Full Text of SB2357 103rd General Assembly
SB2357sam002 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | Sen. Rachel Ventura Filed: 5/2/2023
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| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2357
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2357 by replacing | 3 | | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
| 4 | | "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 | | Healthy Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies Act. | 6 | | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds it is in | 7 | | the interest of the State to encourage natural solutions as | 8 | | one component of the State's efforts to reduce and remediate | 9 | | the impacts of climate change. Natural solutions must include | 10 | | planting native trees and other vegetation demonstrated to | 11 | | reduce carbon dioxide. To accomplish this, the State must | 12 | | offer assistance to other units of local government that are | 13 | | taking steps to fight climate change by restoring forests, | 14 | | wetlands, prairies, and other landscapes native to Illinois | 15 | | and demonstrated to have a positive environmental impact. |
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| 1 | | Section 10. State goal. It is the goal of the State that | 2 | | there be no overall net loss of the State's existing forest, | 3 | | prairie, or wetland acres or their functional value due to | 4 | | State-supported activities. Further, the State and units of | 5 | | local government shall preserve, enhance, and create forests, | 6 | | prairies, and wetlands where practical in order to mitigate | 7 | | the impact of climate change and reduce carbon dioxide from | 8 | | the atmosphere. | 9 | | Section 15. Receipt of federal moneys. The Department of | 10 | | Natural Resources may receive federal moneys to administer a | 11 | | Healthy Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies Grant Program. | 12 | | Section 20. Establishment of the Healthy Forests, | 13 | | Wetlands, and Prairies Grant Program.
| 14 | | (a) The Department of Natural Resources, subject to | 15 | | appropriation, shall establish and administer a Healthy | 16 | | Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies Grant Program to restore | 17 | | degraded forest lands and native prairies, and to promote the | 18 | | growth of native vegetation that remove carbon dioxide from | 19 | | the atmosphere and help to mitigate the impact of climate | 20 | | change. | 21 | | (b) Eligible entities for the Healthy Forests, Wetlands, | 22 | | and Prairies Grant Program include: | 23 | | (1) units of State and local government including, but | 24 | | not limited to, State agencies, municipalities, townships, |
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| 1 | | counties, forest preserves, and park districts; | 2 | | (2) conservation land trusts; | 3 | | (3) not-for-profit entities with conservation missions | 4 | | including, but not limited to, climate change mitigation, | 5 | | preservation of natural lands, and conservation of the | 6 | | State's natural resources; and | 7 | | (4) other entities to be determined by the Department | 8 | | as eligible recipients of the grants under this Act. | 9 | | (c) The Department may utilize an amount not to exceed 25% | 10 | | of the funds appropriated for the Healthy Forests, Wetlands, | 11 | | and Prairies Grant Program for administrative costs and for | 12 | | the purposes as described in subsection (e). | 13 | | (d) The Department shall adopt any rules necessary for the | 14 | | implementation of this Act, including requirements and | 15 | | timeframes for the submittal of grant applications by eligible | 16 | | entities. | 17 | | (e) Grants under this Act may be used by eligible entities | 18 | | for the purpose of:
| 19 | | (1) matching funds for federal or private dollars for | 20 | | projects that forward the goal of climate change | 21 | | mitigation through the promotion of the management, | 22 | | planting, maintaining and preserving of native grasses, | 23 | | plants, and trees;
| 24 | | (2) projects along roadways and in parks and forest | 25 | | preserves on public or private lands to plant native trees | 26 | | and prairie grasses demonstrated to absorb carbon;
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| 1 | | (3) projects promoting the stewardship of existing | 2 | | public and private urban forests and natural lands, | 3 | | including the removal of invasive or non-native plant | 4 | | species;
| 5 | | (4) funding regional teams tasked with planting native | 6 | | prairie grasses and trees, prescribed burning for the | 7 | | maintenance of natural lands, removing invasive plant | 8 | | species, and educational outreach;
| 9 | | (5) education and marketing regarding local projects | 10 | | or steps community members may take to promote the growth | 11 | | of native vegetation that removes carbon dioxide from the | 12 | | atmosphere;
and | 13 | | (6) other projects to be determined by the Department | 14 | | as eligible projects under the grant program established | 15 | | under this Act.
| 16 | | Section 25. Healthy Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies Grant | 17 | | Fund. The Healthy Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies Grant Fund | 18 | | is created in the State treasury. The fund shall be | 19 | | administered by the Department of Natural Resources. The fund | 20 | | may receive moneys appropriated by the General Assembly or | 21 | | from the federal government, private donations, or any other | 22 | | legal source.
| 23 | | Section 90. The Department of Natural Resources Act is | 24 | | amended by changing Section 1-15 as follows:
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| 1 | | (20 ILCS 801/1-15)
| 2 | | Sec. 1-15. General powers and duties.
