95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB2088

 

Introduced 2/26/2007, by Rep. Michael J. Madigan - Barbara Flynn Currie - Kenneth Dunkin

 

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 01063 RCE 21065 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2088 LRB095 01063 RCE 21065 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
11 convention bureaus. The The Department will develop and
12 implement a program for the use of funds, as authorized under
13 this Act, by local tourism and convention bureaus. For the
14 purposes of this Act, bureaus eligible to receive funds are
15 those local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either
16 units of local government or incorporated as not-for-profit
17 organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years
18 before July 1, 2001; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time
19 staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in the
20 designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with one or more
21 municipalities or counties that support the bureau with local
22 hotel-motel taxes. After July 1, 2001, bureaus requesting
23 certification in order to receive funds for the first time must

 

 

HB2088 - 2 - LRB095 01063 RCE 21065 b

1 be local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either
2 units of local government or incorporated as not-for-profit
3 organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years
4 before the request for certification; (iii) operating with a
5 paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism
6 in the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with
7 multiple municipalities or counties that support the bureau
8 with local hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau receiving funds under
9 this Act will be certified by the Department as the designated
10 recipient to serve an area of the State. Notwithstanding the
11 criteria set forth in this subsection (a), or any rule adopted
12 under this subsection (a), the Director of the Department may
13 provide for the award of grant funds to one or more entities if
14 in the Department's judgment that action is necessary in order
15 to 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

 

 

HB2088 - 3 - LRB095 01063 RCE 21065 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.)