(35 ILCS 16/46)

Sec. 46. Illinois Production Workforce Development Fund.

(a) The Illinois Production Workforce Development Fund is created as a special fund in the State Treasury. Beginning July 1, 2022, amounts paid to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity pursuant to Section 213 of the Illinois Income Tax Act shall be deposited into the Fund. The Fund shall be used exclusively to provide grants to community-based organizations, labor organizations, private and public universities, community colleges, and other organizations and institutions that may be deemed appropriate by the Department to administer workforce training programs that support efforts to recruit, hire, promote, retain, develop, and train a diverse and inclusive workforce in the film industry.

(b) Pursuant to Section 213 of the Illinois Income Tax Act, the Fund shall receive deposits in amounts not to exceed 0.25% of the amount of each credit certificate issued that is not calculated on out-of-state wages and transferred or claimed on an Illinois tax return in the quarter such credit was transferred or claimed. In addition, such amount shall also include 2.5% of the credit amount calculated on wages paid to nonresidents that is transferred or claimed on an Illinois tax return in the quarter such credit was transferred or claimed.

(c) At the request of the Department, the State Comptroller and the State Treasurer may advance amounts to the Fund on an annual basis not to exceed $1,000,000 in any fiscal year. The fund from which the moneys are advanced shall be reimbursed in the same fiscal year for any such advance payments as described in this Section. The method of reimbursement shall be set forth in rules.

(d) Of the appropriated funds in a given fiscal year, 50% of the appropriated funds shall be reserved for organizations that meet one of the following criteria. The organization is: (1) a minority-owned business, as defined by the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act; (2) located in an underserved area, as defined by the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act; or (3) on an annual basis, training a cohort of program participants where at least 50% of the program participants are either a minority person, as defined by the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act, or reside in an underserved area, as defined by the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act.

(e) The Illinois Production Workforce Development Fund shall be administered by the Department. The Department may adopt rules necessary to administer the provisions of this Section.

(f) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the Illinois Production Workforce Development Fund is not subject to sweeps, administrative charge-backs, or any other fiscal or budgetary maneuver that would in any way transfer any amounts from the Illinois Production Workforce Development Fund.

(g) By June 30 of each fiscal year, the Department must submit to the General Assembly a report that includes the following information: (1) an identification of the organizations and institutions that received funding to administer workforce training programs during the fiscal year; (2) the number of total persons trained and the number of persons trained per workforce training program in the fiscal year; and (3) in the aggregate, per organization, the number of persons identified as a minority person or that reside in an underserved area that received training in the fiscal year.

(Source: P.A. 102-700, eff. 4-19-22.)