Rep. Wyvetter H. Younge

Filed: 03/31/04

 

 


 

 


 
09300HB4640ham001 LRB093 18960 RCE 49424 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4640

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4640 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Community Self-Revitalization Act.
 
6     Section 5. Findings and purpose.
7     (a) The General Assembly finds that:
8         (1) There is a great need for economic revitalization
9 in many communities throughout this State.
10         (2) Each community has valuable resources at its
11 fingertips that can be tapped in the revitalization
12 process.
13         (3) With adequate support and assistance from the State
14 and other resources, each community can participate in and
15 shepherd its own economic renewal.
16         (4) Successful redevelopment plans are based on policy
17 that is responsive to the existing composition and
18 character of the economically distressed community and
19 that allows and compels the community to participate in the
20 redevelopment planning process.
21         (5) A successful redevelopment initiative creates and
22 maintains a capable and adaptable workforce, has access to
23 capital, has a sound fiscal base, has adequate
24 infrastructure, has well-managed natural resources, and

 

 

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1 has an attractive quality of life.
2     (b) It is the purpose of this legislation to provide a
3 mechanism for an economically distressed community to use in
4 its efforts to revitalize the community.
 
5     Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Section:
6     "Community" means a municipality or a county with respect
7 to the unincorporated areas of a county.
8     "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
9 Opportunity.
10     "Economically distressed community" means (i) in the case
11 of a municipality with a population of 25,000 or more, a
12 municipality that is certified by the Department as being in
13 the highest 10% of all municipalities of 25,000 or more in the
14 State in its average annual total unemployment rate for the
15 last completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to
16 the most recent U.S. Census data available and (ii) in the case
17 of a municipality with a population of less than 25,000 or an
18 unincorporated area, a municipality or unincorporated area
19 that is located at least partly in a county that is certified
20 by the Department as being in the highest 10% of all counties
21 in its average annual total unemployment rate for the last
22 completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to the
23 most recent U.S. Census data available.
 
24     Section 15. Certification; Board of Economic Advisors.
25     (a) In order to receive the assistance as provided in this
26 Act, a community shall first, by ordinance passed by its
27 corporate authorities, request that the Department certify
28 that it is an economically distressed community. The community
29 must submit a certified copy of the ordinance to the
30 Department. After review of the ordinance, if the Department
31 determines that the community meets the requirements for
32 certification, the Department shall certify the community as an

 

 

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1 economically distressed community.
2     (b) A community that is certified by the Department as an
3 economically distressed community may appoint a Board of
4 Economic Advisors to create and implement a revitalization plan
5 for the community. The Board shall consist of 12 members of the
6 community, appointed by the mayor or the presiding officer of
7 the county or jointly by the presiding officers of each
8 municipality and county that have joined to form a community
9 for the purposes of this Act. The Board members shall be
10 appointed from the 12 sectors vital to community redevelopment
11 as follows:
12         (1) A member representing households and families.
13         (2) A member representing religious organizations.
14         (3) A member representing educational institutions.
15         (4) A member representing daycare centers, care
16 centers for the handicapped, and care centers for the
17 disadvantaged.
18         (5) A member representing community based
19 organizations such as neighborhood improvement
20 associations.
21         (6) A member representing federal and State employment
22 service systems, skill training centers, and placement
23 referrals.
24         (7) A member representing Masonic organizations,
25 fraternities, sororities, and social clubs.
26         (8) A member representing hospitals, nursing homes,
27 senior citizens, public health agencies, and funeral
28 homes.
29         (9) A member representing organized sports, parks,
30 parties, and games of chance.
31         (10) A member representing political parties, clubs,
32 and affiliations, and election related matters concerning
33 voter education and participation.
34         (11) A member representing the cultural aspects of the

 

 

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1 community, including cultural events, lifestyles,
2 languages, music, visual and performing arts, and
3 literature.
4         (12) A member representing police and fire protection
5 agencies, prisons, weapons systems, and the military
6 industrial complex.
7     The Board shall meet initially within 30 days of its
8 appointment, shall select one member as chairperson at its
9 initial meeting, and shall thereafter meet at the call of the
10 chairperson. Members of the Board shall serve without
11 compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
12 necessary expenses from funds available for that purpose.
13     (b) The Board shall create a 3-year to 5-year
14 revitalization plan for the community. The plan shall contain
15 distinct, measurable objectives for revitalization. The
16 objectives shall be used to guide ongoing implementation of the
17 plan and to measure progress during the 3-year to 5-year
18 period. The Board shall work in a dynamic manner defining goals
19 for the community based on the strengths and weaknesses of the
20 individual sectors of the community as presented by each member
21 of the Board. The Board shall meet periodically and revise the
22 plan in light of the input from each member of the Board
23 concerning his or her respective sector of expertise. The
24 process shall be a community driven revitalization process,
25 with community-specific data determining the direction and
26 scope of the revitalization.
 
27     Section 20. Action by the Board.
28     (a) Organize. The Board shall first assess the needs and
29 the resources of the community operating from the basic premise
30 that the family unit is the primary unit of community and that
31 the demand for goods and services from this residential sector
32 is the main source of recovery and growth for the redevelopment
33 of a community. The Board shall inventory community assets,

 

 

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1 including the condition of the family with respect to the role
2 of the family as workers, consumers, and investors. The Board
3 shall inventory the type and viability of businesses and
4 industries currently in the community. In compiling the
5 inventory, the Board shall rely on the input of each Board
6 member with respect to his or her expertise in a given sector
7 of the revitalization plan.
8     (b) Revitalize. In implementing the revitalization plan,
9 the Board shall focus on and build from existing resources in
10 the community, growing existing businesses rather than luring
11 business into the community from the outside. The Board shall
12 also focus on the residents themselves rather than jobs. The
13 Board shall promote investment in training residents in areas
14 that will lead to employment and in turn will bring revenue
15 into the community.
16     (c) Mobilize. The Board shall engage in the dynamic process
17 of community self-revitalization through a continuous
18 reassessment of the needs of the community in the
19 revitalization process. As each goal of the 3-year to 5-year
20 plan is achieved, the Board shall draw from the resources of
21 its members to establish new goals and implement new strategies
22 employing the lessons learned in the earlier stages of
23 revitalization.
24     (d) Advise. The Board shall Act as the liaison between the
25 community and the local, county, and State Government. The
26 Board shall make use of the resources of these governmental
27 entities and shall provide counsel to each of these bodies with
28 respect to economic development.
29     The Board shall also act as a liaison between private
30 business entities located in the community and the community
31 itself. The Board shall offer advice and assistance to these
32 entities when requested and provide incentives and support,
33 both economic and otherwise, to facilitate expansion and
34 further investment in the community by the businesses.

 

 

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1     The Board shall annually submit a report to the General
2 Assembly and the Governor summarizing the accomplishments of
3 the community concerning revitalization and the goals of the
4 community for future revitalization.
 
5     Section 25. Funding sources. Subject to appropriation, the
6 Department may make grants to communities that are certified as
7 economically distressed communities under this Act and that
8 create a Board of Economic Advisors under this Act for the
9 operational expenses of the Board. The procedures for grant
10 application shall be established by the Department by rule.
11     
 
12     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.".