HB3747eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB3747 Engrossed LRB099 11123 AWJ 31562 b

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Agricultural Fair Act is amended by changing Sections 17 and 18 as follows:

(30 ILCS 120/17) (from Ch. 85, par. 667)

Sec. 17. Fair and expositions. Any county fair eligible to participate in appropriations made from the Agricultural Premium Fund, except in counties where a Fair and Exposition Authority participated in the appropriation in 1999, may elect instead in any odd numbered year to participate in the appropriation from the Fair and Exposition Fund. The Department must be notified of such election by January 1 of the year of participation in that fund. Any such election shall be binding for 4 calendar years. No county fair shall participate for the same calendar year in appropriations under both this Fund and the Agricultural Premium Fund.

In counties where a Fair and Exposition Authority participated in 1999, the Fair and Exposition Authority shall transfer all remaining funds to the county fair in such county within 30 days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly. Upon the transfer of such funds to the county fair, the terms of the Authority's members shall terminate and the Authority shall cease to exist the Authority shall continue to participate in the appropriation from the Fair and Exposition Fund. The Fair and Exposition Authority shall consist of 7 members appointed by the county board chairman with the advice and consent of the county board.

(Source: P.A. 94-261, eff. 1-1-06.)

(30 ILCS 120/18) (from Ch. 85, par. 668)

Sec. 18. Money shall be paid into the Fair and Exposition Fund by the Illinois Racing Board, as provided in Section 28 of the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. The General Assembly shall from time to time make appropriations payable from such fund to the Department for distribution to county fairs and to any Fair and Exposition Authority that participated in the appropriation in 1999. Such appropriations shall be distributed by the Department to county fairs which are eligible to participate in appropriations made from the Agricultural Premium Fund but which elect instead to participate in appropriations made from the Fair and Exposition Fund and to Fair and Exposition Authorities that participated in the appropriation in 1999. If a county has more than one county fair, such fairs shall jointly elect to participate either in appropriations made from the Agricultural Premium Fund or in appropriations made from the Fair and Exposition Fund. All participating county fairs of the same county shall participate in the same appropriation. Except as otherwise allowed by the Director, a participant, to be eligible to expend moneys appropriated from the Fair and Exposition Fund for the purchase of new or additional land construction or maintenance of buildings, grounds, facilities, infrastructure, or any improvement to the grounds must hold the land on which such fair or exposition is to be conducted as a fee or under a lease of at least 20 years, the terms of which require the lessee to have continuous possession of the land during every day of the lease period, or must be owned by the fair association participating in this disbursement, by an agricultural society, or by a fair and exposition authority.

(Source: P.A. 94-261, eff. 1-1-06.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.