Manley Hosts Judge Collette Safford at Monthly Legislative Advisory Committee for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, welcomed Will County Circuit Judge Collette Safford to discuss guardianship during a recent meeting of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Legislative Advisory Committee (GrandLAC).

Rep. Manley hosts these legislative advisory committees to identify areas where policy solutions could help.

“The complexities of guardianship are overwhelming for anyone, not only elderly grandparents,” Rep. Manley said. “Judge Collette Safford proved to be a critical resource in describing the ins and outs, and offered necessary warnings and potential blocks.”

The grandparents at the meeting shared issues affecting them across multiple state agencies and local governments. They emphasized the need for legislation to reduce the burden of adopting or receiving guardianship of a child.

Manley hosts this committee to discuss legislative ideas to better equip new guardians with knowledge of their rights and available resources. For example, one issue that can be difficult for families is that children in state custody will lose state health insurance upon adoption, which can discourage grandparents from adopting. Additionally, grandparents who overcome financial hurdles to adopt often struggle to provide necessary resources, especially for children with special needs.

“I want to thank Judge Safford for taking the time after court to come and offer advice for people wanting to help children,” Rep. Manley said.

With more than 70,000 grandparents raising grandchildren in Illinois, Manley identified the potential for legislation to help address the needs of this population and created GrandLAC in 2022. The committee served a central role in crafting the bill that Manley introduced as House Bill 780 to establish the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot Program. The bill was approved by the Illinois House and Senate, and for its signing into law, Gov. J.B. Pritzker came to Will County on Aug. 2, 2023.

House Bill 780 requires the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) to establish and administer the program in Will County from Jan. 1, 2024 through Jan. 1, 2027. To this end, Senior Services Center of Will County, one of the 13 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), designated an intake coordinator to connect grandparents raising grandchildren to relevant services and resources provided by the various state agencies.

In addition to GrandLAC, Rep. Manley also hosts three other legislative action committees: Retirees LAC (RLAC), Women’s LAC (WLAC), and Neurodiversity LAC (NeuroLAC), which discusses neurodiversity.

Anyone interested in participating in Rep. Manley’s legislative advisory committees may contact her district office at repmanley@gmail.com or 815-725-2741 (call or text).