# Illinois HB4791: SMART START GRANTS-HEAD START

Illinois HB4791, SMART START GRANTS-HEAD START, is a 104th General Assembly (2025–2026) House bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status passed house, last action 2026-05-26 (Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Javier L. Cervantes); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB4791-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Illinois HB4791
- State: Illinois
- Session: 104th General Assembly (2025–2026)
- Title: SMART START GRANTS-HEAD START
- Status: passed house
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-02-02
- Last action: 2026-05-26, Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Javier L. Cervantes
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 7
- Subjects: child care accessibility & early childhood education, assignments, appropriations- education
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (132 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Expands eligibility under the Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation Program to Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Cosponsor: Barbara Hernandez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Emanuel "Chris" Welch (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Javier L. Cervantes (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Kimberly A. Lightford (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Lilian Jiménez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Maura Hirschauer (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Meg Loughran Cappel (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04-16 | House | House Floor Amendment No. 1 Recommends Be Adopted Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education; | pass | 13 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-16 | House | Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed | pass | 106 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-20 | House | Do Pass / Short Debate Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education; | pass | 13 | 0 |   |

## Actions (29)

- 2026-05-26: Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Javier L. Cervantes (Senate)
- 2026-05-22: Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments (Senate)
- 2026-05-15: Rule 2-10 Committee Deadline Established As May 22, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-05-08: Rule 2-10 Committee Deadline Established As May 15, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch (House)
- 2026-04-28: Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel (Senate)
- 2026-04-28: Assigned to Appropriations- Education (Senate)
- 2026-04-21: Referred to Assignments (Senate)
- 2026-04-21: First Reading (Senate)
- 2026-04-21: Chief Senate Sponsor Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford (Senate)
- 2026-04-21: Placed on Calendar Order of First Reading (Senate)
- 2026-04-21: Arrive in Senate (Senate)
- 2026-04-16: Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Lilian Jiménez (House)
- 2026-04-16: Third Reading - Short Debate - Passed 106-000-000 (House)
- 2026-04-16: Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading - Short Debate (House)
- 2026-04-16: House Floor Amendment No. 1 Adopted (House)
- 2026-04-16: House Floor Amendment No. 1 Recommends Be Adopted Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education; 013-000-000 (House)
- 2026-04-14: House Floor Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education (House)
- 2026-04-10: House Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules Committee (House)
- 2026-04-10: House Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Clerk by Rep. Maura Hirschauer (House)
- 2026-04-10: Held on Calendar Order of Second Reading - Short Debate (House)
- 2026-04-10: Second Reading - Short Debate (House)
- 2026-03-23: Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Barbara Hernandez (House)
- 2026-03-20: Placed on Calendar 2nd Reading - Short Debate (House)
- 2026-03-20: Do Pass / Short Debate Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education; 013-000-000 (House)
- 2026-02-17: Assigned to Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education (House)
- 2026-02-06: Referred to Rules Committee (House)
- 2026-02-06: First Reading (House)
- 2026-02-02: Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Maura Hirschauer (House)

## Bill text

- Engrossed: [PDF](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4791eng.pdf)
- House Amendment 1: [PDF](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4791ham001.pdf)
- Introduced: [PDF](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4791.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB5198: AFFORDABLE HOUSING-CILAS (passed house)
- SB1937: PENSION CODE-VARIOUS (passed senate)
- HB2563: CONDO-RESERVE STUDY (in committee)
- HB4701: LIMITATIONS FACILITY FEES ACT (in committee)
- SB3008: DHS-ABLE PROGRAM INFO MATERIAL (passed senate)
- SB3484: VEH CD-PLATES-REGISTRATION (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4791eng.pdf)
- [House Amendment 1 (PDF)](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4791ham001.pdf)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/104/HB/PDF/10400HB4791.pdf)

## Related
- [HB5198: AFFORDABLE HOUSING-CILAS](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB5198-2025-2026)
- [SB1937: PENSION CODE-VARIOUS](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-SB1937-2025-2026)
- [HB2563: CONDO-RESERVE STUDY](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB2563-2025-2026)
- [HB4701: LIMITATIONS FACILITY FEES ACT](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB4701-2025-2026)
- [SB3008: DHS-ABLE PROGRAM INFO MATERIAL](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-SB3008-2025-2026)
- [SB3484: VEH CD-PLATES-REGISTRATION](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-SB3484-2025-2026)
- [Illinois bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/illinois/bills)
- [Illinois state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/illinois)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IL-HB4791-2025-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).