Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB2991

LRB104 08262 HLH 18312 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB2991

Introduced 2/6/2025, by Rep. Terra Costa Howard

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new
20 ILCS 605/605-705	was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, in Fiscal Year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department shall advance grant funds to certified tourism and convention bureaus that received grant funding in the prior fiscal year. Provides that the advanced amount shall be equal to 50% of the total grant awarded to each bureau in the prior fiscal year. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act is amended by adding Section 5-45.65 as follows:

(5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new)

Sec. 5-45.65. Emergency rulemaking. To provide for the expeditious and timely implementation of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, emergency rules implementing this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly may be adopted in accordance with Section 5-45 by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The adoption of emergency rules authorized by Section 5-45 and this Section is deemed to be necessary for the public interest, safety, and welfare.

This Section is repealed one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly.

Section 10. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows:

(20 ILCS 605/605-705) (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a)

Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention bureaus.

(a) To establish a grant program for local tourism and convention bureaus. The Department will develop and implement a program for the use of funds, as authorized under this Act, by local tourism and convention bureaus. For the purposes of this Act, bureaus eligible to receive funds are those local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either units of local government or incorporated as not-for-profit organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years before July 1, 2001; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with one or more municipalities or counties that support the bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. After July 1, 2001, bureaus requesting certification in order to receive funds for the first time must be local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either units of local government or incorporated as not-for-profit organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years before the request for certification; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with multiple municipalities or counties that support the bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau receiving funds under this Act will be certified by the Department as the designated recipient to serve an area of the State. Notwithstanding the criteria set forth in this subsection (a), or any rule adopted under this subsection (a), the Director of the Department may provide for the award of grant funds to one or more entities if in the Department's judgment that action is necessary in order to prevent a loss of funding critical to promoting tourism in a designated geographic area of the State.

(b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the Department for expenditure under this Section prior to July 1, 2011, one-third of those monies shall be used for grants to convention and tourism bureaus in cities with a population greater than 500,000. The remaining two-thirds of the annual appropriation prior to July 1, 2011 shall be used for grants to convention and tourism bureaus in the remainder of the State, in accordance with a formula based upon the population served. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the Department for expenditure under this Section beginning July 1, 2011, 18% of such moneys shall be used for grants to convention and tourism bureaus in cities with a population greater than 500,000. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the Department for expenditure under this Section beginning July 1, 2011, 82% of such moneys shall be used for grants to convention bureaus in the remainder of the State, in accordance with a formula based upon the population served. The Department may reserve up to 3% of total local tourism funds available for costs of administering the program to conduct audits of grants, to provide incentive funds to those bureaus that will conduct promotional activities designed to further the Department's statewide advertising campaign, to fund special statewide promotional activities, and to fund promotional activities that support an increased use of the State's parks or historic sites. The Department shall require that any convention and tourism bureau receiving a grant under this Section that requires matching funds shall provide matching funds equal to no less than 50% of the grant amount, except that: (1) in Fiscal Years 2021 through 2024 only, the Department shall require that any convention and tourism bureau receiving a grant under this Section that requires matching funds shall provide matching funds equal to no less than 25% of the grant amount; (2) in Fiscal Year 2025, the Department shall require that any convention and tourism bureau receiving a grant under this Section that requires matching funds shall provide matching funds equal to no less than 30% of the grant amount; and (3) in Fiscal Year 2026, the Department shall require that any convention and tourism bureau receiving a grant under this Section that requires matching funds shall provide matching funds equal to no less than 40% of the grant amount. During fiscal year 2013, the Department shall reserve $2,000,000 of the available local tourism funds for appropriation to the Historic Preservation Agency for the operation of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and State historic sites.

To provide for the expeditious and timely implementation of the changes made by Public Act 101-636, emergency rules to implement the changes made by Public Act 101-636 may be adopted by the Department subject to the provisions of Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

(c) In Fiscal Year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, subject to sufficient appropriation by the General Assembly, the Department shall advance grant funds to certified bureaus that received grant funding in the prior fiscal year. Such advanced amount shall be equal to 50% of the total grant awarded to the bureau in the prior fiscal year. The Department shall submit vouchers for payment of the advanced amounts for each eligible bureau to the Comptroller on or before July 31 of each fiscal year. To provide for the expeditious and timely implementation of the changes made by this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, emergency rules to implement these changes may be adopted by the Department subject to the provisions of Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-16, eff. 6-17-21; 102-699, eff. 4-19-22; 103-8, eff. 6-7-23; 103-588, eff. 6-5-24.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.