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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 Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform
5Act is amended by changing Sections 5, 10, and 15 and by adding
6Section 7 as follows:
 
7    (20 ILCS 608/5)
8    Sec. 5. Goal. The goal of this Act is to improve the
9State's business climate by making it easier for small and
10mid-size businesses to deal with State requirements for doing
11business. Subject to appropriation, this This goal will be
12achieved through providing prompt quick, accurate information
13about on existing requirements, and avoiding unnecessary
14requirements, and increasing the transparency and
15accessibility of permitting processes by consolidating status
16updates from State agencies regarding the issuance of permits
17for covered projects.
18(Source: P.A. 88-404.)
 
19    (20 ILCS 608/7 new)
20    Sec. 7. Covered project. As used in this Act, "covered
21project" means any project in Illinois that: (1) involves the
22construction of infrastructure for renewable or conventional

 

 

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1energy production, electricity transmission, surface
2transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource
3development, broadband, pipelines, or manufacturing; (2)
4requires authorization or environmental review by a State
5agency; (3) is likely to require a total future investment of
6more than $20,000,000; and (4) is the subject of a petition for
7recognition as a covered project that has been approved by the
8Department.
 
9    (20 ILCS 608/10)
10    Sec. 10. Executive Office. There is created an Office of
11Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance (hereinafter
12referred to as "office") within the Department of Commerce and
13Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic
14Opportunity) which shall consolidate existing programs
15throughout State government, provide assistance to businesses
16with fewer than 500 employees in meeting State requirements
17for doing business and perform other functions specified in
18this Act. The office shall use information technology tools to
19track schedules for covered projects and metrics in order to
20improve transparency and accountability in the permitting
21process, reduce uncertainty and delays, and reduce costs and
22risks to taxpayers. The By March 1, 1994, the office shall
23complete and file with the Governor and the General Assembly a
24plan for the implementation of this Act. Thereafter, the
25office shall carry out the provisions of this Act, subject to

 

 

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1funding through appropriation.
2(Source: P.A. 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
 
3    (20 ILCS 608/15)
4    Sec. 15. Providing Information and Expediting Permit
5Reviews.
6    (a) The office shall provide an online information system
7using a website toll-free business assistance number. The
8number shall be advertised throughout the State. Interested
9businesses shall If requested, the caller will be sent,
10electronically, a basic business kit, describing the basic
11requirements and procedures for doing business in Illinois. If
12requested, the caller shall be directed to one or more of the
13additional services provided by the office. All persons
14providing advice to callers on behalf of the office and all
15persons responsible for directly providing services to persons
16visiting the office or one of its branches shall be persons
17with small business experience in an administrative or
18managerial capacity.
19    (b) (Blank).
20    (c) Any applicant for permits required for a business
21activity may confer with the office to obtain assistance in
22the prompt and efficient processing and review of
23applications. The office shall, subject to appropriation, may
24designate an employee of the office to act as a permit
25assistance manager to:

 

 

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1        (1) facilitate contacts for the applicant with
2    responsible agencies;
3        (2) arrange conferences to clarify the requirements of
4    interested agencies;
5        (3) consider with State agencies the feasibility of
6    consolidating hearings and data required of the applicant;
7        (4) assist the applicant in resolution of outstanding
8    issues identified by State agencies; and
9        (5) coordinate federal, State and local regulatory
10    procedures and permit review actions to the extent
11    possible.
12    (d) The office shall publish an online a directory of
13State business permits and State programs to assist small
14businesses.
15    (e) The office shall attempt to establish agreements with
16local governments to allow the office to provide assistance to
17applicants for permits required by these local governments.
18    (f) (Blank). Interested State agencies shall, to the
19maximum extent feasible, establish procedures to expedite
20applications for infrastructure projects. Applications for
21permits for infrastructure projects shall be approved or
22disapproved within 45 days of submission, unless law or
23regulations specify a different period. If the interested
24agency is unable to act within that period, the agency shall
25provide a written notification to the office specifying
26reasons for its inability to act and the date by which approval

 

 

