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| [ House Amendment 003 ] |
90_HB0424ham001
LRB9001978DPgcam01
1 AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 424
2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend House Bill 424 by replacing
3 the title with the following:
4 "AN ACT to create the Illinois River Restoration and
5 Conservation Grant Act."; and
6 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
7 following:
8 "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
9 Illinois River Restoration and Conservation Grant Act.
10 Section 5. Legislative purpose. The restoration and
11 conservation of the Illinois River Watershed is in the
12 ecological and economic interests of the citizens of this
13 State. It is further in the public interest to stimulate
14 watershed management projects by local communities and
15 private landowners whose property comprises much of the
16 Watershed. Public grant moneys will encourage local
17 watershed management projects. It is therefore the purpose of
18 this Act to establish an interagency body to develop and
19 administer a grant program to fund local watershed management
20 projects. This Act is not intended to dilute or replicate
21 existing federal, State, or local programs.
-2- LRB9001978DPgcam01
1 Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
2 "Council" means the Illinois River Coordinating Council.
3 "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources.
4 "Illinois River Watershed" or "watershed" means the lands
5 that drain directly or through tributaries into the Illinois
6 River, including but not limited to lands surrounding the Des
7 Plaines River, Fox River, Kankakee River, La Moine River,
8 Macinaw River, Sangamon River, Spoon River, and Vermilion
9 River.
10 Section 15. Illinois River Coordinating Council.
11 (a) There is established the Illinois River Coordinating
12 Council, consisting of 11 voting members to be appointed by
13 the Governor. Members of the Council shall include at least
14 one representative from the Office of the Governor, the
15 Illinois Congressional Delegation, the Environmental
16 Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, the
17 Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Commerce
18 and Community Affairs, and organizations or entities
19 representing the interests of business, conservation, and
20 agriculture and at least one private citizen owning land
21 within the Illinois River Watershed. The Governor shall make
22 initial appointments to the Council from among the members of
23 the Illinois River Strategy Team, unless a member of that
24 team elects not to serve in which case the Governor shall
25 appoint another member otherwise in accordance with this
26 subsection.
27 (b) The Council shall elect a chairperson, except that
28 the Lieutenant Governor shall serve as chairperson for the
29 first appointed Board.
30 (c) Members of the Council shall serve a 2-year term,
31 except that of the initial appointments, 5 members shall be
32 appointed to serve a one-year term.
-3- LRB9001978DPgcam01
1 Section 20. Department duties. In consultation with the
2 Council as set forth in Section 25, the Department shall
3 develop and administer the Illinois River Restoration and
4 Conservation Grant Program to fund watershed management
5 projects conducted by local communities and individuals to
6 advance the ecosystem recovery and sustainability of the
7 Illinois River Watershed. The Department shall award grants,
8 enter into any necessary contracts, provide technical support
9 to the Council, and perform technical reviews and other
10 oversight functions as necessary to implement the Grant
11 Program. The Department shall coordinate the Grant Program
12 created under this Act with other watershed-related programs
13 or services provided by the Department and with Conservation
14 2000 projects.
15 From funds available for this purpose, the Department may
16 allocate and expend up to $150,000 for the purpose of
17 administering this Act.
18 Section 25. Duties of the Council.
19 (a) The Council shall set funding levels and guidelines
20 for prioritizing funding requests.
21 (b) The Council shall accept and review applications for
22 funding from private individuals and local communities
23 according to the following grant categories:
24 (1) Local Community Planning Grants to develop
25 watershed management plans to address stormwater
26 management, erosion control, and other watershed issues
27 that cause unnatural flooding, sedimentation, and
28 pollution in a community in the Illinois River Watershed.
29 (2) Floodplain Recovery and Enhancement Grants to
30 protect and enhance areas in the Illinois River Watershed
31 for the natural conveyance and management of floodwaters
32 to in turn safeguard developed areas and enhance
33 wildlife.
-4- LRB9001978DPgcam01
1 (3) Upland Watershed Management Incentive Grants to
2 encourage improved sewage treatment practices, tributary
3 floodplain and wetland recovery, streambank
4 stabilization, and reforestation efforts to promote land
5 uses that are compatible with the recovery and
6 conservation of the Illinois River Watershed.
7 (4) Natural Area and Farmland Protection Grants to
8 encourage efforts that preserve farmland, prairies, and
9 forests.
10 (5) Compatible Economic Development Grants to
11 encourage, under a revolving loan and competitive grant
12 program, job creation and economic development projects
13 that contribute to the ecological health of the Illinois
14 River Watershed and provide measurable economic benefits
15 to the communities in which they occur.
16 (6) Research, Development, and Assessment Grants to
17 provide technical and scientific support to individuals
18 and local communities undertaking watershed management
19 projects, to develop models to predict results of
20 alternative management practices, and to develop
21 standards to measure and evaluate the effects of projects
22 funded by grants.
23 (c) The Council shall make recommendations to the
24 Department to award grants in the categories listed in
25 subsection (b) to individuals and local communities
26 demonstrating local support for watershed recovery programs
27 and a commitment to achieving the overall purposes of this
28 Act, including but not limited to enhancing local awareness
29 of and participation in addressing watershed resource
30 concerns across the Illinois River Watershed.
31 (d) The Council shall identify possible sources of
32 additional funding for watershed management projects.".