Illinois · House Bill 4298 · 104th General Assembly

DCFS-CHILD WELFARE-INTEGRITY

  1. Introduced Jan 6, 2026
  2. In committee Jan 14, 2026
  3. Passed the House Next
  4. Passed the Senate  
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law  

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that the purpose of the amendatory Act is to ensure that individuals with felony convictions are not assigned to child protective investigations or issued a Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL). Prohibits persons with a felony conviction from holding a CWEL, performing child protection investigations, or supervising investigation staff. Requires the Department…

Read the full title (168 words)

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that the purpose of the amendatory Act is to ensure that individuals with felony convictions are not assigned to child protective investigations or issued a Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL). Prohibits persons with a felony conviction from holding a CWEL, performing child protection investigations, or supervising investigation staff. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services and every purchase of service agency that contracts with the Department to require all child welfare employees to undergo a fingerprint-based background check, a statewide criminal history search, and a Federal Bureau of Investigation national criminal history background check every 3 years during the term of employment. Requires the Department to revoke a child welfare employee's CWEL immediately upon discovery that the employee has a felony conviction. Prohibits POS agencies that contract with the Department from employing any person convicted of a felony to work as a child welfare employee and sets forth certain penalties for violations of the prohibition. Effective January 1, 2027.

Every action

3 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

  1. HouseFiled with the Clerk by Rep. Jed Davis
  2. HouseFirst Reading
  3. CommitteeReferred to Rules Committee · House Rules

Roll calls

No recorded votes on this bill yet.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it.

From Illinois's official records (www.ilga.gov), checked Nov 13, 2026. Text links go to the official versions; LegiList does not copy bill text.