103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5067

 

Introduced 2/8/2024, by Rep. Sonya M. Harper

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Lawns to Legumes Act. Establishes the Lawns to Legumes Program, which requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide assistance for installing pollinator-friendly native plants in residential lawns to protect and support native species of pollinators. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules for the Program. Provides for individual support grants to reimburse Illinois residents for up to $400, subject to appropriation and other requirements. Provides for demonstration neighborhood grants to units of local government and nonprofit organizations through a request for proposal process, subject to appropriation and other requirements. Provides that homeowners associations and common interest communities may not prohibit the planting of pollinator habitats. Defines terms.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning conservation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Prairie Lawns Act.
 
6    Section 5. Department; defined. In this Act, "Department"
7means the Department of Natural Resources.
 
8    Section 10. Prairie Lawns Program created.
9    (a) The Department shall establish and administer the
10Prairie Lawns Program to provide assistance for installing
11pollinator-friendly native plants in residential lawns in
12order to protect and support native species of bees,
13butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and other pollinators.
14    (b) To promote the Prairie Lawns Program, the Department
15shall:
16        (1) conduct outreach and publicity for the Program by,
17    among other things:
18            (A) establishing and administering a public
19        awareness campaign to raise awareness about creating
20        pollinator habitats; and
21            (B) creating and providing a Prairie Lawns yard
22        sign for grant recipients and making the sign

 

 

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1        available for download on the Department's website;
2        (2) provide educational assistance for installing
3    pollinator-friendly native plants in residential lawns by,
4    among other things:
5            (A) making educational materials available on the
6        Department website; and
7            (B) offering units of local government and
8        nonprofit organizations assistance with related
9        education and outreach efforts;
10        (3) cooperate with units of local government and
11    nonprofit organizations in creating demonstration
12    neighborhoods, which are community projects intended to
13    enhance pollinator habitats and raise awareness about
14    pollinators.
15        A unit of local government or a nonprofit organization
16    overseeing a demonstration neighborhood shall work with
17    local residents to install pocket gardens, trees, bushes,
18    shrubs, meadows, and lawns that are beneficial to
19    pollinators in residential lawns.
 
20    Section 15. Individual support grants.
21    (a) The Department shall adopt rules and develop criteria
22to award through the Prairie Lawns Program individual support
23grants that will allow eligible Illinois residents to be
24reimbursed for up to $400 in costs associated with
25establishing a pollinator habitat in their yards.

 

 

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1    (b) Individual support grant recipients must provide at
2least a 25% match for their total reimbursement request. This
3match can be in the form of purchasing materials, hiring
4contractors, or as in-kind time spent planting or maintaining
5plants.
6    (c) An individual support grant applicant shall submit a
7map of the applicant's completed project in the application
8for reimbursement.
9    (d) This Section is subject to appropriation.
 
10    Section 20. Demonstration neighborhood grants.
11    (a) The Department shall adopt rules and develop criteria
12to award demonstration neighborhood grants to units of local
13government and nonprofit organizations to create demonstration
14neighborhoods as described in paragraph (3) of subsection (b)
15of Section 10 of this Act.
16    (b) Units of local government and nonprofit organizations
17shall be invited to apply for individual support grants under
18this Act through a request for proposal process.
19    (c) This Section is subject to appropriation.
 
20    Section 25. No prohibition on pollinator habitats.
21Homeowners associations and common interest communities shall
22not prohibit any resident or homeowner from planting a
23pollinator habitat. Homeowners associations and common
24interest communities shall not enact or enforce rules and

 

 

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1regulations that impair the proper maintenance and care of
2pollinator habitats. For the purpose of this Section, a
3"pollinator habitat" is any lawn, planted area of a lawn, or
4planter box or pot where there grows native flowers, native
5vegetation, or pollinator-friendly plants.
 
6    Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are
7severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.