Will County Gazette

A new law championed by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel creates the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot Program in Will County where an intake coordinator will collect resources for grandparents from various agencies and provide education services at Senior Service Centers. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 780 into law on Aug. 2.

"Grandparents raising their grandchildren in Will County will now have a better understanding of what state programs are available," Loughran Cappel wrote in a Facebook post. "I joined state Rep. Natalie Manley, Village of Romeoville Mayor John Noak, Illinois Department on Aging Director Paula Basta and Senior Services of Will County to celebrate the signing of House Bill 780. We’re streamlining the process so caretakers have a direct, local contact to connect with about the resources available."

In her Facebook post, Loughran Cappel shared a link to a news release that explained more about the program.

“Together, Manley and I want grandparents who raise their grandchildren to have a better understanding of what resources are available right here in Will County. This is a way to address the needs of caretakers while also helping our youth succeed on a path toward a bright future,” Loughran Cappel said in a press release.

House Bill 780, now known as Public Act 103-0411, will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. It requires that the department “establish and administer a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot Program to operate in Will County beginning Jan. 1, 2024 through Jan. 1, 2027.” The Senior Services Center of Will County is expected to designate an intake coordinator who “shall help connect grandparents raising grandchildren to relevant services and resources provided by the various state agencies,” according to the legislative page on the bill. It also “requires the intake coordinator to maintain records regarding the number of families who received referrals, the specific services each family was referred to and received and the frequency of calls and visits.”

The senator’s news release notes that the General Assembly expects an annual report detailing the number of families referred to relevant services, information regarding the frequency of calls and visits to the coordinator’s office during the preceding calendar year, for the life of the pilot program.

Loughran Cappel was elected to represent the 49th Senate District in 2020 and has experience as a special education teacher, as a Joliet High School board member and as a member of the Plainfield-Shorewood Chamber of Commerce and Romeoville Chamber of Commerce, according to her website. She is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Education Committee and a member of the Senate Agriculture, Education, Labor and State Government committees.