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1or disapproval shall be determined. The office may require any
2interested State agency to designate an employee who will
3coordinate the handling of permits in that area.
4    (g) In addition to its responsibilities in connection with
5permit assistance, the office shall provide general regulatory
6information by directing businesses to appropriate officers in
7State agencies to supply the information requested.
8    (h) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply
9to training programs available to train current employees in
10particular skills, techniques or areas of knowledge relevant
11to the employees' present or anticipated job duties. In
12pursuit of this objective, the office shall provide businesses
13with pertinent information about training programs offered by
14State agencies, units of local government, public universities
15and colleges, community colleges, and school districts in
16Illinois.
17    (i) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply
18to State programs offering to businesses grants, loans, loan
19or bond guarantees, investment partnerships, technology or
20productivity consultation, or other forms of business
21assistance.
22    (j) To the extent authorized by federal law, the office
23shall assist businesses in ascertaining and complying with the
24requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
25    (k) The office shall provide confidential on-site
26assistance in identifying problems and solutions in compliance

 

 

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1with requirements of State and federal environmental
2regulations. The office shall work through and contract with
3the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center to provide
4confidential on-site consultation audits that (i) assist
5regulatory compliance and (ii) identify pollution prevention
6opportunities.
7    (k-5) Until July 1, 2012, the office shall provide
8confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited
9to, consultation audits, to identify problems and solutions
10regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
11Occupational Safety and Health Administration. On and after
12July 1, 2012, the Department of Labor shall provide
13confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited
14to, consultation audits, to identify problems and solutions
15regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
16Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
17    (l) The office shall provide information on existing loan
18and business assistance programs provided by the State.
19    (m) Each State agency having jurisdiction to approve or
20deny a permit shall have the continuing power heretofore or
21hereafter vested in it to make such determinations. The
22provisions of this Act shall not lessen or reduce such powers
23and shall modify the procedures followed in carrying out such
24powers only to the extent provided in this Act.
25    (n) (1) Each State agency shall, subject to appropriation,
26fully cooperate with the office in providing information,

 

 

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1documentation, personnel or facilities requested by the
2office.
3    (2) Each State agency shall annually provide the office
4with processes and timelines for all permits having
5jurisdiction of any permit to which the master application
6procedure is applicable shall designate an employee to act as
7permit liaison office with the office in carrying out the
8provisions of this Act.
9    (o) (1) The office shall, subject to appropriation,
10identify and track metrics for the timeline of permit reviews,
11permit decisions, and project outcomes for covered projects
12has authority, but is not required, to keep and analyze
13appropriate statistical data regarding the number of permits
14issued by State agencies, the amount of time necessary for the
15permits to be issued, the cost of obtaining such permits, the
16types of projects for which specific permits are issued, a
17geographic distribution of permits, and other pertinent data
18the office deems appropriate.
19    The office shall, subject to appropriation, administer and
20expand the use of online transparency tools providing:
21        (i) tracking and reporting metrics;
22        (ii) posting of regulatory timelines for permit
23    reviews and permit decisions; those timelines shall be
24    provided to the office by each State agency having
25    jurisdiction over permits;
26        (iii) the sharing of best practices relating to

 

 

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1    efficient project permitting and reviews; those best
2    practices shall be provided to the office by each State
3    agency having jurisdiction over permits; and
4        (iv) a visual display of relevant geospatial data to
5    support the permitting process. make such data and any
6    analysis of the data available to the public.
7    (2) The office may has authority, but is not required, to
8conduct or cause to be conducted a thorough review of any
9agency's permit requirements and the need by the State to
10require such permits. The office shall draw on the review, on
11its direct experience, and on its statistical analyses to
12prepare recommendations regarding how to:
13        (i) eliminate unnecessary or antiquated permit
14    requirements;
15        (ii) consolidate duplicative or overlapping permit
16    requirements;
17        (iii) simplify overly complex or lengthy application
18    procedures;
19        (iv) expedite time-consuming agency review and
20    approval procedures; or
21        (v) otherwise improve the permitting processes in the
22    State.
23    The office shall submit copies of all recommendations
24within 5 days of issuance to the affected agency, the
25Governor, the General Assembly, and the Joint Committee on
26Administrative Rules.

 

 

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1    (p) The office may has authority to review State forms on
2its own initiative or upon the request of another State agency
3to ascertain the burden, if any, of complying with those
4forms. If the office determines that a form is unduly
5burdensome to business, it may recommend to the agency issuing
6the form either that the form be eliminated or that specific
7changes be made in the form.
8    (q) Not later than March 1 of each year, beginning March 1,
91995, the office shall submit an annual report of its
10activities during the preceding year to the Governor and
11General Assembly. The report shall describe the activities of
12the office during the preceding year and shall contain
13statistical information on the permit assistance activities of
14the office.
15    (r) All provisions of this Section are subject to adequate
16appropriation for the purpose of carrying out provisions of
17this Section.
18(Source: P.A. 97-787, eff. 7-13-12; 98-346, eff. 8-14-13.)