SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Illinois state lawmakers joined advocates in Springfield Wednesday to call on the state to pay people more who care for individuals with developmental disabilities.

State Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford; Rep. Yolanda Morris, D-Chicago, state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago; and Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, joined advocates to ask the state to allocate an additional $120 million to paying direct-support professionals (DSP) contract reimbursements. The dollars would go directly to DSPs and give them a $3-per-hour raise, allowing them to make at least $22.50 per hour. That number is 150% of the state minimum wage as of Jan. 1, 2025, which will be $15 per hour. A number of studies showed that would attract enough DSPs to meet the current need.

“This is a worker justice issue. DSPs make enormous sacrifices to protect the extremely vulnerable populations that they serve and they deserve to be paid fairly for the vitality and importance of the work that they do,” West said.

The state would be eligible for a 50% reimbursement from the federal government that would bring the final cost down to $60 million.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker did not include funding for the wage increases in his proposed fiscal year 2025 budget.

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