AGENDA and MINUTES - Interagency Working Gorup on Poverty Elimination Second Quarter Meeting, June 18, 2025

Interagency Working Group on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security

Meeting Agenda and Minutes

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

1:00-2:30 PM

7/f Executive Conference Room, IDHS Building, 401 S Clinton St, Chicago, IL 60607

Recording

Agenda

  1. Welcome/Roll Call - Administrator Priya Khatkhate
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: March 19, 2025
  4. FY25 Annual Report Progress Update - Kaitlin Devaney
  5. State Spring Legislative Session and Budget Roundup
  6. Federal Budget Impacts - SNAP/Medicaid
  7. IWGP Housekeeping - Administrator Khatkhate
    1. Mandatory state trainings
    2. Subcommittee participation
  8. Next Steps
    1. Meeting schedule - invites sent
      1. Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 1:00-2:30 PM
      2. Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 1:00-2:30 PM
  9. Adjournment

Minutes

Statutory members:

Name Title Organization Attendance
Priya Khatkhate Chairperson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Programs Illinois Department of Human Services Present
Elizabeth Vogt Senior Policy Advisor Illinois Department on Aging Present
Tyler Bohannon Bureau Chief, Legislative Affairs Illinois Department of Agriculture Absent
Isabel Velez-Diez Deputy Director of Policy Development, Planning, & Research Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Present
Anna Koeppel Legislative and Policy Director Illinois Department of Labor Present
Marc Staley Deputy Director Illinois Governor's Office of Management and Budget Present
Dr. Janice Phillips Assistant Director Illinois Department of Public Health Absent
Jennifer Saba Chief Education Officer - Operations Illinois State Board of Education Absent
Alyssa Williams Assistant Director Illinois Department of Corrections Absent

Invited members:

Name Title Organization Attendance
Emily Mueller-Schwartz AD of Policy and Research Illinois Housing Development Authority Present
Carrie Thomas Deputy Director, Business Services Illinois Department of Employment Security Present
Dana Kelly Chief of Staff Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Absent

Facilitators: Kaitlin Devaney - Facilitator/Researcher, IRRPP

Guests:

  1. Leslie Cully - Director, IDHS- Division of Family and Community Services
  2. Erik Turner - Policy and Research Specialist, IHDA
  3. Andre Jordan - Director, IDHS-Office of Legislative Affairs
  4. Kennis Murphy
  5. Mahi Mahmood - Chief Strategy Officer, IDHS
  6. Karina Martinez - Legislative Liaison, IDHS-Office of Legislative Affairs
  7. Carrie Ramsden
  8. Emma Watters-Reardon - Policy Director, HFS

Agenda:

