101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4052

 

Introduced 1/13/2020, by Rep. Stephanie A. Kifowit

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 2805/37

    Amends the Department of Veterans' Affairs Act. Allows specified actions to be performed by the designee of the Director of Veterans' Affairs. Provides that the Illinois Joining Forces Foundation shall (currently, may) be assisted in carrying out its functions by Department of Veterans' Affairs personnel, including legal professionals. Requires the Foundation's audit to be included in the Department's audit and to be prepared by the Department.


LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4052LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Department of Veterans' Affairs Act is
5amended by changing Section 37 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 2805/37)
7    Sec. 37. Illinois Joining Forces Foundation.
8    (a) The General Assembly finds that navigating the "sea of
9goodwill" for those who serve in uniform is one of the greatest
10challenges that transitioning veterans face; as a result, they
11risk being unable to access many of the federal, State, and
12non-profit resources available to them. Recognizing this
13problem, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Department
14of Military Affairs acted to establish the Illinois Joining
15Forces initiative, a public-private network of military and
16veteran-serving organizations that are working together, in
17person and online, to create a no-wrong-door system of support
18for the State's military and veteran communities. Illinois
19Joining Forces is a nation-leading model, awarded by the U.S.
20Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Association of
21State Directors of Veterans Affairs for its groundbreaking work
22in creating smarter, collaborative community support for those
23in uniform, past and present. The foundation created by this

 

 

HB4052- 2 -LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

1amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly will serve to
2ensure the long-term sustainability of Illinois Joining
3Forces, which is critically important for the support of the
4State's military and veteran communities.
5    (b) The Illinois Joining Forces Foundation shall benefit
6service members, veterans, and their families by:
7        (1) convening military and veteran support
8    organizations, through Illinois Joining Forces working
9    groups, to build cross-sector relationships and mutual
10    awareness;
11        (2) providing policy recommendations through Illinois
12    Joining Forces member working groups to the Illinois
13    Veterans' Advisory Council;
14        (3) facilitating the transfer of information and
15    knowledge among Illinois Joining Forces member
16    organizations;
17        (4) maintaining and continuing to build the
18    no-wrong-door online navigation platform;
19        (5) educating Illinois Joining Forces members and
20    other community providers regarding military and veteran
21    culture and needs, thus improving the collective capacity
22    of the support system; and
23        (6) outreaching directly to service members, veterans,
24    and their families regarding the no-wrong-door system that
25    Illinois Joining Forces provides to them.
26    (c) For the purpose of this Section, "veterans service

 

 

HB4052- 3 -LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

1organization" means an organization that meets all of the
2following criteria:
3        (1) The organization is formed by and for United States
4    military veterans.
5        (2) The organization is chartered by the United States
6    Congress and incorporated in the State of Illinois.
7        (3) The organization has maintained a State
8    headquarters office in Illinois for the 10-year period
9    immediately preceding the effective date of this
10    amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly.
11        (4) The organization maintains at least one office in
12    this State, staffed by a veterans service officer.
13        (5) The organization is capable of preparing a power of
14    attorney for a veteran and processing claims for veterans
15    services.
16        (6) The organization is not funded by the State of
17    Illinois or by any county in this State.
18    (d) The General Assembly authorizes the Department of
19Veterans' Affairs, in accordance with Section 10 of the State
20Agency Entity Creation Act, to create the Illinois Joining
21Forces Foundation as a not-for-profit foundation. The
22Department shall file articles of incorporation as required
23under the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986 to
24create the Foundation. The Foundation's Board of Directors
25shall be appointed as follows: one member appointed by the
26Governor; one member appointed by the President of the Senate;

 

 

HB4052- 4 -LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

1one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one
2member appointed by the Speaker of the House of
3Representatives; one member appointed by the Minority Leader of
4the House of Representatives; and all of the members of the
5Illinois Joining Forces Executive Committee, who shall be
6appointed by the Director of Veterans' Affairs or the
7Director's designee. In addition to any veterans service
8organization otherwise represented on the Board of Directors, a
9veterans service organization may designate in writing an ex
10officio, non-voting participant to the Board of Directors. Any
11veterans service organization appointee under this Section
12does not count towards a quorum. The Director of Veterans'
13Affairs, or the Director's designee, and a designee chosen by
14the Director of Military Affairs who is a senior management
15official of the Department of Military Affairs with the
16authority to make decisions on behalf of the agency shall serve
17as members of the Foundation's Board of Directors. Board of
18Director appointments shall be for 2-year terms. Vacancies
19shall be filled by the official who made the recommendation for
20the vacated appointment. No member of the Board of Directors
21may receive compensation for his or her services to the
22Foundation. Upon appointment, the Board of Directors, as
23members of a public entity, shall be represented and
24indemnified pursuant to the requirements of the State Employee
25Indemnification Act.
26    (e) The purposes of the Foundation are to: promote,

 

 

HB4052- 5 -LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

1support, assist, and sustain Illinois Joining Forces
2operations; solicit and accept grants and private donations and
3disburse them for the stated intent of the Foundation or the
4private donor; solicit and generate public and private funding
5and donations that assist in enhancing the Illinois Joining
6Forces mission, services, programs, and operations; and engage
7generally in other lawful endeavors consistent with the
8foregoing purposes. The foundation shall operate within the
9provisions of the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of
101986.
11    (f) As soon as practicable after the Foundation is created,
12the Board of Directors shall meet, organize, and designate, by
13majority vote, a chairperson, a treasurer, a secretary, and any
14additional officers that may be needed to carry out the
15activities of the Foundation and shall adopt bylaws of the
16Foundation. The Department of Veterans' Affairs, in
17consultation with the Department of Military Affairs, may adopt
18other rules deemed necessary to govern Foundation procedures.
19    (g) The Foundation may request and accept gifts, grants,
20donations, or bequests from the federal government or its
21agencies or officers or from any person, firm, or corporation,
22and may expend receipts on activities that it considers
23suitable to the performance of its duties under this Section
24and consistent with any requirement of the grant, gift,
25donation, or bequest. Funds collected by the Foundation shall
26be considered private funds and shall be held in an appropriate

 

 

HB4052- 6 -LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

1account outside of the State treasury. Private funds collected
2by the Foundation are not subject to the Public Funds
3Investment Act. The treasurer of the Foundation shall be the
4custodian of all Foundation funds. The treasurer shall be
5required to obtain a fidelity or surety bond on satisfactory
6terms and in sufficient amounts to protect the interests of the
7Foundation, the cost of which shall be reimbursed by the
8Foundation. The Foundation and its officers shall be
9responsible for the approval of the recording of receipts,
10approval of payments, and the proper filing of required
11reports. The Foundation may be assisted in carrying out its
12functions by Department of Military Affairs personnel and shall
13be assisted in carrying out its functions by Department of
14Veterans' Affairs personnel, including, but not limited to,
15legal professionals. The Department of Military Affairs and the
16Department of Veterans' Affairs shall provide reasonable
17assistance to the Foundation to achieve the purposes of the
18Foundation as determined by the respective Directors. The
19Foundation shall cooperate fully with the boards, commissions,
20agencies, departments, and institutions of the State. The funds
21held and made available by the Illinois Joining Forces
22Foundation shall be subject to financial and compliance audits
23in accordance with the Illinois State Auditing Act. The
24Foundation's audit shall be included in the Department of
25Veterans' Affairs audit and shall be prepared by the Department
26of Veterans' Affairs. The Foundation shall not have any power

 

 

HB4052- 7 -LRB101 16421 CPF 65800 b

1of eminent domain. The Foundation shall not construct or make
2any permanent improvements to any real property.
3    (h) The Foundation must provide a written notice to any
4entity providing a gift, grant, donation, or bequest to the
5Foundation that the Foundation is not subject to the provisions
6of the Public Funds Investment Act, which Act places
7limitations on the types of securities in which a public agency
8may invest public funds.
9    (i) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the Foundation
10is not eligible for any grant administered or funded by the
11Department of Veterans' Affairs or the Department of Military
12Affairs.
13(Source: P.A. 100-10, eff. 6-30-17.)