Peoria Standard

Illinois State Rep. Tim Bulter (R-Springfield) has called upon Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) to take immediate action after Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith received yet another contempt citation.

Butler took to social media on May 23 to publicly ask Pritzker to make the well-being of children in state custody a priority.

"It is time for the Governor to step up and fire this man," Butler wrote in a Facebook post. "DCFS Director Smith is failing our children, failing our families, and failing the hard-working staff of this agency."

In his post, Butler shared a link from The Illinois House Republicans' Facebook page, where they wrote: "Each contempt charge racked up by Director Mark Smith represents a real child that has been failed by DCFS. The dysfunction has to end, DCFS needs to be overhauled immediately to protect our state's most vulnerable children."

According to a May 20 report by ABC News Channel 20, Smith has been held in contempt 11 times so far in 2022 and is being fined $1,000 a day for each day he is in contempt for this particular citation. The charge stems from Smith's failure to remove an 11-year-old from the emergency room and place her in a psychiatric hospital or secure residential facility for two days after the court ordered him to do so.

Smith has served as DCFS Director since last June after being appointed by Pritzker more than two years prior, the Prairie State Wire reported.