Committee on Budget & Government Operations
May 26, 2021 City Council Meeting
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago is a home rule municipality as described in Section 6(a), Article Vll of the 1970 Constitution ofthe State of Illinois, and as such may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs, including protecting the public health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Family & Support Services ("DFSS") is an executive department of the City established pursuant to Chapter 2-50 of the Municipal Code of Chicago, to, among other things, develop, administer, and coordinate programs and projects to assist in the healthy growth, development, and socialization of children and adolescents and to promote their well-being and school readiness; and
WHEREAS, Beginning in late 2019, a new and highly communicable type of coronavirus, now commonly known as COVID-19, emerged and began to spread rapidly across the globe, with the first known case being reported in Illinois in January 2020: and
WHEREAS, Despite efforts to contain COVID-19, it continued to spread throughout many parts of the State of Illinois including the City, resulting in an unprecedented public health crisis and related economic slowdown; and
WHEREAS, The Brookings Institution recent observed that "[fjamilies with children, and specifically single mother households, have experienced high levels of material hardship over the past year"; and
WHEREAS, The University of Illinois recently published a report entitled Women and Child Care in Illinois: A Survey of Working Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic, which concluded that "[pjandemic-related child care demands created additional economic and career hardships for mothers who continued to work, particularly for women of color"; and
WHEREAS, As COVID-19 mitigation efforts and vaccine distribution continue to lower COVID-19 rates statewide, and the City and State proceed to reopen workplaces and schools, residents who have suffered negative economic impacts from COVID-19 will need to secure quality, affordable child care; and
WHEREAS, The State, through the Illinois Department of Human Services, provides financial assistance for child care to Illinois residents below 200% of the federal poverty line through the Child Care Assistance Program (the "State Program"); and
WHEREAS, It is in the best interests of the City to provide short-term financial assistance to assist families who are ineligible for the State Program, but are nonetheless facing extreme
|1010|
difficulties affording child care following the severe economic impacts caused by COVID-19; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. All of the foregoing recitals are expressly adopted herein as the legislative findings of the City Council, and are incorporated herein and made a part of this ordinance.
SECTION 2. .The Chicago Child Care Assistance Program (the "Program") is hereby created, and DFSS is hereby authorized to provide child care assistance to eligible applicants through child care providers, subject to the requirements of this ordinance and the availability of duly appropriated funds.
SECTION 3. To be considered for the Program, Chicago residents must submit an application to DFSS in a form prescribed by DFSS. Applications that contain incomplete or inaccurate information will be rejected. In order to be eligible for the Program, applicants must demonstrate that:
they are a Chicago resident who has at least one dependent who requires child care while the applicant is working or is participating in an employment program or an education or training program approved under the State Program, and such dependent is either: (a) under the age of 13, or (b) under the age of 19 with documented special needs, in accordance with the rules of the State Program;
they have an income between 200% and 250% of the federal poverty guidelines based on the applicant's household size; and
they are not already receiving assistance under the State Program.
Except as otherwise required by law, when determining eligibility for the Program, DFSS shall not consider or require disclosure of an applicant's: (i) criminal record or criminal history, or (ii) citizenship or immigration status. ^
SECTION 4. The Commissioner of Family and Support Services (the "Commissioner") is authorized to adopt such rules and regulations as the Commissioner may deem necessary for the proper implementation, administration, and enforcement of the Program. The Commissioner shall prepare applications, which shall include all information needed by DFSS to evaluate an applicant's eligibility to participate in the Program in accordance with this ordinance. DFSS shall review all applications for completeness and accuracy, and shall determine whether applicants are eligible for assistance under the Program. In the event that the number of eligible applicants exceeds the amount of assistance that may be provided from the funds allocated to the Program, DFSS shall implement a random selection process to select eligible applicants for participation in the Program. DFSS may use any legal means to recapture any assistance under the Program given to applicants or paid to providers who knowingly misrepresent any material information in their application to the Program, or who violate any laws or rules governing the Program.
|1010|
i
SECTION 5. Any resident selected to receive assistance under the Program is eligible to receive assistance of $2,000 per household, per dependent, provided that no single household may receive more than $6,000 in total assistance under the Program. Any assistance under the Program shall be paid directly to the applicable child care provider, subject to Section 6 of this ordinance.
