Full Text of HR0259 94th General Assembly
HR0259 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0259 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Community Development Block Grant Program | 3 |
| administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and | 4 |
| Economic Opportunity has served as a foundation upon which | 5 |
| local governments across Illinois have created jobs, developed | 6 |
| affordable housing, stabilized neighborhoods, and provided | 7 |
| important public services for all Illinois citizens, including | 8 |
| those economically disadvantaged and disabled, for the past 23 | 9 |
| years; and
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| WHEREAS, The United States Office of Management and Budget | 11 |
| recommends the consolidation of 18 federal community | 12 |
| development programs into a single program which will be housed | 13 |
| in the United States Department of Commerce; and
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| WHEREAS, The United States Office of Management and Budget | 15 |
| proposal further recommends that the administration of | 16 |
| community development and other programs be placed at the | 17 |
| federal level despite the fact that Illinois has responsibly | 18 |
| and effectively managed the program for 23 years; and
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| WHEREAS, As a result of this consolidation, programs with | 20 |
| combined budgets totaling nearly $5.7 billion will be squeezed | 21 |
| into a $3.7 billion package, resulting in program reductions of | 22 |
| up to 40 percent in the Community Development Block Grant | 23 |
| Program, which is currently funded at $4.7 billion; and
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| WHEREAS, The Community Development Block Grant Program | 25 |
| provides crucial funding for entitlement community grantees to | 26 |
| carry out a wide range of community development activities | 27 |
| directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic | 28 |
| development, and providing improved community facilities and | 29 |
| services; in FY 2004, almost $37 million in Community | 30 |
| Development Block Grant funding was directed to Illinois and | 31 |
| allocated to 46 counties and communities across Illinois; and
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HR0259 |
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LRB094 11860 CSA 44251 r |
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| WHEREAS, The State-managed Community Development Block | 2 |
| Grant Program administers the funds for three imperative | 3 |
| purposes: infrastructure development, business development, | 4 |
| and home rehabilitation; in 2004, the State program invested | 5 |
| more than $33 million in community projects around the State; | 6 |
| the program assisted 101 Illinois communities and more than | 7 |
| 66,000 residents with funding for improvements to their water, | 8 |
| sanitary, or storm water systems; and
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| WHEREAS, The strength of the Community Development Block | 10 |
| Grant Program lies in local determination of immediate need, | 11 |
| flexible criteria in how to address infrastructure problems, a | 12 |
| wide variety of eligible economic development activities, and | 13 |
| the responsible administration of funds by State and local | 14 |
| officials; and
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| WHEREAS, In FY 2004, Community Development Block Grant | 16 |
| funds available to our smaller cities and counties in the State | 17 |
| have leveraged the creation and retention of more than 1,000 | 18 |
| new jobs and, for low income homeowners in small and rural | 19 |
| communities, have provided housing rehabilitation for 313 | 20 |
| homes in 27 communities to address health and safety issues; | 21 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic | 23 |
| Opportunity, the administering agency for Community | 24 |
| Development Block Grant funds, has not only effectively | 25 |
| designed and managed the Community Development Block Grant | 26 |
| Non-Entitlement Program for small cities without incident for | 27 |
| 23 years, but has also been a responsible steward of federal | 28 |
| funds and has developed programs tailored to meet specific, | 29 |
| critical state-wide needs, including the Economic Development | 30 |
| Program, Emergency Public Facilities Program, Housing Planning | 31 |
| Assistance Program, and the Public Facilities Construction and | 32 |
| Design Engineering Program; and
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HR0259 |
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LRB094 11860 CSA 44251 r |
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| WHEREAS, While Illinois' rural communities continue to | 2 |
| suffer from declines in traditional industries and face | 3 |
| difficulties in arranging the resources to develop and attract | 4 |
| the new economic engines of the twenty-first century, the | 5 |
| tenacity and innovation shown by local governments in | 6 |
| initiating local solutions to their needs point the way towards | 7 |
| successful concepts that can be cultivated and expanded; and
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| WHEREAS, The State-administered Community Development | 9 |
| Block Grant Program is playing a pivotal role in providing the | 10 |
| seed capital and leveraging of private funds needed for these | 11 |
| communities to create and implement their own local solutions; | 12 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 14 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 15 |
| this body urges the continued support and full funding of the | 16 |
| Community Development Block Grant Program for city and county | 17 |
| community and economic development programs and projects, and | 18 |
| supports continued administration of the Community Development | 19 |
| Block Grant Program at the State level; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 21 |
| delivered to United States Senator Richard Durbin, United | 22 |
| States Senator Barack Obama, United States Speaker of the House | 23 |
| Dennis Hastert, and the other members of the Illinois | 24 |
| congressional delegation.
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