Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB3017
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Full Text of HB3017  103rd General Assembly

HB3017sam001 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Ram Villivalam

Filed: 4/21/2023

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB3017sam001LRB103 06043 HLH 60797 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3017

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3017 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform
5Act is amended by changing Sections 5, 10, and 15 and by adding
6Section 7 as follows:
 
7    (20 ILCS 608/5)
8    Sec. 5. Goal. The goal of this Act is to improve the
9State's business climate by making it easier for small and
10mid-size businesses to deal with State requirements for doing
11business. Subject to appropriation, this This goal will be
12achieved through providing prompt quick, accurate information
13about on existing requirements, and avoiding unnecessary
14requirements, and increasing the transparency and
15accessibility of permitting processes by consolidating status
16updates from State agencies regarding the issuance of permits

 

 

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1for covered projects.
2(Source: P.A. 88-404.)
 
3    (20 ILCS 608/7 new)
4    Sec. 7. Covered project. As used in this Act, "covered
5project" means any project in Illinois that: (1) involves the
6construction of infrastructure for renewable or conventional
7energy production, electricity transmission, surface
8transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource
9development, broadband, pipelines, or manufacturing; (2)
10requires authorization or environmental review by a State
11agency; (3) is likely to require a total future investment of
12more than $20,000,000; and (4) is the subject of a petition for
13recognition as a covered project that has been approved by the
14Department.
 
15    (20 ILCS 608/10)
16    Sec. 10. Executive Office. There is created an Office of
17Business Permits and Regulatory Assistance (hereinafter
18referred to as "office") within the Department of Commerce and
19Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic
20Opportunity) which shall consolidate existing programs
21throughout State government, provide assistance to businesses
22with fewer than 500 employees in meeting State requirements
23for doing business and perform other functions specified in
24this Act. The office shall use information technology tools to

 

 

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1track schedules for covered projects and metrics in order to
2improve transparency and accountability in the permitting
3process, reduce uncertainty and delays, and reduce costs and
4risks to taxpayers. The By March 1, 1994, the office shall
5complete and file with the Governor and the General Assembly a
6plan for the implementation of this Act. Thereafter, the
7office shall carry out the provisions of this Act, subject to
8funding through appropriation.
9(Source: P.A. 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
 
10    (20 ILCS 608/15)
11    Sec. 15. Providing Information and Expediting Permit
12Reviews.
13    (a) The office shall provide an online information system
14using a website toll-free business assistance number. The
15number shall be advertised throughout the State. Interested
16businesses shall If requested, the caller will be sent,
17electronically, a basic business kit, describing the basic
18requirements and procedures for doing business in Illinois. If
19requested, the caller shall be directed to one or more of the
20additional services provided by the office. All persons
21providing advice to callers on behalf of the office and all
22persons responsible for directly providing services to persons
23visiting the office or one of its branches shall be persons
24with small business experience in an administrative or
25managerial capacity.

 

 

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1    (b) (Blank).
2    (c) Any applicant for permits required for a business
3activity may confer with the office to obtain assistance in
4the prompt and efficient processing and review of
5applications. The office shall, subject to appropriation, may
6designate an employee of the office to act as a permit
7assistance manager to:
8        (1) facilitate contacts for the applicant with
9    responsible agencies;
10        (2) arrange conferences to clarify the requirements of
11    interested agencies;
12        (3) consider with State agencies the feasibility of
13    consolidating hearings and data required of the applicant;
14        (4) assist the applicant in resolution of outstanding
15    issues identified by State agencies; and
16        (5) coordinate federal, State and local regulatory
17    procedures and permit review actions to the extent
18    possible.
19    (d) The office shall publish an online a directory of
20State business permits and State programs to assist small
21businesses.
22    (e) The office shall attempt to establish agreements with
23local governments to allow the office to provide assistance to
24applicants for permits required by these local governments.
25    (f) (Blank). Interested State agencies shall, to the
26maximum extent feasible, establish procedures to expedite

 

 

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1applications for infrastructure projects. Applications for
2permits for infrastructure projects shall be approved or
3disapproved within 45 days of submission, unless law or
4regulations specify a different period. If the interested
5agency is unable to act within that period, the agency shall
6provide a written notification to the office specifying
7reasons for its inability to act and the date by which approval
8or disapproval shall be determined. The office may require any
9interested State agency to designate an employee who will
10coordinate the handling of permits in that area.
11    (g) In addition to its responsibilities in connection with
12permit assistance, the office shall provide general regulatory
13information by directing businesses to appropriate officers in
14State agencies to supply the information requested.
15    (h) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply
16to training programs available to train current employees in
17particular skills, techniques or areas of knowledge relevant
18to the employees' present or anticipated job duties. In
19pursuit of this objective, the office shall provide businesses
20with pertinent information about training programs offered by
21State agencies, units of local government, public universities
22and colleges, community colleges, and school districts in
23Illinois.
24    (i) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply
25to State programs offering to businesses grants, loans, loan
26or bond guarantees, investment partnerships, technology or

