95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB1487

 

Introduced 2/21/2007, by Rep. Constance A. Howard - Esther Golar

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Sustainable Funding for Community Technology Act. Authorizes the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to (i) establish community collaboratives for the purpose of strategic planning for computing and telecommunications infrastructure and related community and economic development in low-income rural and urban areas and (ii) award strategic planning grants and telecommunications and computing infrastructure sustainable funding grants to those community collaboratives. Effective July 1, 2007.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning technology.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Sustainable Funding for Community Technology Act.
 
6     Section 5. Findings.
7     (a) The General Assembly finds that the present structure
8 of funding for community technology suffers from core
9 deficiencies. The charity-oriented approach to non-profit
10 funding has created fundamental instability in the provision of
11 critical services to low-income communities. Foundations and
12 private philanthropy are not sufficient to support long-term
13 development and operation of technological infrastructure. In
14 addition, grant funding models for non-profits grossly
15 underestimate the sustained technical assistance,
16 infrastructure development, and maintenance requirements of
17 computing and communications technology in non-profit
18 settings.
19     (b) The General Assembly further finds that low-income
20 communities would benefit from a capital development funding
21 approach that addresses regional planning and collaboration,
22 creates a sustainable capital base in each region, educates
23 traditional donors concerning community technology needs, and

 

 

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1 coordinates donation of equipment and services in each region
2 and its associated service area.
 
3     Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
4     "Collaborative" means a community collaborative
5 established under this Act.
6     "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
7 Opportunity.
 
8     Section 15. Community collaboratives; board of directors.
9     (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department may establish
10 community collaboratives for the purpose of strategic planning
11 for computing and telecommunications infrastructure and
12 related community and economic development in low-income rural
13 and urban areas. A community collaborative established under
14 this Section shall represent a specified geographic region
15 determined by the Department by rule. No more than 20
16 non-profit agencies within that geographic region shall be
17 represented in the collaborative.
18     (b) Each community collaborative shall consist of a board
19 of directors as follows:
20         (1) one representative of a technical profession with
21     broad experience in education, technology, social policy,
22     and social program implementation;
23         (2) one representative with experience in the fields of
24     law, finance, technology, or another relevant field;

 

 

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1         (3) one representative of fund-raising constituencies,
2     such as philanthropic foundations, corporate executives,
3     private donors, or other fund-raising sources;
4         (4) one representative of each member agency of the
5     collaborative; and
6         (5) one resident of the geographic area that the
7     collaborative represents.
8     The majority of the members of the board must be residents
9 of the geographic area that the collaborative represents. No
10 member of the board may vote on any funding decision that would
11 have a direct positive financial impact on that member or any
12 entity that that member represents or in which the member has
13 an interest. Members of the board shall serve without
14 compensation. The board may hire and provide compensation for a
15 resource development professional and an administrative
16 assistant.
 
17     Section 20. Strategic planning. The Department may award
18 each collaborative a strategic planning grant for the purpose
19 of determining the computing and telecommunications
20 infrastructure needs and related community and economic
21 development needs of the non-profit agencies and the community
22 within the geographic area that the collaborative represents.
23 Within 4 months after receipt of the strategic planning grant,
24 the collaborative shall deliver the strategic plan to the
25 Department. The total amount of strategic planning grants

 

 

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1 awarded to any one collaborative under this Section shall not
2 exceed $300,000.
 
3     Section 25. Telecommunications and computing
4 infrastructure sustainable funding grants.
5     (a) Upon receipt of the strategic plan of a community
6 collaborative under Section 20, the Department may award to
7 that community collaborative a sustainable funding grant to
8 endow or provide the general operating costs of
9 telecommunications and computing infrastructure and related
10 community and economic development.
11     (b) Grants awarded to endow a telecommunications and
12 computing infrastructure shall not be in an amount less than
13 $10,000,000. Grants awarded for the general operating costs of
14 telecommunications and computing infrastructure shall not be
15 in an amount less than $2,000,000.
16     (c) Upon receipt of a telecommunications and computing
17 infrastructure sustainable funding grant, the collaborative
18 shall distribute those funds to appropriate member agencies.
 
19     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
20 2007.