95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB1210

 

Introduced 02/09/07, by Rep. Jack D. Franks

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 605/605-705   was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a

    Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning local tourism grants.


LRB095 08066 HLH 28228 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1210 LRB095 08066 HLH 28228 b

1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
5 Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6 amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 605/605-705)  (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a)
8     Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention
9 bureaus.
10     (a) To establish a grant program for local tourism and and
11 convention bureaus. The Department will develop and implement a
12 program for the use of funds, as authorized under this Act, by
13 local tourism and convention bureaus. For the purposes of this
14 Act, bureaus eligible to receive funds are those local tourism
15 and convention bureaus that are (i) either units of local
16 government or incorporated as not-for-profit organizations;
17 (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years before July 1,
18 2001; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time staff whose sole
19 purpose is to promote tourism in the designated service area;
20 and (iv) affiliated with one or more municipalities or counties
21 that support the bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. After
22 July 1, 2001, bureaus requesting certification in order to
23 receive funds for the first time must be local tourism and

 

 

HB1210 - 2 - LRB095 08066 HLH 28228 b

1 convention bureaus that are (i) either units of local
2 government or incorporated as not-for-profit organizations;
3 (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years before the
4 request for certification; (iii) operating with a paid,
5 full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in the
6 designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with multiple
7 municipalities or counties that support the bureau with local
8 hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau receiving funds under this Act
9 will be certified by the Department as the designated recipient
10 to serve an area of the State. Notwithstanding the criteria set
11 forth in this subsection (a), or any rule adopted under this
12 subsection (a), the Director of the Department may provide for
13 the award of grant funds to one or more entities if in the
14 Department's judgment that action is necessary in order to
15 prevent a loss of funding critical to promoting tourism in a
16 designated geographic area of the State.
17     (b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention
18 bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund
19 for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the
20 Department for expenditure under this Section, one-third of
21 those monies shall be used for grants to convention and tourism
22 bureaus in cities with a population greater than 500,000. The
23 remaining two-thirds of the annual appropriation shall be used
24 for grants to convention and tourism bureaus in the remainder
25 of the State, in accordance with a formula based upon the
26 population served. The Department may reserve up to 10% of

 

 

HB1210 - 3 - LRB095 08066 HLH 28228 b

1 total local tourism funds available for costs of administering
2 the program to conduct audits of grants, to provide incentive
3 funds to those bureaus that will conduct promotional activities
4 designed to further the Department's statewide advertising
5 campaign, to fund special statewide promotional activities,
6 and to fund promotional activities that support an increased
7 use of the State's parks or historic sites.
8 (Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 92-38, eff. 6-28-01; 92-524,
9 eff. 2-8-02; 93-25, eff. 6-20-03.)