99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB0020

 

Introduced 1/15/2015, by Sen. William R. Haine

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act
20 ILCS 605/605-415

    Creates the Defense Infrastructure Improvement and Community Reinvestment Act. Creates the Defense Infrastructure Grant Program to support local infrastructure projects deemed to have a positive impact on the military value of installations within the State. Creates the Illinois Defense Reinvestment Grant Program to respond to the need for this State to work in conjunction with defense-dependent communities in developing and implementing strategies and approaches to help communities support the missions of military installations, and in developing and implementing alternative economic diversification strategies to transition from a defense economy to a nondefense economy. Defines a required term. Contains legislative findings. Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department shall coordinate grants and grant-based activities under the Defense Infrastructure Improvement and Community Reinvestment Act as part of its Job Training and Economic Development Grant Program.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Defense Infrastructure Improvement and Community Reinvestment
6Act.
 
7    Section 5. Findings and purpose. It is the intent of the
8General Assembly to provide the necessary means to assist
9communities with military installations in supporting and
10sustaining those installations. It is further the intent to
11encourage communities to initiate a coordinated program of
12response and plan of action in advance of future actions of the
13federal government relating to realignments and closures. It is
14critical that communities develop and implement strategies to
15preserve and protect military installations. The General
16Assembly hereby recognizes that the State must coordinate all
17efforts that can support military installations throughout the
18State. The General Assembly, therefore, declares that
19providing such assistance to support the defense-related
20initiatives within this Act is a public purpose for which
21public money may be used.
 
22    Section 10. The Defense Infrastructure Grant Program. From

 

 

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1funds appropriated for that purpose, the Department of Commerce
2and Economic Opportunity, in coordination with the Department
3of Military Affairs and the Department of Veterans Affairs,
4shall administer a Defense Infrastructure Grant Program to
5support local infrastructure projects deemed to have a positive
6impact on the military value of installations within the State.
7Funds are to be used for projects that benefit both the local
8community and the military installation. Infrastructure
9projects to be funded under this program include, but are not
10limited to, those related to encroachment, transportation and
11access, utilities, communications, housing, environment, and
12security. Grant requests will be accepted only from economic
13development applicants serving in the official capacity of a
14governing board of a county, municipality, special district, or
15State agency that has the authority to maintain the project
16upon completion. An applicant must represent a community or
17county in which a military installation is located. There is no
18limit as to the amount of any grant awarded to an applicant. A
19match by the county or local community may be required. The
20program may not be used to fund on-base military construction
21projects. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
22shall establish guidelines to implement the purpose of this
23Section.
24    The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may
25award nonfederal matching funds specifically appropriated for
26construction, maintenance, and analysis of an Illinois defense

 

 

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1workforce database. Such funds will be used to create a
2registry of worker skills that can be used to match the worker
3needs of companies that are relocating to this state or to
4assist workers in relocating to other areas within this state
5where similar or related employment is available.
6    Payment of administrative expenses shall be limited to no
7more than 10% of any grants issued under this Act.
8    The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall
9adopt rules and establish guidelines to implement and carry out
10the purpose and intent of this Act.
 
11    Section 15. The Illinois Defense Reinvestment Grant
12Program. From funds appropriated for that purpose, the
13Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, in
14coordination with the Department of Military Affairs and the
15Department of Veterans Affairs, shall administer an Illinois
16Defense Reinvestment Grant Program to respond to the need for
17this State to work in conjunction with defense-dependent
18communities in developing and implementing strategies and
19approaches that will help communities support the missions of
20military installations, and in developing and implementing
21alternative economic diversification strategies to transition
22from a defense economy to a nondefense economy. Eligible
23applicants include defense-dependent counties and cities, and
24local economic development councils located within such
25communities. The program shall be administered by the

 

 

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1department and grant awards may be provided to support
2community-based activities that:
3        (1) protect existing military installations;
4        (2) diversify the economy of a defense-dependent
5    community; or
6        (3) develop plans for the reuse of closed or realigned
7    military installations, including any plans necessary for
8    infrastructure improvements needed to facilitate reuse and
9    related marketing activities.
10    Applications for grants under this Section must include a
11coordinated program of work or plan of action delineating how
12the eligible project will be administered and accomplished,
13which must include a plan for ensuring close cooperation
14between civilian and military authorities in the conduct of the
15funded activities and a plan for public involvement.
16    The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may
17award nonfederal matching funds specifically appropriated for
18construction, maintenance, and analysis of an Illinois defense
19workforce database. Such funds will be used to create a
20registry of worker skills that can be used to match the worker
21needs of companies that are relocating to this state or to
22assist workers in relocating to other areas within this state
23where similar or related employment is available.
24    Payment of administrative expenses shall be limited to no
25more than 10% of any grants issued under this Act.
26    The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall

 

 

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1adopt rules and establish guidelines to implement and carry out
2the purpose and intent of this Act.
 
