(65 ILCS 110/5)

Sec. 5. Legislative Declaration.

(a) The General Assembly finds, determines, and declares the following:

(1) Actions taken by the Secretary of Defense to close military installations under Title II of the Defense Authorization Amendments and Base Closure and Realignment Act (Public Law 100-526; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note), the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (part A of Title XXIX of Public Law 101-510; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note), Section 2687 of Title 10 of the United States Code (10 U.S.C. 2687), and actions taken by the Secretary of the Army to transfer the military installation, described in subsection (b) of Section 15 of the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority Act, pursuant to the Illinois Land Conservation Act (Title XXIX of Public Law 104-106; 16 U.S.C. 1609), as supplemented and amended, have an adverse socioeconomic impact upon the State residents due to the loss of civilian job opportunities, the transfer of permanently stationed military personnel, the decline in population, the vacancy of existing buildings, structures, residential housing units and other facilities, the burden of assuming and maintaining existing utility systems, and the erosion of the State's economic base.

(2) The redevelopment and reuse by the public and private sectors of any military installation closed by the Secretary of Defense and converted to civilian use is impaired due to little or no platting of any of the land, deleterious land use and layout, lack of community planning, depreciation of physical maintenance, presence of structures below minimum code standards, excessive vacancies, lack of adequate utility services and need to improve transportation facilities.

(3) The closing of military installations within the State is a serious menace to the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the people of the entire State.

(4) Protection against the economic burdens associated with the closing of military installations, the consequent spread of economic stagnation, the impairments to redevelopment and reuse, and the resulting harm to the tax base of the State can best be provided by promoting, attracting and stimulating commerce, industry, manufacturing and other public and private sector investment within the State.

(5) The continual encouragement, redevelopment, reuse, growth, and expansion of commercial businesses, industrial and manufacturing facilities and other public and private investment on closed military installations within the State requires a cooperative and continuous partnership between government and the private sector.

(6) The State has a responsibility to create a favorable climate for new and improved job opportunities for its citizens and to increase the tax base of the State and its political subdivisions by encouraging the redevelopment and reuse by the public and private sectors of new commercial businesses, industrial and manufacturing facilities, and other civilian uses with respect to the vacant buildings, structures, residential housing units, and other facilities on closed military installations within the State.

(7) The lack of redevelopment and reuse of closed military installations within the State has persisted, despite efforts of State and local authorities and private organizations to attract new commercial businesses, industrial and manufacturing facilities and other public and private sector investment for civilian use to closed military installations within the State.

(8) The economic burdens associated with the closing of military installations within the State may continue and worsen if the State and its political subdivisions are not able to provide additional incentives to commercial businesses, industrial and manufacturing facilities, and other public and private investment for civilian use to locate on closed military installations within the State.

(9) The provision of additional incentives by the State and its political subdivisions is intended to relieve conditions of unemployment, create new job opportunities, increase industry and commerce, increase the tax base of the State and its political subdivisions, and alleviate vacancies and conditions leading to deterioration and blight on closed military installations within the State, thereby creating job opportunities and eradicating deteriorating and blighting conditions for the residents of the State and reducing the evils attendant upon unemployment and blight.

(b) It is hereby declared to be the policy of the State, in the interest of promoting the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of all the people of the State, to provide incentives that will create new job opportunities and eradicate potentially blighted conditions on closed military installations within the State, and it is further declared that the relief of conditions of unemployment, the creation of new job opportunities, the increase of industry and commerce within the State, the alleviation of vacancies and conditions leading to deterioration and blight, the reduction of the evils of unemployment, and the increase of the tax base of the State and its political subdivisions are public purposes and for the public safety, benefit, and welfare of the residents of this State.

(Source: P.A. 90-655, eff. 7-30-98; 91-642, eff. 8-20-99.)