Bill Text: IL SR0167 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: The State fiscal year 2022 health and human services budget should ensure that people and communities have access to essential services, including services that address the social determinants of health, economic support, and family well-being.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-07-16 - Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments [SR0167 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SR0167-Introduced.html

---

SR0167 LRB102 17654 LAW 23484 r
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Health and human service organizations are
important components of a strong Illinois, essential employers
for a robust economy, and integral to healthy and safe
communities throughout our State; and
WHEREAS, These organizations contribute $4.5 billion to
the economy annually, while ensuring people are healthy,
stable, and able to realize their potential, care for their
families, and contribute to their communities; and
WHEREAS, These organizations play a fundamental role in
providing person-centered, culturally sensitive,
evidence-based healthcare, social services, and long-term
services and supports aimed at promoting equality,
opportunity, and advancing equity; and
WHEREAS, According to national statistics, 81% of social
workers are female, with 27% of social workers being people of
color; 69% of counselors are female, with 24.7% of counselors
being people of color; 87% of direct support professionals are
female, with 60% of direct support professionals being people
of color; 87% of nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides
are female, with 39% of these professionals being people of
color; and

SR0167 - 2 - LRB102 17654 LAW 23484 r
WHEREAS, Adequately supported health and human service
organizations are crucial in preventing hospitalizations and
addressing the increased demand for services, including
childcare, access to food, housing, mental health services and
supports to persons with disabilities, and healthcare for our
most underserved populations; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic greatly publicized the
crucial nature of health and human service organizations, with
increased expectations to provide high quality services and
supports in an unprecedented environment, while ensuring the
health and safety of as many Illinoisans as possible; and
WHEREAS, It has been consistently documented across
national and state level studies that many health and human
services sectors were in precarious financial positions prior
to the start of the pandemic, which significantly hampers the
ability of these organizations to meet their missions of
service; and
WHEREAS, According to Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap
Study, food insecurity in Illinois is projected to increase by
46% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Northwestern University
estimating 23% of Illinois households being impacted; and

SR0167 - 3 - LRB102 17654 LAW 23484 r
WHEREAS, According to data from the Illinois Department of
Public Health, 85% of COVID-19 fatalities are among adults age
60 or older, with nearly half of these deaths being residents
of nursing homes; and
WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Public
Health data, opioid overdose deaths rose 36.5% in the first
five months of 2020, from 197 deaths in January to 269 deaths;
and
WHEREAS, According to data from Illinois counties, teen
suicides were up in 2020 compared to 2019; Cook County's Black
community experienced 71 suicides in the first 9 months of
2020, compared to 56 in all of 2019; and
WHEREAS, There are 18,452 individuals with developmental
disabilities on Illinois' Prioritization of Unmet Need for
Services (PUNS), meaning these individuals and families are
waiting for access to services and supports; and
WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of Children
and Family Services, there were 143,056 child victims
associated with investigations of abuse or neglect in 2019;
and
WHEREAS, According to the Child and Family Research Center

SR0167 - 4 - LRB102 17654 LAW 23484 r
at the University of Illinois, Black children are more than
two and a half times more likely to be taken into protective
custody than white children; and
WHEREAS, According to McKinsey and Company, students on
average could lose five to nine months of learning by the end
of June 2021, making learning enrichment and the social and
emotional support provided in afterschool programs critical to
helping Illinois children return to success; and
WHEREAS, Illinois early childhood programs were required
to operate at a 30% reduced capacity during phases 3 and 4 of
the Restore Illinois plan, putting significant financial
strain on an already fragile system; and
WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development and the U.S. Census American Community
Survey, an estimated 10,199 individuals experience street and
shelter-based homelessness and an additional 106,443 people
experience homelessness by temporarily staying with others
across Illinois; and
WHEREAS, More than 3 million Illinoisans live in 245 areas
experiencing shortages in primary health care workforce across
our State, limiting their access to basic health care; and

SR0167 - 5 - LRB102 17654 LAW 23484 r
WHEREAS, Nationally, 95% of community health centers have
reported at least one clinical staff vacancy, impacting their
ability to provide community-directed, primary and
preventative care; and
WHEREAS, While health and human services are always
important components of a strong state, the current crisis
facing Illinois elevates health and human services to the
highest priority level for the General Assembly and the
Governor as they approach the State fiscal year 2022 budget;
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the State fiscal year
2022 health and human services budget should ensure that
people and communities have access to essential services,
including services that address the social determinants of
health, economic support, and family well-being; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the budget should include funding to
accommodate the increasing number of people in need of health
and human services, to continue reimbursing for remote
services, and to promote flexibility in order to adapt to
evolving needs; and be it further

SR0167 - 6 - LRB102 17654 LAW 23484 r
RESOLVED, That the health and human services budget should
prioritize funding for communities that have been hardest hit
by the pandemic, including Black, Brown, and rural
communities, and reflect the needs of those who have been
disproportionately impacted by systemic racism, which has been
exacerbated by COVID-19; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the health and human services budget should
avoid historic silos and take a holistic approach to budgeting
by understanding how the various State departments and their
programs interact with and impact each other, avoid
short-sighted and costly strategy of short-term cuts, and
instead invest in prevention and early intervention to prevent
suffering and control costs over the long term; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the health and human services budget should
invest in the human services workforce both as a matter of
equity and to ensure the sector is able to attract, support,
and retain talented and committed individuals, recognizing the
workforce is disproportionately female, disproportionately
people of color, and disproportionately low-income to
moderate-income people who have been acting as essential
workers and have shouldered the burden of care in this
pandemic; and be it further

SR0167 - 7 - LRB102 17654 LAW 23484 r
RESOLVED, That the overall budget should include new means
of revenue including, but not limited to, closing loopholes
and corporate perks, and should invest those revenues in
health and human services that will help hasten Illinois'
recovery from the pandemic; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we support the principles detailed in this
resolution as we work with the Governor and his administration
to finalize the State fiscal year 2022 budget.