 

 

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1productivity consultation, or other forms of business
2assistance.
3    (j) To the extent authorized by federal law, the office
4shall assist businesses in ascertaining and complying with the
5requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
6    (k) The office shall provide confidential on-site
7assistance in identifying problems and solutions in compliance
8with requirements of State and federal environmental
9regulations. The office shall work through and contract with
10the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center to provide
11confidential on-site consultation audits that (i) assist
12regulatory compliance and (ii) identify pollution prevention
13opportunities.
14    (k-5) Until July 1, 2012, the office shall provide
15confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited
16to, consultation audits, to identify problems and solutions
17regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
18Occupational Safety and Health Administration. On and after
19July 1, 2012, the Department of Labor shall provide
20confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited
21to, consultation audits, to identify problems and solutions
22regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
23Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
24    (l) The office shall provide information on existing loan
25and business assistance programs provided by the State.
26    (m) Each State agency having jurisdiction to approve or

 

 

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1deny a permit shall have the continuing power heretofore or
2hereafter vested in it to make such determinations. The
3provisions of this Act shall not lessen or reduce such powers
4and shall modify the procedures followed in carrying out such
5powers only to the extent provided in this Act.
6    (n) (1) Each State agency shall, subject to appropriation,
7fully cooperate with the office in providing information,
8documentation, personnel or facilities requested by the
9office.
10    (2) Each State agency shall annually provide the office
11with processes and timelines for all permits having
12jurisdiction of any permit to which the master application
13procedure is applicable shall designate an employee to act as
14permit liaison office with the office in carrying out the
15provisions of this Act.
16    (o) (1) The office shall, subject to appropriation,
17identify and track metrics for the timeline of permit reviews,
18permit decisions, and project outcomes for covered projects
19has authority, but is not required, to keep and analyze
20appropriate statistical data regarding the number of permits
21issued by State agencies, the amount of time necessary for the
22permits to be issued, the cost of obtaining such permits, the
23types of projects for which specific permits are issued, a
24geographic distribution of permits, and other pertinent data
25the office deems appropriate.
26    The office shall, subject to appropriation, administer and

 

 

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1expand the use of online transparency tools providing:
2        (i) tracking and reporting metrics;
3        (ii) posting of regulatory timelines for permit
4    reviews and permit decisions; those timelines shall be
5    provided to the office by each State agency having
6    jurisdiction over permits;
7        (iii) the sharing of best practices relating to
8    efficient project permitting and reviews; those best
9    practices shall be provided to the office by each State
10    agency having jurisdiction over permits; and
11        (iv) a visual display of relevant geospatial data to
12    support the permitting process. make such data and any
13    analysis of the data available to the public.
14    (2) The office may has authority, but is not required, to
15conduct or cause to be conducted a thorough review of any
16agency's permit requirements and the need by the State to
17require such permits. The office shall draw on the review, on
18its direct experience, and on its statistical analyses to
19prepare recommendations regarding how to:
20        (i) eliminate unnecessary or antiquated permit
21    requirements;
22        (ii) consolidate duplicative or overlapping permit
23    requirements;
24        (iii) simplify overly complex or lengthy application
25    procedures;
26        (iv) expedite time-consuming agency review and

 

 

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1    approval procedures; or
2        (v) otherwise improve the permitting processes in the
3    State.
4    The office shall submit copies of all recommendations
5within 5 days of issuance to the affected agency, the
6Governor, the General Assembly, and the Joint Committee on
7Administrative Rules.
8    (p) The office may has authority to review State forms on
9its own initiative or upon the request of another State agency
10to ascertain the burden, if any, of complying with those
11forms. If the office determines that a form is unduly
12burdensome to business, it may recommend to the agency issuing
13the form either that the form be eliminated or that specific
14changes be made in the form.
15    (q) Not later than March 1 of each year, beginning March 1,
161995, the office shall submit an annual report of its
17activities during the preceding year to the Governor and
18General Assembly. The report shall describe the activities of
19the office during the preceding year and shall contain
20statistical information on the permit assistance activities of
21the office.
22    (r) All provisions of this Section are subject to adequate
23appropriation for the purpose of carrying out provisions of
24this Section.
25(Source: P.A. 97-787, eff. 7-13-12; 98-346, eff. 8-14-13.)".