Rep. Lance Yednock

Filed: 3/17/2023

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3017

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3017 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
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. This goal will be achieved through providing quick,
12accurate information on existing requirements, and avoiding
13unnecessary requirements, and expediting permit issuance.
14(Source: P.A. 88-404.)
 
15    (20 ILCS 608/7 new)

 

 

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1    Sec. 7. Covered project. As used in this Act, "covered
2project" means any activity in Illinois that: (1) involves the
3construction of infrastructure for renewable or conventional
4energy production, electricity transmission, surface
5transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource
6projects, broadband, pipelines, or manufacturing; (2) requires
7authorization or environmental review by a State agency; and
8(3) is likely to require a total investment of more than
9$20,000,000.
 
10    (20 ILCS 608/10)
11    Sec. 10. Executive Office. There is created an Office of
12Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance (hereinafter
13referred to as "office") within the Department of Commerce and
14Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic
15Opportunity) which shall consolidate existing programs
16throughout State government, provide assistance to businesses
17with fewer than 500 employees in meeting State requirements
18for doing business and perform other functions specified in
19this Act. The office shall implement reforms to improve
20interagency coordination that allow for expeditious permit
21issuance for covered projects. The office shall use
22information technology tools to track schedules for covered
23projects and metrics in order to improve transparency and
24accountability in the permitting process, reduce uncertainty
25and delays, and reduce costs and risks to taxpayers. The By

 

 

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1March 1, 1994, the office shall complete and file with the
2Governor and the General Assembly a plan for the
3implementation of this Act. Thereafter, the office shall carry
4out the provisions of this Act, subject to funding through
5appropriation.
6(Source: P.A. 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
 
7    (20 ILCS 608/15)
8    Sec. 15. Providing Information and Expediting Permit
9Reviews.
10    (a) The office shall provide an online information system
11using a website toll-free business assistance number. The
12number shall be advertised throughout the State. Interested
13businesses shall If requested, the caller will be sent a basic
14business kit, describing the basic requirements and procedures
15for doing business in Illinois. If requested, the caller shall
16be directed to one or more of the additional services provided
17by the office. All persons providing advice to callers on
18behalf of the office and all persons responsible for directly
19providing services to persons visiting the office or one of
20its branches shall be persons with small business experience
21in an administrative or managerial capacity.
22    (b) (Blank).
23    (c) Any applicant for permits required for a business
24activity may confer with the office to obtain assistance in
25the prompt and efficient processing and review of

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1    analysis of the data available to the public.
2    (2) The office shall has authority, but is not required,
3to conduct or cause to be conducted a thorough review of any
4agency's permit requirements and the need by the State to
5require such permits. The office shall draw on the review, on
6its direct experience, and on its statistical analyses to
7prepare recommendations regarding how to:
8        (i) eliminate unnecessary or antiquated permit
9    requirements;
10        (ii) consolidate duplicative or overlapping permit
11    requirements;
12        (iii) simplify overly complex or lengthy application
13    procedures;
14        (iv) expedite time-consuming agency review and
15    approval procedures; or
16        (v) otherwise improve the permitting processes in the
17    State.
18    The office shall submit copies of all recommendations
19within 5 days of issuance to the affected agency, the
20Governor, the General Assembly, and the Joint Committee on
21Administrative Rules.
22    (p) The office shall has authority to review State forms
23on its own initiative or upon the request of another State
24agency to ascertain the burden, if any, of complying with
25those forms. If the office determines that a form is unduly
26burdensome to business, it may recommend to the agency issuing

 

 

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1the form either that the form be eliminated or that specific
2changes be made in the form.
3    (q) Not later than March 1 of each year, beginning March 1,
41995, the office shall submit an annual report of its
5activities during the preceding year to the Governor and
6General Assembly. The report shall describe the activities of
7the office during the preceding year and shall contain
8statistical information on the permit assistance activities of
9the office.
10(Source: P.A. 97-787, eff. 7-13-12; 98-346, eff. 8-14-13.)".