(30 ILCS 440/4)

Sec. 4. Authority to Issue Revenue Bonds.

A. The Department shall have the continuing power to borrow money for the purpose of carrying out the following:

1. To reduce or avoid the need to borrow or obtain a federal advance under Section 1201, et seq., of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1321), as amended, or any similar federal law; or

2. To refinance a previous advance received by the Department with respect to the payment of Benefits; or

3. To refinance, purchase, redeem, refund, advance refund or defease (including, any combination of the foregoing) any outstanding Bonds issued pursuant to this Act; or

4. To fund a surplus in Illinois' account in the Unemployment Trust Fund of the United States Treasury.

Paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 are inoperative on and after January 1, 2022.

B. As evidence of the obligation of the Department to repay money borrowed for the purposes set forth in Section 4A above, the Department may issue and dispose of its interest bearing revenue Bonds and may also, from time-to-time, issue and dispose of its interest bearing revenue Bonds to purchase, redeem, refund, advance refund or defease (including, any combination of the foregoing) any Bonds at maturity or pursuant to redemption provisions or at any time before maturity. The Director, in consultation with the Department's Employment Security Advisory Board, shall have the power to direct that the Bonds be issued. Bonds may be issued in one or more series and under terms and conditions as needed in furtherance of the purposes of this Act. The Illinois Finance Authority shall provide any technical, legal, or administrative services if and when requested by the Director and the Employment Security Advisory Board with regard to the issuance of Bonds. The Governor's Office of Management and Budget may, upon the written request of the Director, issue the bonds authorized pursuant to this Act on behalf of the Department and, for that purpose, may retain such underwriters, financial advisors, and counsel as may be appropriate from the Office's then-existing roster of prequalified vendors. Such Bonds shall be issued in the name of the State of Illinois for the benefit of the Department and shall be executed by the Director. In case any Director whose signature appears on any Bond ceases (after attaching his or her signature) to hold that office, her or his signature shall nevertheless be valid and effective for all purposes.

C. No Bonds shall be issued without the Director's written certification that, based upon a reasonable financial analysis, the issuance of Bonds is reasonably expected to:

(i) Result in a savings to the State as compared to the cost of borrowing or obtaining an advance under Section 1201, et seq., Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1321), as amended, or any similar federal law;

(ii) Result in terms which are advantageous to the State through refunding, advance refunding or other similar restructuring of outstanding Bonds;

(iii) Allow the State to avoid an anticipated deficiency in the State's account in the Unemployment Trust Fund of the United States Treasury by funding a surplus in the State's account in the Unemployment Trust Fund of the United States Treasury; or

(iv) Prevent the reduction of the employer credit provided under Section 3302 of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act with respect to employers subject to the Unemployment Insurance Act.

D. All such Bonds shall be payable from Fund Building Receipts. Bonds may also be paid from (i) to the extent allowable by law, from monies in the State's account in the Unemployment Trust Fund of the United States Treasury; and (ii) to the extent allowable by law, a federal advance under Section 1201, et seq., of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1321); and (iii) proceeds of Bonds and receipts from related credit and exchange agreements to the extent allowed by this Act and applicable legal requirements.

E. The maximum principal amount of the Bonds, when combined with the outstanding principal of all other Bonds issued pursuant to this Act, shall not at any time exceed $2,400,000,000, excluding all of the outstanding principal of any other Bonds issued pursuant to this Act for which payment has been irrevocably provided by refunding or other manner of defeasance. It is the intent of this Act that the outstanding Bond authorization limits provided for in this Section 4E shall be revolving in nature, such that the amount of Bonds outstanding that are not refunded or otherwise defeased shall be included in determining the maximum amount of Bonds authorized to be issued pursuant to the Act.

F. Such Bonds and refunding Bonds issued pursuant to this Act may bear such date or dates, may mature at such time or times not exceeding 10 years from their respective dates of issuance, and may bear interest at such rate or rates not exceeding the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended and in effect at the time of the issuance of the Bonds.

G. The Department may enter into a Credit Agreement pertaining to the issuance of the Bonds, upon terms which are not inconsistent with this Act and any other laws, provided that the term of such Credit Agreement shall not exceed the term of the Bonds, plus any time period necessary to cure any defaults under such Credit Agreement.

H. Interest earnings paid to holders of the Bonds shall not be exempt from income taxes imposed by the State.

I. While any Bond Obligations are outstanding or anticipated to come due as a result of Bonds expected to be issued in either or both of the 2 immediately succeeding calendar quarters, the Department shall collect and deposit Fund Building Receipts into the Master Bond Fund in an amount necessary to satisfy the Required Fund Building Receipts Amount prior to expending Fund Building Receipts for any other purpose. The Required Fund Building Receipts Amount shall be that amount necessary to ensure the marketability of the Bonds, which shall be specified in the Bond Sale Order executed by the Director in connection with the issuance of the Bonds.

J. Holders of the Bonds shall have a first and priority claim on all Fund Building Receipts in the Master Bond Fund in parity with all other holders of the Bonds, provided that such claim may be subordinated to the provider of any Credit Agreement for any of the Bonds.

K. To the extent that Fund Building Receipts in the Master Bond Fund are not otherwise needed to satisfy the requirements of this Act and the instruments authorizing the issuance of the Bonds, such monies shall be used by the Department, in such amounts as determined by the Director to do any one or a combination of the following:

1. To purchase, refinance, redeem, refund, advance refund or defease (or any combination of the foregoing) outstanding Bonds, to the extent such action is legally available and does not impair the tax exempt status of any of the Bonds which are, in fact, exempt from Federal income taxation; or

2. As a deposit in the State's account in the Unemployment Trust Fund of the United States Treasury; or

3. As a deposit into the Special Programs Fund provided for under Section 2107 of the Unemployment Insurance Act.

L. The Director shall determine the method of sale, type of bond, bond form, redemption provisions and other terms of the Bonds that, in the Director's judgment, best achieve the purposes of this Act and effect the borrowing at the lowest practicable cost, provided that those determinations are not inconsistent with this Act or other applicable legal requirements. Those determinations shall be set forth in a document entitled "Bond Sale Order" acceptable, in form and substance, to the attorney or attorneys acting as bond counsel for the Bonds in connection with the rendering of opinions necessary for the issuance of the Bonds and executed by the Director.

(Source: P.A. 96-30, eff. 6-30-09; 97-621, eff. 11-18-11.)