Frerichs Backs Legislation to Add Crisis Nurseries to Illinois Tax Checkoff List

A bill to help steer voluntary donations towards crisis nurseries in Illinois has made its second appearance in Springfield.

Crisis nurseries provide free short-term child care for families undergoing emergencies. Stephanie Record (reh-CORD) is executive director of the Crisis Nursery in Urbana. She says the legislation would make more funding possible, at a time when her agency is seeing a drop in grant funding and an increase in demand for services.

"If we get 100,000 people to check off every year, explains Record, "we would be able to remain on there, and then split those dollars between the six nurseries throughout the state".

State Senator Mike Frerichs of Champaign says his bill passed the Senate last year, but was blocked in the House due to infighting between the House Speaker and former Governor Rod Blagjevich. He's more optimistic about the bill's chances this year. The measure passed the Senate last month, and is being sponsored in the House by Danville Republican Bill Black.

If the bill becomes law, crisis nurseries in Illinois would join ten other charities to which Illinois taxpayers may donate part of their tax refund. Frerichs says he doesn't agree with legislators who say that bringing in a new charity will hurt levels of giving to those already on the tax checkoff list.