SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Democratic legislators in both chambers are proposing a monthly allowance of diapers for families in need.
The proposed bills will allow parents to get $70 a month per child in the Senate’s version of the bill and $30 in the House’s version of the bill if they meet eligibility requirements.
“No one should have to choose if their lights are going to be on, what they pay for life saving medication, if their child will be able to have their diaper changed or not,” Rep. Lakeshia Collins (D-Chicago) said. “This is one step forward in the right direction for our state to ease some of these burdens off the families.”
Infants and toddlers need on average 10 diapers per day, according to Pampers. If a young child wears diaper substitutes or a diaper for too long, they can get irritation, prolonged diaper rash, and UTIs along with other health complications.
“These babies can’t speak for themselves, they can’t drive here to Springfield, and talk to their state legislators and ask them to help,” Lee Ann Porter, the founder of the Loving Bottoms Diaper Bank, said. “We’re going to keep standing up and talking about it until every baby in Illinois, regardless of if they live in a small rural community or a large urban one, that every baby has access to the diapers that they need.”