  1. Roll Call - led by Administrator Khatkhate.
  2. Public Comment - subject to written comment in advance; none received.
  3. Approval of Meeting Minutes: March 19, 2025 - postponed to next meeting.
  4. FY25 Annual Report Progress Update - Kaitlin Devaney, IRRPP
    • Report is broken down by pillar with state actions coming from IDPH, DoC, IDoA, IDoL, DCEO, IHDA and GOMB.
    • The report will be sent out to members in case they there are other works that they have missed to provide or any recommendations or projects for next year.
    • The report will also be sent internally within IDHS to include programs that have not been captured yet.
  5. State Spring Legislative Session and Budget Roundup - Deputy Director Marc Staley, GOMB/Director Andre Jordan, IDHS
    • FY26 State of Illinois General Funds Financial Walk Down
    • About 80% of the $55,297 billion of revenues come from individual income taxes, corporate tax and sales tax.
    • Other sources of revenues include lottery, cannabis, sports betting, and other transfers. Federal sources are primarily Medicaid reimbursement to GRF.
    • Total expenditures is $55,080 billion. Education is one of the largest expenditure areas of the state.
    • State operations total to $42 billion, pensions $10 billion which are mandatory, and transfers out of general funds is $2 billion.
    • Surplus totals to $217 million which will be lesser once contribution to the budget stabilization fund is made.
    • All is subject to change based on what happens in Washington.
    • FY26 Budget highlights
    • $55 billion spending plan is the 7th balanced budget. The big ticket items include $160 million going to the budget stabilization fund, the $100 million "bridge" reserve fund to help cover short-term emergencies, and $75 million for pension.
    • One of the big funding areas is Early Childhood with $750 million for Grant Block Funding and $200 million for workforce compensation grants to name a few.
    • Investment is still being made into the education system including K-12 and higher ed with the latter getting some increased funding.
    • Under Health and Social Services Program, the government continues to promote reproductive healthcare and birth equity with continued funding for reproductive care, maternal and child home visiting programs, and the diaper distribution pilot program.
    • Priority is also given to funding for the Home Illinois Program with $263.7 million; DCFS' budget is basically doubled with $2.5 billion, they are at the highest staffing level since 2002-2003; increased funding of $3 billion for developmental disabilities at DHS with an $0.80/hr increases for direct service providers starting January 1; $9.7 million adjustment for SSI; over $200 million for Smart Start Illinois; $116 million for the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention to target gun violence in critical areas across the state; $175 million in CCAP to support around 150,000 kids which will be the highest level of kids seen since 2013/15; Wages for providers under HSP will also get an increased funding; and $7.5 million funding for a 3% COLA for TANF.
    • Under HFS, some of the big things going are the 1115 waiver, behavioral health services integrated with physical healthcare, Pathways to Success Program, continuing health benefits for immigrant seniors (need to find other ways to coordinate and work to get funding for health benefits for immigrant adults); and increased funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers to help partially offset healthcare coverage loss due to federal actions.
    • Funding is continued for the Medical Debt Relief program which has provided debt relief for more than 290,000 Illinoisans.
    • Key investments are also being made under the Department on Aging with $0.75/hr wage increase for the Community Care Program and maintained funding for home delivered meals which has seen an increased consumption of the program since COVID.
    • Under IDPH, $6 million increase for the Office of Health Care Regulation which is responsible for licensing nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. The ratio of surveyor to nursing beds is 1 to 300.
    • Over a $100 million dollar investment is continued as well for Public Safety and Violence Prevention.
    • 6,747 house and senate bills were filed during the recent session (104th GA), 863 of them has potential DHS impact and were tracked by the Office of Legislative Affairs.
    • DHS has 7 initiatives that passed during the session including the DV hotline, Healthcare Admin Clean-up, Admin Leave, 211, RPSA Clean-up, CESSA and funding for 988.
    • FY26 budget takes effect July 1st per PA 104-0003.
    • Other funding that wasn't previously mentioned include maintaining base funding for food pantries, and $5 million for Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program.
    • The FY26 Budget Implementation Act (PA 104-0002) removes barriers for victims of domestic or sexual violence to receive TANF, eliminates matching funds requirement for the Emergency and Transitional Housing Program or the Supportive Housing Program and expands eligibility for SNAP and cash assistance benefits.
    • The Medicaid Omnibus (PA 104-0009) expands training and certification for family members caring for medically fragile children and requires hospitals and birthing centers to allow Medicaid-certified doulas as part of the care team.
    • Passed legislations addressing poverty include the
    1. State Public Defender Act (HB 3363);
    2. SB 2323 creating the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act;
