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| 1 | AN ACT concerning agriculture.
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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 County Cooperative Extension Law is amended | ||||||
| 5 | by changing Section 2b as follows:
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| 6 | (505 ILCS 45/2b) (from Ch. 5, par. 242b)
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| 7 | Sec. 2b. The Cooperative Extension Service of the | ||||||
| 8 | University of
Illinois may shall establish a Rural Transition | ||||||
| 9 | Program to be operated in
cooperation with the Department of | ||||||
| 10 | Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide
assessments, | ||||||
| 11 | career counseling, on-the-job training, tuition | ||||||
| 12 | reimbursements,
classroom
training, financial management | ||||||
| 13 | training, work experience opportunities,
job search skills, | ||||||
| 14 | job placement, youth programs, and
support service to farmers | ||||||
| 15 | and their families, agriculture-related
employees, other rural | ||||||
| 16 | residents, and small rural businesses who are
being forced out | ||||||
| 17 | of farming or other primary means of employment or
whose | ||||||
| 18 | standard of living or employment has been
reduced because of | ||||||
| 19 | prevailing economic conditions in the
agricultural or rural | ||||||
| 20 | economy.
Eligible farmers and their families shall include | ||||||
| 21 | those who can
demonstrate proof of financial stress, proof of | ||||||
| 22 | foreclosure, proof of
bankruptcy, proof of inability to
secure | ||||||
| 23 | needed capital, proof of voluntary foreclosure or proof of | ||||||
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| 1 | income
eligibility for assistance programs administered by the | ||||||
| 2 | Department of Human
Services (acting as successor to the | ||||||
| 3 | Department of
Public Aid under the Department of Human Services | ||||||
| 4 | Act). Eligible
agriculture related employees shall mean tenant
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| 5 | farmers or other farm employees and employees of businesses | ||||||
| 6 | related to
agricultural production who are facing | ||||||
| 7 | displacement, unemployment or
underemployment due to a closure | ||||||
| 8 | or reduction in operation of such business
or farm due to poor | ||||||
| 9 | economic conditions that prevail in the agricultural or rural
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| 10 | economy. Other eligible rural residents shall include those | ||||||
| 11 | residing in
rural areas whose employment or standard of living | ||||||
| 12 | has been reduced due to
the poor economic conditions that | ||||||
| 13 | prevail in the agricultural or rural economy.
Eligible small | ||||||
| 14 | rural businesses shall include those existing or new
businesses | ||||||
| 15 | established and operating in rural areas that lack access to | ||||||
| 16 | other
sources of
services provided by this Section. In carrying
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| 17 | out the provisions of this Section,
the Cooperative
Extension | ||||||
| 18 | Service may enter into agreements with the Department of | ||||||
| 19 | Commerce
and Community Affairs, community colleges, vocational | ||||||
| 20 | schools, and any
other State or local private or public agency | ||||||
| 21 | or entity deemed necessary.
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| 22 | (Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)
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