102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB1698

 

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Scott M. Bennett

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
30 ILCS 705/2  from Ch. 127, par. 2302
705 ILCS 95/15

    Amends the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Provides that "grantor agency" includes the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation when it makes grants under the Access to Justice Act or the Illinois Equal Justice Act. Amends the Access to Justice Act. Provides that grants or distributions made under the Act by (rather than to) the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation are subject to the requirements of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act is
5amended by changing Section 2 as follows:
 
6    (30 ILCS 705/2)  (from Ch. 127, par. 2302)
7    Sec. 2. Definitions. The following terms when used in this
8Act shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section:
9    (a) "Grantor agency" is any agency of State government
10which dispenses grant funds. "Grantor agency" includes the
11Illinois Equal Justice Foundation when it makes grants under
12Section 15 of the Access to Justice Act or Section 20 of the
13Illinois Equal Justice Act.
14    (b) "Grant funds" are any public funds dispensed by a
15grantor agency to any person or entity for obligation,
16expenditure, or use by that person or entity for a specific
17purpose or purposes. Funds disbursed by the State Comptroller
18pursuant to an appropriation made by the General Assembly to a
19named entity or person are not grant funds for purposes of this
20Act. Funds disbursed in accordance with a fee for service
21purchase of care contract are not grant funds for purposes of
22this Act.
23    Neither the method by which funds are dispensed whether by

 

 

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1contract, agreement, grant subsidy, letter of credit, or any
2other method nor the purpose for which the funds are used can
3change the character of funds which otherwise would be
4considered grant funds as defined in this Section.
5    (c) "Grantee" means the person or entity which may use
6grant funds.
7    (d) "Institution of higher education" means any
8institution which is authorized to grant degrees within the
9State of Illinois.
10(Source: P.A. 86-602.)
 
11    Section 10. The Access to Justice Act is amended by
12changing Section 15 as follows:
 
13    (705 ILCS 95/15)
14    Sec. 15. Access to Justice Fund.
15    (a) The Access to Justice Fund is created as a special fund
16in the State treasury. Moneys in the Access to Justice Fund
17shall be appropriated to the Attorney General for
18disbursements to the Foundation. The Foundation shall use the
19moneys to make grants and distributions for the administration
20of the pilot programs created under this Act. Grants or
21distributions made under this Act by to the Foundation are
22subject to the requirements of the Illinois Grant Funds
23Recovery Act.
24    (b) In accordance with the requirements of the Illinois

 

 

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1Equal Justice Act, the Foundation may make grants, enter into
2contracts, and take other actions recommended by the Council
3to effectuate the pilot programs and comply with the other
4requirements of this Act.
5    (c) The governing board of the Foundation must prepare and
6submit an annual report to the Governor, the President of the
7Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the
8House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of
9Representatives, and the Justices of the Illinois Supreme
10Court. The report must include: (i) a statement of the total
11receipts and a breakdown by source during each of the previous
122 calendar years; (ii) a list of the names and addresses of the
13recipients that are currently receiving grants or
14distributions and that received grants or distributions in the
15previous year and the amounts committed to recipients for the
16current year and paid in the previous year; (iii) a breakdown
17of the amounts of grants or distributions paid during the
18previous year to recipients and the amounts committed to each
19recipient for the current year; (iv) a breakdown of the
20Foundation's costs in administering the Fund; (v) a statement
21of the Fund balance at the start and at the close of the
22previous year and the interest earned during the previous
23year; and (vi) any notices the Foundation issued denying
24applications for grants or distributions under this Act. The
25report, in its entirety, is a public record, and the
26Foundation and the Governor shall make the report available

 

 

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1for inspection upon request.
2    (d) The Foundation may annually retain a portion of the
3disbursements it receives under this Section to reimburse the
4Foundation for the actual cost of administering the Council
5and for making the grants and distributions pursuant to this
6Act during that year.
7    (e) No moneys distributed by the Foundation from the
8Access to Justice Fund may be directly or indirectly used for
9lobbying activities, as defined in Section 2 of the Lobbyist
10Registration Act or as defined in any ordinance or resolution
11of a municipality, county, or other unit of local government
12in Illinois.
13    (f) The Foundation may make, enter into, and execute
14contracts, agreements, leases, and other instruments with any
15person, including without limitation any federal, State, or
16local governmental agency, and may take other actions that may
17be necessary or convenient to accomplish any purpose
18authorized by this Act.
19    (g) The Foundation has the authority to receive and accept
20any and all grants, loans, subsidies, matching funds,
21reimbursements, federal grant moneys, fees for services, and
22other things of value from the federal or State government or
23any agency of any other state or from any institution, person,
24firm, or corporation, public or private, to be used to carry
25out the purposes of this Act.
26(Source: P.A. 99-281, eff. 8-5-15; 100-987, eff. 7-1-19.)
 

 

 

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1    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2becoming law.