    3. HB 3761 where the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness shall provide information on how hospitals or health care providers may connect patients with shelter and homeless support services and these providers will be trained on how to use the information;
    4. SB 1173 removes barriers for unhoused Illinoisans to access housing and state resources including prohibiting notary publics from charging a fee for state ID applications;
    5. HB 2517 expands required implicit bias training for health care workers to include potential maternal health risk factors;
    6. HB 3489 removes additional barriers to health care access such as expanding types of contraception that pharmacists can consult with patients and patients don't need to schedule doctor appointments;
    7. HB 3677 reduces prior authorization requirements for necessary medical repairs of patients' complex rehabilitation technology and requires suppliers to offer service and repairs for complex wheelchairs;
    8. HB 3377 increases transparency of school districts' use of federal funding;
    9. SB 407 creates the Chronic Absence Task Force;
    10. SB 406 creates the Early Childhood Integrated Data System;
    11. HB 2418 creates the Commission on Youth Sports;
    12. SB 1884 allows for work experience to be considered when filling for state job opportunities instead of a college degree;
    13. SB 212 requires employers to provide paid break time to employees needing to express breast milk instead of using paid leave.
  6. Federal Budget Impacts - SNAP - Leslie Cully/Mahi Mahmood, IDHS
    • No finalized bill yet, only SNAP policy proposals from both the House and Senate at the federal level.
    • In FY25, $4.7 billion in SNAP benefits were issued to 1,036,541 households in Illinois (1,882,383 persons) as of April 2025.
    • SNAP supports over 18,500 jobs in the state both in the grocery industry and supporting industries such as agriculture, transportation, etc resulting to $966 million wages generated annually.
    • In April 2025, the House passed a budget resolution which directed the Agricultural Committee to make $230 billion cuts over the next ten years. The Committee's Reconciliation Bill includes several drastic cuts/alterations to SNAP and the House passed it's version of the bill on May 22, 2025.
    • The Senate's Agricultural Committee released its own reconciliation text which contain similar proposals.
    • Congressional leadership aims to enact a reconciliation package by July 4, 2025.
    • Both House and Senate bills introduce a level of cost sharing with the states.
    • Both House and Senate proposed to reduce the federal share of SNAP administrative costs which would constitute an $82 million losses in reimbursement for Illinois.
    • Significant change on ABAWD population resulting to many people being at risk of losing their eligibility for SNAP based on the work requirements; a dependent child is currently someone under the age of 18, the version drops the age to 7 and Senate drops it to 10; the age for ABAWD is moved from 19-59 to 19-64.
    • Senate bill removes exemptions for work requirements for unhoused people, veterans and youth who have aged out of foster care.
    • SNAP education program will be repealed by the Senate immediately.
    • Changes around standard utility allowances.
    • Ms. Carrie Thomas shared that IDES' has a relatively simple low barrier way of getting people in their Illinois Joblink system and she could share it with IDHS if it will be helpful. Ms. Cully said it would be helpful for ABAWDS to register for employment however, it will not help them meet the work requirements that they have to be engaged with to qualify for SNAP.
    • Ms. Thomas also shared that IDES' is building a service structure for UI claimants that she can also share with IDHS.
    • Other proposed policy changes include the Alien SNAP Eligibility, Quality Control Zero Tolerance, National Accuracy Clearinghouse, and National Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program Repealer.
    • There is also language in the bill to require twice a year redeterminations for the able bodied populations for Medicaid (not for SNAP) and will require around 787,000 additional redeterminations a year that would have to be completed.
  7. Federal Budget Impacts - Medicaid - Emma Watters-Reardon, HFS
    • Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal and state governments. The federal match is based on the state's per capita income.
    • About 1 in 4 Illinoisans are enrolled in Medicaid. Every congressional district has Medicaid customers.
    • The key proposed cuts are on financing mechanisms, work requirements and a reduction to the federal match for a certain population.
    • States tax certain providers like hospitals and MCOs to help put up the state's share to the Medicaid program.
    • House and Senate proposed to freeze, and later reduce current provider taxes as well as prohibit new ones to fund state's share to Medicaid.
    • Mandates work requirements for non-disabled, childless Medicaid customers ages 19-64. Current numbers estimates 270,000-500,000 customers would lose coverage in Illinois.
    • Reduces federal match for the expansion population. It would be a penalty for states that are providing health coverage to those who are not qualified aliens. The bill also amends the definition of qualified aliens.
  8. Next Steps
    1. Slides presented by Kaitlin will be shared to members. Members are welcome to send additional information that can be added to the FY25 report.
    2. Meeting schedule - invites sent
      1. Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 1:00-2:30 PM
      2. Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 1:00-2:30 PM
  9. Adjournment - Dir. Staley moved to adjourn the meeting seconded by Ms. Koeppel. The group unanimously agreed to adjourn at 2:27 PM