Springfield Office District Office

316 State House 16W281 83rd Street, Suite C

Springfield, Illinois 62706 Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527
Phone: 217-782-0494 Phone: 630-325-2028
Fax: 217-782-7012 Fax: 630-325-2291
repdurkin@hotmail.com

Illinois House of Representatives

Jim Durkin
State Representative – 82nd District
House Republican Leader

January 10, 2021

State Representative Camille Lilly

6937 W. North Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302

cc: Governor J.B. Pritzker, Speaker Chris Welch

Chairperson Lilly,

The Department of Children and Family Services receives over a billion dollars in state support
annually. It is tasked with protecting the state's most vulnerable residents, a mission both
Republicans and Democrats can agree is essential to the state. That is why it is so heartbreaking to
see that DCFS Director Marc Smith is being held in contempt of court for failing to do his job.

Recently the Chicago Sun Times reported that Director Smith has failed for months to properly place
two youth in care of the state in appropriate settings. Instead, keeping them in psychiatric care well
after they were ready to be placed with a family.

Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents. Under the Pritzker administration, more than 350
children have been left to languish in psychiatric care despite having been cleared to move on to a
family setting.

The unprecedented step by the Cook County judiciary to hold Director Smith in contempt needs to be
a wake-up call to the General Assembly. The lack of action by DCFS is failing the children in the care of
the state.

I hope you agree and will immediately convene hearings with DCFS and Director Smith on this issue.
The taxpayer dollars that have been allocated to DCFS are clearly not being spent the way the General
Assembly intended, and the core mission of DCFS is not being fulfilled. It is the duty of your
committee to immediately investigate this matter, our children can’t wait.

Sincerely,

Jim Durkin
House Republican Leader
82nd District