| 3 | | (a) It shall be the duty of the Department to investigate | 4 | | practical
problems, implement studies, conduct research and | 5 | | provide assistance,
information and data relating to the | 6 | | technology and administration of
the natural history, | 7 | | entomology, zoology, and botany of this State; the geology
and | 8 | | natural resources of this State; the water and atmospheric | 9 | | resources of
this State; and the archeological and cultural | 10 | | history of this State.
| 11 | | (b) The Department (i) shall obtain, store, and process | 12 | | relevant
data; recommend technological, administrative, and | 13 | | legislative changes and
developments; cooperate with other | 14 | | federal, state, and local governmental
research agencies, | 15 | | facilities, or institutes in the selection of projects
for | 16 | | study; cooperate with the Board of Higher Education and with | 17 | | the public
and private colleges and universities in this State | 18 | | in developing relevant
interdisciplinary approaches to | 19 | | problems; and evaluate curricula at all
levels
of education | 20 | | and provide assistance to instructors and (ii) may
sponsor an
| 21 | | annual
conference of leaders in government, industry, health, | 22 | | and education to
evaluate the state of this State's | 23 | | environment and natural resources.
| 24 | | (c) The Director, in accordance with the Personnel Code, | 25 | | shall employ
such personnel, provide such facilities, and |
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| 1 | | contract for such outside services
as may be necessary to | 2 | | carry out the purposes of the Department. Maximum use
shall be | 3 | | made of existing federal and state agencies, facilities, and | 4 | | personnel
in conducting research under this Act.
| 5 | | (c-5) The Department may use the services of, and enter | 6 | | into necessary agreements with, outside entities for the | 7 | | purpose of evaluating grant applications and for the purpose | 8 | | of administering or monitoring compliance with grant | 9 | | agreements. Contracts under this subsection shall not exceed 5 | 10 | | 2 years , without an executed extension in length . | 11 | | (d) In addition to its other powers, the Department has | 12 | | the following
powers:
| 13 | | (1) To obtain, store, process, and provide data and | 14 | | information
related to the powers and duties of the | 15 | | Department under this Act.
This subdivision (d)(1) does | 16 | | not give authority to the Department to
require reports | 17 | | from nongovernmental sources or entities.
| 18 | | (2) To cooperate with and support the Illinois Science
| 19 | | and Technology Advisory
Committee and the Illinois | 20 | | Coalition for the purpose of facilitating the
effective | 21 | | operations and activities of such entities. Support may | 22 | | include,
but need not be limited to, providing space for | 23 | | the operations of the
Committee and the Illinois | 24 | | Coalition.
| 25 | | (e) The Department is authorized to make grants to local | 26 | | not-for-profit
organizations for the purposes of development, |
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| 1 | | management, maintenance , and study of
wetland areas , forests, | 2 | | prairies, and other landscapes demonstrated to reduce the | 3 | | impact of climate change .
| 4 | | (f) The Department has the authority to accept, receive | 5 | | and administer
on behalf of the State any gifts, bequests, | 6 | | donations, income from property
rental and endowments. Any | 7 | | such funds received by the Department shall be
deposited into | 8 | | the Natural Resources Fund, a special fund which is hereby
| 9 | | created in the State treasury, and used for the purposes of | 10 | | this Act or,
when appropriate, for such purposes and under | 11 | | such restrictions, terms and
conditions as are predetermined | 12 | | by the donor or grantor of such funds or
property. Any accrued | 13 | | interest from money deposited into the Natural
Resources Fund | 14 | | shall be reinvested into the Fund and used in the same
manner | 15 | | as the principal. The Director shall maintain records which | 16 | | account
for and assure that restricted funds or property are | 17 | | disbursed or used
pursuant to the restrictions, terms or | 18 | | conditions of the donor.
| 19 | | (g) The Department shall recognize, preserve, and promote | 20 | | our special
heritage of recreational hunting and trapping by | 21 | | providing opportunities to
hunt and trap in accordance with | 22 | | the Wildlife Code.
| 23 | | (h) Within 5 years after the effective date of this | 24 | | amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, the Department | 25 | | shall fly a United States Flag, an Illinois flag, and a POW/MIA | 26 | | flag at all State parks. Donations may be made by groups and |
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| 1 | | individuals to the Department's Special Projects Fund for | 2 | | costs related to the implementation of this subsection. | 3 | | (Source: P.A. 102-388, eff. 1-1-22; 102-699, eff. 4-19-22.)
| 4 | | Section 95. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | 5 | | Section 5.990 as follows: | 6 | | (30 ILCS 105/5.990 new) | 7 | | Sec. 5.990. The Healthy Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies | 8 | | Grant Fund. ".
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