SECTION 6. Payment under this Program shall be made only for child care that meets the requirements of this ordinance and is provided by a "qualified provider" under the State Program pursuant to the rules promulgated by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
SECTION 7. To the extent permitted by law, payments under the Program shall not affect any recipient's eligibility, and no such payments shall be taken into account when determining any recipient's income level or assets, for any current or future City, State, or federal program or benefit administered by the City that is based upon income level or assets, including eligibility for any affordable housing benefits, to rent any income-limited dwelling unit under the applicable Affordable Requirements Ordinance, or eligibility for any future reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans.
SECTION 8. The amount of $25,000,000 not previously appropriated from funds awarded to the City under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is hereby appropriated to finance the Program.
SECTION 9. This ordinance shall take effect upon passage and publication.
Matthew J. Martin Alderman, 47th Ward
Michael Scott Jr. Alderman, 24th Ward
|1010|CITY OF CHICAGO
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK ANNA M. VALENCIA
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Form
Document No.:
. 1 pAo*t - iizy
CfiA Qr OcfcUfeViwv^f vP* c^\»U tort. as6teW\£« pCDQftbn
Adding Co-Sponsor(s)
Please ADD Co-Sponsor(s) Shown Below-(Principal Sponsor's Consent Required)
Susan Sadlowski Garza
(Signature)
Alderman
Date Filed: lp/\ j 0^ 2~
Removing Co-Sponsor(s) Please REMOVE Co-Sponsor(s) Below - (Principal Sponsor's Consent NOT Required)
Alderman
(Signature)
(I I Ward,
(Signature)
Date Filed:
Final Copies To Be Filed With: • Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
• City Clerk
121 NORTH LASALLE STREET. ROOM 107, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602
CITY OF CHICAGO
*
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Form
02021-2128
Call for establishment of Chicago Child Care Assistance Program
Adding Co-Sponsor(s)
Please ADD Co-Sponsor(s) Shown Below-(Principal Sponsor's Consent Required)
Alderman
Alderman
Date Filed:
(/A fan
(Signature)
Principal Sponsor:
Removing Co-Sponsor(s) Please REMOVE Co-Sponsor(s) Below - (Principal Sponsor's Consent NOT Required)
fl I Ward)
(Signature)
(I | Ward)
(Signature)
Date Filed:
Final Copies To Be Filed With: • Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
• City Clerk
city of chicago
office; of the city clerk anna m. valencia
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Form
02021-2128
Call for establishment of child care assistance program
Adding Co-Sponsor(s)
Please ADD Co-S§onsor(s)Shown Below - (Principal Sponsor's Consent Required)
(Signature)
Principal Sponsor:.
(Signature)
Removing Co-Sponsor(s) Please REMOVE Co-Sponsor(s) Below - (Principal Sponsor's Consent NOT Required)
Alderman.
(Signature)
Alderman
(Signature)
Date Filed:
Final Copies To Be Filed With: * Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
• City Clerk
121 NORTH LASALLE S1 R l: V. T. ROOM 107. CHICAOO. ILLINOIS 00602
CITY OF CHICAGO
— -* , ,
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK, ANNA M. VALENCIA
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Form
02021-2128
Call for establishment of child care assistance program
Adding Co-Sponsor(s)
Please ADD Co-Sponsor(s) Shown Below-(Principal Sponsor's Consent Required)
Alderman
(Signature)
Alderman
(Signature)
Date Filed: . Principal Sponsor:
Removing Co-Sponsor(s) Please REMOVE Co-Sponsor(s) Below- (Principal Sponsor's Consent NOT Required)
Alderman (I I Ward)
(Signature)
Alderman (| | Ward)
(Signature)
Date Filed:
Final Copies To Be Filed With: • Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
• City Clerk
121 NORTH LASALLE STREET, ROOM 107, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602