93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB6995

 

Introduced 02/09/04, by David E. Miller

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 605/605-705   was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a

    Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning local tourism grants.


LRB093 19064 RCE 44799 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB6995 LRB093 19064 RCE 44799 b

1     AN ACT concerning tourism.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
5 Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6 amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 605/605-705)  (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a)
8     Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention
9 bureaus.
10     (a) To establish a grant program of grants for local
11 tourism and convention bureaus. The Department will develop and
12 implement a program for the use of funds, as authorized under
13 this Act, by local tourism and convention bureaus. For the
14 purposes of this Act, bureaus eligible to receive funds are
15 those local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either
16 units of local government or incorporated as not-for-profit
17 organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years
18 before July 1, 2001; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time
19 staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in the
20 designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with one or more
21 municipalities or counties that support the bureau with local
22 hotel-motel taxes. After July 1, 2001, bureaus requesting
23 certification in order to receive funds for the first time must
24 be local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either
25 units of local government or incorporated as not-for-profit
26 organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years
27 before the request for certification; (iii) operating with a
28 paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism
29 in the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with
30 multiple municipalities or counties that support the bureau
31 with local hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau receiving funds under
32 this Act will be certified by the Department as the designated

 

 

HB6995 - 2 - LRB093 19064 RCE 44799 b

1 recipient to serve an area of the State. Notwithstanding the
2 criteria set forth in this subsection (a), or any rule adopted
3 under this subsection (a), the Director of the Department may
4 provide for the award of grant funds to one or more entities if
5 in the Department's judgment that action is necessary in order
6 to prevent a loss of funding critical to promoting tourism in a
7 designated geographic area of the State.
8     (b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention
9 bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund
10 for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the
11 Department for expenditure under this Section, one-third of
12 those monies shall be used for grants to convention and tourism
13 bureaus in cities with a population greater than 500,000. The
14 remaining two-thirds of the annual appropriation shall be used
15 for grants to convention and tourism bureaus in the remainder
16 of the State, in accordance with a formula based upon the
17 population served. The Department may reserve up to 10% of
18 total local tourism funds available for costs of administering
19 the program to conduct audits of grants, to provide incentive
20 funds to those bureaus that will conduct promotional activities
21 designed to further the Department's statewide advertising
22 campaign, to fund special statewide promotional activities,
23 and to fund promotional activities that support an increased
24 use of the State's parks or historic sites.
25 (Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 92-38, eff. 6-28-01; 92-524,
26 eff. 2-8-02; 93-25, eff. 6-20-03.)