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92_HJ0046
LRB9209077RHrhA
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The General Assembly supports a single system of
3 early intervention services; and
4 WHEREAS, The General Assembly further supports the
5 sentiments set forth under the Federal Individuals with
6 Disabilities Education Act Part C, which established federal
7 financial assistance for states to develop and implement a
8 statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary,
9 interagency system that provides early intervention services
10 to enhance the development of infants and toddlers with
11 disabilities and to minimize their potential for a
12 developmental delay; and
13 WHEREAS, Child development research has established that
14 the rate of human learning and development is most rapid in
15 the preschool years; and
16 WHEREAS, Research has also shown that early intervention
17 results in a child requiring fewer special education and
18 other habilitative services later in life, and also reduces
19 the possibility of the child being held back in school; and
20 WHEREAS, In addition to enhancing the personal growth,
21 health, and opportunity of a child, Early Intervention
22 provides a long-term cost-savings of $5 to $7 in special
23 education costs for every $1 spent on early intervention
24 services per child; and
25 WHEREAS, The benefits of these services have recently
26 been jeopardized in Illinois by unanticipated growth in
27 enrollment, which has subsequently produced a shortfall in
28 funds for the program; and
29 WHEREAS, The legislature recognizes that in order to
30 maintain early intervention services for all eligible infants
31 and toddlers, and thus, continue to reap the full long-term
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1 benefits these services provide, both for the child and the
2 State, the Department of Human Services must have a dedicated
3 source of support from members of the General Assembly;
4 therefore be it
5 RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
7 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the General Assembly shall
8 convene and administer a legislative Advisory Committee for
9 the Early Intervention Program; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, The Early Intervention Legislative Advisory
11 Committee shall be responsible for providing support and
12 guidance to the managing body of the Early Intervention
13 program within the Department of Human Services and shall be
14 further responsible for the following:
15 (1) Serving as the body to which the Department of
16 Human Services reports on the progress of implementing
17 cost-containment strategies and the status of the
18 program;
19 (2) Monitoring the ongoing implementation of
20 recommended cost-containment strategies;
21 (3) Assessing any persistent programmatic
22 weaknesses and assisting the Department in addressing
23 those weaknesses;
24 (4) Monitoring the Department's efforts in
25 utilizing all resources necessary to bring the Early
26 Intervention Program back under fiscal control without
27 jeopardizing services to all eligible infants and
28 toddlers; and
29 (5) Maintaining ongoing communication with the
30 Bureau of the Budget and the Office of the Governor
31 regarding the status of the program; and be it further
32 RESOLVED, That the Committee shall consist of a bicameral
33 and bipartisan membership totaling 8 members, with two
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1 legislative members appointed by each Majority and Minority
2 Leader in the House and Senate, and shall also consist of a
3 representative from each of the following: the Department of
4 Human Services, the Department of Insurance, the Department
5 of Public Aid, and the University of Illinois at Chicago
6 Division of Specialized Care for Children; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, The Department of Human Services shall be
8 responsible for reporting to the Early Intervention
9 Legislative Advisory Committee at least once a month
10 regarding the following information:
11 (1) Number of children enrolled in Early
12 Intervention;
13 (2) Number of children covered by Medicaid/Kidcare
14 and the number of children who may be eligible for
15 Medicaid/Kidcare;
16 (3) Number of children covered by private
17 insurance;
18 (4) Breakdown of enrollment by diagnosis (including
19 the number of children with a specific developmental
20 disability diagnosis);
21 (5) CFC/provider capacity, caseload, and any
22 caseload backlog;
23 (6) Status of billing for private insurance,
24 including insurance billing training procedures;
25 (7) CFC funding breakdown;
26 (8) Status of the data management system and its
27 capacity to detect variances in the system (such as the
28 number of services received and number of hours billed
29 for services);
30 (9) Status of the IFSP process under the service
31 guidelines, including any concerns that may have been
32 voiced regarding the process and how the Department is
33 addressing those concerns;
34 (10) Status of the IMDN quality assurance review
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1 process, including any concerns that may have been voiced
2 by either parents or providers and how they Department
3 may be addressing those concerns;
4 (11) Status of the development of a long-term
5 strategic plan for the Early Intervention Program with
6 programmatic and outcomes-based goals; and
7 (12) Any additional information requested by
8 members of the Legislative Advisory Committee; and be it
9 further
10 RESOLVED, The Department of Human Services shall be
11 responsible for submitting an official interim report in
12 November 2001 and a final report in June 2002 to the Early
13 Intervention Legislative Advisory Committee, which must
14 include, but not be limited to, the following:
15 (1) Data analysis based on data provided in the
16 monthly update reports;
17 (2) Enrollment and cost projections for FY03 (with
18 rough estimates included in the November report and final
19 estimates to be included in the June report);
20 (3) Comparisons of regional information/performance
21 (downstate vs. Chicago-area);
22 (4) Analysis and achievement status of goals, as
23 outlined under the Department's Early Intervention
24 long-term strategic plan;
25 (5) Identification of any programmatic weaknesses,
26 including strategies the Department is considering to
27 address these weaknesses; and
28 (6) Any additional information requested by members
29 of the Legislative Advisory Committee; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this Resolution shall
31 be provided to the Secretary of Human Services and the
32 Associate Secretary in charge of the Early Intervention
33 Program.