Thousands of low-income families would once again be able to get state help paying for child care ... under a compromise deal introduced Monday by Governor Bruce Rauner.
Rauner had been responsible for changes that cut the families off from the program in the first place. He unilaterally raised eligiblity standards ... so a parent making minimum wage no longer qualified.
After a months-long ruckus... Rauner, a Republican says he'll expand eligibility once again.
It comes a day before the Illinois House was set to pass a measure taking child care out from under the governor's control.
While Rauner describes his plan as a bipartisan deal ... critics fear he'll renege. James Muhammad, a spokesman with the SEIU union says Rauner's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Because he offers something that may sound good to some now but when the cover is pulled down the line, we'll be right back in the same place that we are now because he still has authority to make changes at the whim of his wishes."
Muhammad says it's only through Rauner's "abuse of powers" that Illinois is in this situation.
Meanwhile, Rauner's administration has officially dropped plans to limit which elderly and disabled Illinois residents qualify for state-subsidized services.
Illinois uses what's known as a Determination of Need score to assess eligibility. It factors in things like how much help is needed to perform daily tasks. The higher the need, the greater the score.
The current minimum threshold is 29, which Rauner wanted to make 37. Advocates say that would've have left 34,000 people without help.
Monday, Rauner's administration notified federal officials that Illinois won't pursue those changes. The decision was essentially made last week when Rauner rewrote a bill on who gets institutional or at-home care.
The bill's sponsor has said he's studying the veto and will consider an override attempt.
Lawmakers return to Springfield on Tuesday.
