Bill
HB 2694
Illinois replaces TANF with the CASH program to broaden cash aid, expanding eligibility to more families, including pregnant individuals without dependents.
Status & Sponsors
- Bill number: HB 2694
- Primary sponsor: Rep. Lilian Jiménez
- Co‑sponsors include: Michael Crawford, Nabeela Syed, Abdelnasser Rashid, Suzanne M. Ness, Yolonda Morris, Diane Blair‑Sherlock, Kelly M. Cassidy
- Legislative status (selected): Passed both chambers, sent to and signed by the Governor (signed 2025‑06‑20). The bill text contains an implementation date of July 1, 2026; legislative records also note “effective immediately” on enactment — see “Timeline & Status” below for this discrepancy.
Purpose
- Establishes a new statewide cash assistance program (called CASH) to replace the existing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The stated aim is to increase reach, simplify access, and provide more direct cash support to reduce deep poverty and improve household stability.
Key provisions (as introduced)
- Replaces TANF with the Cash Assistance to Strengthen Households (CASH) program: TANF becomes inoperative after June 30, 2026 and is superseded by CASH.
- Eligibility changes: expands who may receive cash assistance to include categories not always covered under TANF (explicitly calls out pregnant persons without dependent children and assistance units headed by a defined “caretaker relative”).
- Income and asset rules: revises income thresholds and the treatment of income/resources for purposes of eligibility and benefit calculation (includes multiple conforming and technical changes across the Illinois Public Aid Code).
- Immigration status: includes provisions addressing how immigration status affects eligibility (text indicates new or revised standards; consult final statutory text for details).
- Benefit levels and payments: establishes how amounts of aid are determined and administered, including provisions for substitute payees in certain cases.
- Administration and processes: sets application requirements, income verification and periodic eligibility redeterminations, and transition rules to move existing TANF assistance units into the CASH program.
- Rulemaking and conforming changes: directs the Department (state human services agency) to promulgate rules to implement the program and makes numerous conforming revisions throughout the Illinois Public Aid Code.
Who is affected
- Current TANF recipients and families that would otherwise be eligible for TANF.
- Pregnant individuals without dependent children and households headed by caretaker relatives (explicitly named).
- State agencies and local county departments that administer public aid programs (they must implement new rules, eligibility processes, and transition procedures).
- Immigrant communities whose eligibility depends on the bill’s immigration‑related provisions.
Budgetary and policy context
- The bill includes legislative findings emphasizing rising deep poverty and the need to expand and simplify cash assistance rather than rely on heavily conditional programs. The summary as provided does not include specific appropriation figures for the CASH program; final budgetary impact would be determined in implementing budget actions and department rulemakings.
Timeline & status notes
- Bill text: designates TANF inoperative after June 30, 2026 and specifies the CASH program becomes effective July 1, 2026.
- Legislative action records: show the bill was passed and signed by the governor on June 20, 2025, with an entry stating “Effective immediately.” This creates an apparent inconsistency between the bill’s internal effective date language and enactment records—consult the enrolled act or bill as signed into law for the controlling effective date.
Related note
- The document package also contains an unrelated appropriation provision referencing an Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management $5,000,000 allocation to the Fry Fire District; that appears to be a separate, unrelated insertion and not part of the Illinois CASH program substantive text.
For the definitive legal effect, consult the enrolled act as signed by the Governor and the Department’s implementing rules when issued.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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