To help the human service agencies that continue to suffer in the ongoing budget impasse, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) put forth a plan that would handle payments to all human services the same, rather than prioritizing certain contracts over others.

“We should treat the people that care for our most vulnerable citizens fairly,” Hunter said. “Programs like Redeploy Illinois, homeless youth services and others have been bearing the financial burden of the state of Illinois for the almost two years we’ve gone without a budget. This legislation will not only prioritize the payments human service providers need but also compensate organizations for delayed payments.”

Under current law, when state government fails to pay vendors on time, the Prompt Payment Act sets regulations for how to pay vendors in a timely manner for their services. Those guidelines only apply to construction contractors and some human service contractors.

Senate Bill 1848 seeks to expand the Prompt Payment Act to include all human service contractors. This will help vendors by ensuring that they receive payments on time or are at least compensated for prolonged delays.

The bill moved out of committee and to the full Senate for further discussion.