HB0395eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0395 Engrossed LRB094 06840 AJO 36946 b

AN ACT concerning public health.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 2310-612 as follows:

(20 ILCS 2310/2310-612 new)

Sec. 2310-612. Blindness prevention grants.

(a) From funds appropriated from the Blindness Prevention Fund, a special fund created in the State treasury, the Department must make grants to charitable or educational entities in Illinois for the purpose of funding (i) public education on the importance of eye care and the prevention of blindness and (ii) the provision of eye care to children, senior citizens, and other needy individuals whose needs are not covered by any other source of funds.

(b) Grants under this Section must be awarded on both a statewide and regional basis, taking into consideration each region's contributions to the Fund. At least 25% of the grants must be made to regional grantees.

(c) A grant under this Section shall be made for a period of one year and, subject to the availability of funds, may be renewed by the Department.

(d) The Department must create an advisory committee to make recommendations to the Department concerning grant proposals. The advisory committee shall consist of one representative from the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness, one licensed doctor of optometry, one member of the Gateway Lions & Partners, one optometric educator from a school of optometry located within Illinois, and one member from the general public. Members of the advisory committee may not receive compensation or reimbursement for their services. Members of the committee must recuse themselves from consideration of any grant proposals submitted by any entity from which they were appointed.

(e) The Department must adopt any rules necessary to implement and administer this Section, including, without limitation, a methodology for determining regions of the State.

Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.640 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.640 new)

Sec. 5.640. The Blindness Prevention Fund.

Section 15. The Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by adding Section 507EE and amending Section 509 as follows:

(35 ILCS 5/507EE new)

Sec. 507EE. Blindness Prevention Fund checkoff. For taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2005, the Department shall print on its standard individual income tax form a provision indicating that if the taxpayer wishes to contribute to the Blindness Prevention Fund, as authorized by this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, he or she may do so by stating the amount of the contribution (not less than $1) on the return and that the contribution will reduce the taxpayer's refund or increase the amount of payment to accompany the return. Failure to remit any amount of increased payment shall reduce the contribution accordingly. This Section shall not apply to any amended return.

(35 ILCS 5/509) (from Ch. 120, par. 5-509)

Sec. 509. Tax checkoff explanations. All individual income tax return forms shall contain appropriate explanations and spaces to enable the taxpayers to designate contributions to the following funds: the Child Abuse Prevention Fund, the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund (as required by the Illinois Non-Game Wildlife Protection Act), the Alzheimer's Disease Research Fund (as required by the Alzheimer's Disease Research Act), the Assistance to the Homeless Fund (as required by this Act), the Penny Severns Breast and Cervical Cancer Research Fund, the National World War II Memorial Fund, the Prostate Cancer Research Fund, the Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) Research Fund, the Multiple Sclerosis Assistance Fund, the Leukemia Treatment and Education Fund, the World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial Fund, the Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library Fund, the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, the Blindness Prevention Fund, the Illinois Veterans' Homes Fund, and the Asthma and Lung Research Fund.

Each form shall contain a statement that the contributions will reduce the taxpayer's refund or increase the amount of payment to accompany the return. Failure to remit any amount of increased payment shall reduce the contribution accordingly.

If, on October 1 of any year, the total contributions to any one of the funds made under this Section do not equal $100,000 or more, the explanations and spaces for designating contributions to the fund shall be removed from the individual income tax return forms for the following and all subsequent years and all subsequent contributions to the fund shall be refunded to the taxpayer.

(Source: P.A. 92-84, eff. 7-1-02; 92-198, eff. 8-1-01; 92-651, eff. 7-11-02; 92-772, eff. 8-6-02; 92-886, eff. 2-7-03; 93-36, eff. 6-24-03; 93-131, eff. 7-10-03; 93-292, eff. 7-22-03; 93-324, eff. 7-23-03; 93-776, eff. 7-21-04.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.