3    Section 20. Award of grants.
4    (a) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is
5authorized to award grants on a competitive basis from any
6funds available to it to support activities related to the
7Illinois Defense Reinvestment Grant Program and the Illinois
8Defense Infrastructure Grant Program.
9    (b) As used in this Section, the term "activities" means
10studies, presentations, analyses, plans, and modeling. For the
11purposes of the Illinois Defense Infrastructure Grant Program
12in Section 10 of this Act, the term "activities" also includes,
13but is not limited to, local roads and streets, access roads,
14bridges, and sidewalks; waste disposal systems, water and sewer
15line extensions, water distribution and purification
16facilities, and sewage treatment facilities; rail or air or
17water port improvements; gas and electric utility facilities;
18transit capital facilities; development and improvement of
19publicly owned industrial and commercial sites; or other public
20capital improvements construction, land purchases, and
21easements. Staff salaries are not considered an "activity" for
22which grant funds may be awarded. Travel costs and costs
23incidental thereto incurred by a grant recipient shall be
24considered an "activity" for which grant funds may be awarded.
25    (c) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

 

 

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1shall require that an applicant:
2        (1) represent a local government with a military
3    installation or military installations that could be
4    adversely affected by federal actions;
5        (2) agree to match at least 30% of any grant awarded;
6        (3) prepare a coordinated program or plan of action
7    delineating how the eligible project will be administered
8    and accomplished; and
9        (4) provide documentation describing the potential for
10    changes to the mission of a military installation located
11    in the applicant's community and the potential impacts such
12    changes will have on the applicant's community.
13    (d) In making grant awards the Department of Commerce and
14Economic Opportunity shall, at a minimum, consider:
15        (1) the relative value of the particular military
16    installation in terms of its importance to the local and
17    state economy relative to other military installations;
18        (2) the potential job displacement within the local
19    community should the mission of the military installation
20    be changed; and
21        (3) the potential impact on industries and
22    technologies which service the military installation.
 
23    Section 25. The Department of Commerce and Economic
24Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
25amended by changing Section 605-415 as follows:
 

 

 

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1    (20 ILCS 605/605-415)
2    Sec. 605-415. Job Training and Economic Development Grant
3Program.
4    (a) Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds that:
5        (1) Despite the large number of unemployed job seekers,
6    many employers are having difficulty matching the skills
7    they require with the skills of workers; a similar problem
8    exists in industries where overall employment may not be
9    expanding but there is an acute need for skilled workers in
10    particular occupations.
11        (2) The State of Illinois should foster local economic
12    development by linking the job training of unemployed
13    disadvantaged citizens with the workforce needs of local
14    business and industry.
15        (3) Employers often need assistance in developing
16    training resources that will provide work opportunities
17    for disadvantaged populations.
18    (b) Definitions. As used in this Section:
19    "Community based provider" means a not-for-profit
20organization, with local boards of directors, that directly
21provides job training services.
22    "Disadvantaged persons" has the same meaning as in Titles
23II-A and II-C of the federal Job Training Partnership Act.
24    "Training partners" means a community-based provider and
25one or more employers who have established training and

 

 

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1placement linkages.
2    (c) From funds appropriated for that purpose, the
3Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall
4administer a Job Training and Economic Development Grant
5Program. The Director shall make grants to community-based
6providers. The grants shall be made to support the following:
7        (1) Partnerships between community-based providers and
8    employers for the customized training of existing
9    low-skilled, low-wage employees and newly hired
10    disadvantaged persons.
11        (2) Partnerships between community-based providers and
12    employers to develop and operate training programs that
13    link the work force needs of local industry with the job
14    training of disadvantaged persons.
15        (3) Coordination of grants and grant-based activities
16    among the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity,
17    the Department of Military Affairs, and the Department of
18    Veterans Affairs under the Defense Infrastructure
19    Improvement and Community Reinvestment Act.
20    (d) For projects created under paragraph (1) of subsection
21(c):
22        (1) The Department shall give a priority to projects
23    that include an in-kind match by an employer in partnership
24    with a community-based provider and projects that use
25    instructional materials and training instructors directly
26    used in the specific industry sector of the partnership

 

 

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1    employer.
2        (2) The partnership employer must be an active
3    participant in the curriculum development and train
4    primarily disadvantaged populations.
5    (e) For projects created under paragraph (2) of subsection
6(c):
7        (1) Community based organizations shall assess the
8    employment barriers and needs of local residents and work
9    in partnership with local economic development
10    organizations to identify the priority workforce needs of
11    the local industry.
12        (2) Training partners (that is, community-based
13    organizations and employers) shall work together to design
14    programs with maximum benefits to local disadvantaged
15    persons and local employers.
16        (3) Employers must be involved in identifying specific
17    skill-training needs, planning curriculum, assisting in
18    training activities, providing job opportunities, and
19    coordinating job retention for people hired after training
20    through this program and follow-up support.
21        (4) The community-based organizations shall serve
22    disadvantaged persons, including welfare recipients.
23    (f) The Department shall adopt rules for the grant program
24and shall create a competitive application procedure for those
25grants to be awarded beginning in fiscal year 1998. Grants
26shall be based on a performance based contracting system. Each

 

 

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1grant shall be based on the cost of providing the training
2services and the goals negotiated and made a part of the
3contract between the Department and the training partners. The
4goals shall include the number of people to be trained, the
5number who stay in the program, the number who complete the
6program, the number who enter employment, their wages, and the
7number who retain employment. The level of success in achieving
8employment, wage, and retention goals shall be a primary
9consideration for determining contract renewals and subsequent
10funding levels. In setting the goals, due consideration shall
11be given to the education, work experience, and job readiness
12of the trainees; their barriers to employment; and the local
13job market. Periodic payments under the contracts shall be
14based on the degree to which the relevant negotiated goals have
15been met during the payment period.
16(Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)