Blagojevich Restores Funding for Substance Abuse Treatment, State Parks, RTA, Others Services; Vetoes $55 Million

(Chicago, IL) – Nearly two months after the Illinois legislature approved the money, Governor Rod Blagojevich today finally acted on the supplemental budget bill SB 1103 to restore $175.9 million in funding for several reductions made earlier this year to the Illinois budget. He vetoed $55 million.

With the Governor’s action, funding will be available for substance abuse treatment centers, Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) frontline staff, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) reduced fare subsidy and other core services.

Those core services include:

• Addiction treatment services were restored by $55,144,500.
• Mental Health funds were restored by $8,851,200. Included in this amount was $4,285,000 for Supportive MI Housing.
• Developmental Disabilities funds were restored by $1,094,800.  In addition, $28,100,000 was restored to prevent rate reductions in ICF’s for MR programs, rate and service reductions in fee-for-service programs, and funding cuts in grant funded programs.
• Under Community Health funds, Domestic Violence Shelters and Services Programs were restored by $236,600 and Teen Parent Services $143,300.

In September, the General Assembly passed SB 790 to transfer funds, as well as the supplemental appropriations bill to appropriate $230.9 million in spending. In October, Governor Blagojevich signed the Senate Bill 790.

Blagojevich claims certain federal funds designated in SB 790 are restricted and the federal government warned that a failure to restore them would put future federal funding in jeopardy.  So the Governor vetoed  $55 million from the bill, including money to operate state historic sites. Say good-night, Abe.

Governor Blagojevich Aims to Cut 454 State Works to Balance Illinois’ Budget

(Springfield, IL) – Governor Rod Blagojevich plans to lay off more than 450 Illinois state employees from the departments of Children and Family Services, Human Services, Natural Resources and Historic Preservation, according to information provided to Illinois AFSCME by the administration.

DCFS would lose 304 positions, with 73 in DHS, 43 in DNR and 34 in Historic Preservation. The union has

Governor Rod Blagojevich

vowed to fight the cuts and seek legislative action to restore the funding.

The cuts came from amendatory vetoes the governor made last month on the Illinois budget. They will take effect on Sept. 30 in HPA, Oct. 31 in DNR, and Nov. 30 in DHS and DCFS.

The layoffs are likely to result in unmanageable caseloads for child protection, delays in obtaining benefits for needy families, and shorter hours and fewer programs at state parks and historic sites, according to Illinois AFSCME.

“The governor’s actions will put abused and neglected children at greater risk, reduce access to Medicaid and food stamps, and further harm state parks and historic sites,” AFSCME Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer said. “These cuts are irresponsible and they are deep, slashing 12 percent of the frontline workforce in child protection and more than 20 percent from historic preservation.

“The impact is made even worse when considered in light of steep cuts the Blagojevich Administration has previously made to these same agencies: Since 2001, DCFS has lost 28 percent of its frontline workforce, DNR 21 percent and DHS field offices 20 percent.”

Bayer vowed the union will fight to block them.

“There is time to reverse these cuts, but only if advocates, concerned citizens and lawmakers act quickly,” Bayer said. “Lawmakers should return to Springfield as soon as possible to take whatever action is necessary to fix the budget and stop these cuts.”

Blagojevich Axes $45 Million from Abused and Neglected Children Care

(Springfield, IL)— Abused and neglected kiddies got wacked, too.

Among the $1.4 billion vetoed by Governor Rod Blagojevich from the Illinois budget, the Governor cut more

Gov. Rod Blagojevich

than $45 million to fund foster care for the state’s 16,000 abused and neglected children, threatening care and jeopardizing federal government funding.

“The Governor’s vetoes undermine care for abused and neglected children. No way around it,” said Marge Berglind, CEO of Child Care Association of Illinois.

“What abused and neglected children need most is a caseworker’s attention, and they’ll get a whole lot less attention if Governor Blagojevich’s cuts stand,” said Berglind. “A caseworker’s caseload will jump from 15 to 1 to 20 to 1 in a heartbeat.”

If a caseworker’s caseload spikes to 20 to 1, then Illinois will risk failing federal outcome requirements for the foster children care. The state’s failure to meet those outcomes will jeopardize Illinois’ federal funding which constitutes almost one half of the annual DCFS foster care budget.

Balancing budget vetoes will unbalance the budget. Go figure.

New Illinois Budget Boosts Human Services with Bits of Unfunded Kibble

(Springfield, IL) — Despite the fact that Illinois General Assembly approved a new state budget with a projected $2.1 billion deficit, it still managed the head-scratching feat to underfund human services, like foster care, mental health care, drug treatment, etc.

