Yang Rohr backs HB4966 to enhance safeguards for youth in DCFS custody

Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-41st) supported HB4966, voting Yes on the proposal aimed at bolstering protections for youth in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services during the 104th General Assembly on May 31, 2026. The Illinois House approved the legislation in a 75-40 vote.

As described in the official bill language, the measure is titled "DCFS-SECURE ACT."

The following explanation provides a summary and interpretation of the bill's text to clarify its features.

This legislation, set to take effect July 1, 2027, enacts the SECURE Act to reinforce protections for children under DCFS supervision, with particular focus on those placed out of state. It requires case plans to define caregiver responsibilities for providing secure, nondiscriminatory, and affirming care tailored to each youth’s characteristics and needs. The department is prohibited from authorizing conversion therapy. The law also directs comprehensive risk and health assessments, ongoing Illinois-based oversight for children 8 or older in interstate placements, gives these children a general right to their preferred placement, and secures access to health services lawful in Illinois. Annual public reporting, performance audits, increased judicial review, legal representation for designated youth, and private rights of action against DCFS and licensed providers are also mandated for noncompliance.

The official action recorded for HB4966 was 'Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 House Concurs.'

Rohr earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 2002 and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2010.

Rohr, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois House in 2021 to serve the 41st District, succeeding former representative Grant Wehrli.

Illinois legislation advances through a multi-step process that includes introduction, committee consideration, debates, and votes in both the House and Senate before proceeding to the governor for final action. Legislators meet on a biennial basis, and though thousands of proposals are introduced each session, comparatively few make it all the way to enactment.