody of their child,” Fine said. “This bill eliminates that awful dilemma and allows parents more flexibility in caring for their child.”

Senate Bill 191 concerns eligibility for the Family Support Program services or an Individual Care Grant. Under current law, parents may be forced to lose custody of their children in order to provide them the mental health care they require. Because of this, many parents opt not to provide that care, leaving youths untreated and increasing their risk of delinquency.

The measure, which passed a Senate committee today, retains a child’s eligibility for an Individual Care Grant, which provides funding to parents of children with mental illnesses, even if they are placed under DCFS guardianship.

The bill is an initiative of the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian. It passed the Senate committee on Human Services and will proceed to the full Senate for consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) issued the following statement after Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2019 Budget Address:

“It was refreshing to hear a budget address from a governor who is willing to work with the General Assembly to pass a balanced budget. After four years of budget addresses that seemed hostile to cooperation and functioning government, this return to stability is a nice change.

“I’m encouraged by Gov. Pritzker’s pledge to search for new revenue sources. Any way that we can increase the state’s revenue stream without having to increase taxes on working families is step in the right direction.

“I was also pleased to hear the governor lay out his legislative and budgetary priorities for this General Assembly. It’s much easier to work with a governor who makes their intentions clear. That allows us in the legislature to set our own agenda in a way that is complementary to the executive so that we can coexist in the way we ought to: as separate but equal branches.

“Overall, I was pleased with the address, and I look forward to working with the governor along with my Senate colleagues to ensure that the budgets we pass in the future are all fair, balanced and beneficial to everyone in Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD – A potential gap in the protection of abused minors would be closed under a measure sponsored by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) which passed out of a Senate committee today.

“This adjusts an existing statute that, under specific circumstances, has left abuse survivors with no options for justice in the past,” Fine said. “This problem arises from situations when a survivor of abuse turns 18 between the incident and the court date. It’s an accident of timing that has let predators walk away clean and it’s unacceptable. I’m happy to help close a loophole that harms a minor who is a survivor of abuse.”

Senate Bill 1116 corrects nuances in the language of the law that currently leave open the potential for an instance of abuse to never be brought to trial if the abuse survivor’s 18^th birthday falls between the filing of the charges and the scheduled court date. While unlikely, it has happened in the past in rare circumstances. SB1116 closes the loophole and allows the cases to be heard in court, even if the minor comes of age.

The measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and will proceed to the full Senate for consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) released the following statement after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill increasing the minimum wage in Illinois to $15 by 2025:

“I’m proud of the Governor for moving so quickly to finally finish what we’ve been working on in the Senate for years. Working class families have deserved fairer compensation for the work they do for years, and I’m honored to have been a part of the process allowing that to happen.”