HB4299 Summary

• Establishes a pilot program in at least 5 counties to address racial disparities in child welfare removal decisions using a "blind removal strategy" that redacts identifying information about children and parents.

• Requires participating counties to include at minimum one county each from southern Illinois, northern Illinois, and a rural area of the state, selected on a voluntary basis.

• Mandates redaction of names, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, political beliefs, address, income, education level, marital status, birth order, and unsubstantiated prior investigations during child removal decision meetings.

• Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to evaluate the pilot programs after 3 years and report to the General Assembly on their impact, specifically monitoring removal rates for Black, Native American, and Latinx children.

• Implementation is subject to appropriation and the program is repealed on January 1, 2026.