• The state’s 7,500 foster parents had asked the legislature to help them offset galloping food and energy prices with a $24 million grant. Lawmakers ok’d $5 million. That’s about $9.75 per child per week. A couple gallons of milk. Whoopee.

• The Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association begged for $41 million for the financially-starved alcohol and drug abuse treatment system which currently has 7,500 people on waiting lists. The legislature approved $3 million.

• Mental health advocates sought $42 million to expand care to nearly 17,000 people. Legislators provided $2 million.

How can the Illinois General Assembly simultaneously overspend and and underfund in the same budget? It takes a special kind of talent.

Now human service providers are nervously wondering if Gov. Rod Blagojevich will veto these bits of unfunded kibble.

Can Illinois’ dysfunctional politics morph into anything more surreal than this?

IL House Approves, 105-6, $24 Million Grant to Foster Parents to Off-Set Surging Food, Gas Prices

(Springfield, IL) –The Illinois House overwhelmingly approved legislation, House Bill 5095, on Tuesday to provide a one-time payment this year of $24 million to the state’s 7,500 foster parents to help offset surging food prices and energy costs.

The House endorsed the measure 105-6.

“It’s an embarrassment that DCFS seeks volunteer foster parents to care for abused and neglected children and then refuses to pay the full cost of care as food and energy prices rise,” said State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), left, the chief-sponsor of the plan.

The payments would average $145 per foster parent.

Foster parents, who have had only one state reimbursement increase in seven years, on average, spend $703 per month—of that $281 comes out of the foster parent’s pocket, according to Margaret Berglind, above, the CEO of the Child Care Association of Illinois.

“Governor Rod Blagojevich’s budget—which is flat out fiction—blatantly ignores that Illinois foster families are facing the fastest-rising food prices in 17 years,” said Berglind. “Rep. Lang’s bill recognizes the reality of foster parent expenses.

“The foster family budget reality is a dozen eggs are 38% more expensive than last year, a gallon of milk 30% more expensive, a pound-loaf of wheat bread, 24%,” said Berglind. “All these price increases are coming out of the pockets of foster parents.”

Berglind also cited a national report on foster parent under-funding released last year by two national organizations and the University of Maryland School of Social Work. The report said Illinois average rates (for children 2, 9, and 16) were $380, $422, and $458 per month and they needed to be raised to $661, $757, and $830 to meet actual costs.

IL Foster Parents Pinched $281 Out-of-Pocket Each Month; Governor Budgets $0 Hike; Rep. Lang Pushes $24 Million

PODCAST: Click Here to Hear Podcast on $24 Million Grant to Foster Parents

(Springfield, IL) — Illinois foster parents, child welfare advocates and lawmakers today appeared at a press conference in Springfield to push legislation, House Bill 5095, to provide a one-time payment this year of $24 million to the state’s 7,500 foster parents.

The plan, sponsored by State Rep. LOU LANG (D-Skokie), aims to help offset surging food and energy prices and the state’s moldy and flinty reimbursement rate for expenses, expenses which force foster parents to dig into their own pockets and pull out, apart from lint balls, $281 per month.

The Illinois House Appropriations Human Services Committee approved Lang’s legislation, co-sponsored by Committee Chair SARA FEIGENHOLTZ (D-Chicago) in a bipartisan vote, 11-Zip.

(State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie; Margaret Berglind, President & CEO, Child Care Association of Illinois, left; foster parent Michelle Roberts of Charleston, center; and foster parent Gladys Boyd of Richton Park, right, at a Springfield press conference.)

Child Care Association of Illinois President & CEO Margaret Berglind dinged Gov. Rod Blagojevich for failing to budget an increase for foster parents, while pleading during his recent budget speech the need to help Illinois families struggling under nose-bleed high grocery bills.

done

“The Governor’s budget—which is flat out fiction—blatantly ignores that Illinois foster families are facing the fastest-rising food prices in 17 years,” said Berglind. “Rep. Lang’s bill recognizes the reality of foster parent expenses.” Ouch. Double Ouch.

Lang, like most Democratic House legislators, is feuding with Blagojevich. Lang likely liked the dig.

Lang said including the foster parent grant in the final state budget is his priority. We’ll see if his fellow lawmakers follow his lead.

The legislators with kids to feed may well agree. Heck, the Governor, a father himself, may finally agree, too.

PODCAST: Click Here to Hear Podcast on $24 Million Grant to Foster Parents: