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| 1 | AN ACT concerning conservation.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Open Space Lands Acquisition and | ||||||
| 5 | Development Act is amended by changing Section 3 as follows:
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| 6 | (525 ILCS 35/3) (from Ch. 85, par. 2103)
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| 7 | Sec. 3. From appropriations made from the Capital | ||||||
| 8 | Development Fund,
Build Illinois Bond Fund or other
available | ||||||
| 9 | or designated funds for such
purposes, the Department shall | ||||||
| 10 | make grants to local governments as
financial assistance for | ||||||
| 11 | the capital
development and improvement of park, recreation or | ||||||
| 12 | conservation
areas, marinas and shorelines, including planning | ||||||
| 13 | and engineering costs, and for the
acquisition of open space | ||||||
| 14 | lands, including
acquisition of easements and other property | ||||||
| 15 | interests less than fee simple
ownership if the Department | ||||||
| 16 | determines that such property
interests are sufficient to | ||||||
| 17 | carry out the purposes of this Act, subject to
the conditions | ||||||
| 18 | and limitations set forth in this Act.
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| 19 | No more than 10% of the amount so appropriated for any | ||||||
| 20 | fiscal year may
be committed or expended on any one project | ||||||
| 21 | described in an application
under this Act.
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| 22 | Any grant under this Act to a local government shall be | ||||||
| 23 | conditioned upon
the state providing assistance on a 50/50 | ||||||
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| 1 | matching basis for the acquisition
of open space lands and for | ||||||
| 2 | capital development
and improvement proposals. However, a | ||||||
| 3 | local government defined as "distressed" under criteria | ||||||
| 4 | adopted by the Department through administrative rule shall be | ||||||
| 5 | eligible for assistance up to 90% for the acquisition
of open | ||||||
| 6 | space lands and for capital development
and improvement | ||||||
| 7 | proposals, provided that no more than 10% of the amount | ||||||
| 8 | appropriated under this Act in any fiscal year is made | ||||||
| 9 | available as grants to distressed local governments.
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| 10 | An advance payment of a A minimum of 50% of any grant made | ||||||
| 11 | to a unit of local government under this Act must be paid to | ||||||
| 12 | the unit of local government at the time the Department awards | ||||||
| 13 | the grant. A unit of local government may opt out of the | ||||||
| 14 | advanced payment option at the time of the award of the grant. | ||||||
| 15 | The remainder of the grant shall be distributed to the local | ||||||
| 16 | government quarterly on a reimbursement basis. The Department | ||||||
| 17 | shall consider an applicant's request for an extension to a | ||||||
| 18 | grant under this Act if (i) the advanced payment is expended or | ||||||
| 19 | legally obligated within the 2 years required by Section 5 of | ||||||
| 20 | the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act or (ii) no advanced | ||||||
| 21 | payment was made. | ||||||
| 22 | (Source: P.A. 98-326, eff. 8-12-13; 98-520, eff. 8-23-13; | ||||||
| 23 | 98-756, eff. 7-16-14.)
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| 24 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 25 | becoming law.
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