Illinois lawmakers are working on legislation intended to help youth programs struggling under the state budget impasse.
The state owes interest to most vendors and service providers if they've waited more than three months to get paid. But that law doesn’t include youth services. These are programs that help kids avoid jail time, or get counseling after friends are murdered on the street. Nora Collins-Mandeville works for the Illinois Collaboration on Youth. She says the exclusion is an oversight, and is causing huge financial problems for such organizations.
"They’re taking out loans, they’re extending lines of credit. Even some of them are putting mortgages on their property that they’ve paid in full," she said.
There’s bipartisan support for legislation that would correct the oversight. But fixing delayed payments would require a full state budget. However, the bill could make it easier for youth service groups to access loans to keep them afloat.
