State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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90_HB2551

      505 ILCS 45/8             from Ch. 5, par. 248
          Amends the County Cooperative  Extension  Law.   Provides
      that  the  State  may  make  an annual appropriation from the
      General Revenue Fund (now the Agricultural Premium  Fund)  to
      provide  matching  funds  for cooperative extension programs.
      Increases the amounts that may be  appropriated  to  counties
      for  Cooperative  Extension Service programs.  Effective July
      1, 1999.
                                                     LRB9009101PTsb
                                               LRB9009101PTsb
 1        AN ACT to amend the County Cooperative Extension  Law  by
 2    changing Section 8.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.   The  County  Cooperative  Extension  Law  is
 6    amended by changing Section 8 as follows:
 7        (505 ILCS 45/8) (from Ch. 5, par. 248)
 8        Sec. 8. County extension education funds.
 9        (a)  The  county  governing board shall annually consider
10    the total budget certified  by  the  county  or  multi-county
11    extension  board  in order to consider the total funds needed
12    for Cooperative Extension Service programs in the county. The
13    county governing board may  appropriate  and  pay  75%,  then
14    beginning  on  July  1,  1979, 70%, then beginning on July 1,
15    1980,  65%,  then  beginning  on  July  1,  1981,  60%,  then
16    beginning on July 1, 1982, 55% and then beginning on July  1,
17    1983   and  continuing  thereafter,  50%,  of  the  total  so
18    determined from the general corporate fund or other available
19    funds or from an existing  extension  education  tax  of  the
20    county for the extension educational program in the county or
21    multi-county  group  of which it is a part, provided that the
22    amount so appropriated shall not exceed  $54,400  $25,200  in
23    counties  of less than 10,000 inhabitants, $61,200 $28,350 in
24    counties of 10,000 or more but less than 20,000  inhabitants,
25    $68,000  $31,500  in counties of 20,000 or more but less than
26    30,000 inhabitants, $91,000 $42,000 in counties of 30,000  or
27    more  but  less  than 50,000 inhabitants, $117,000 $54,000 in
28    counties of 50,000 or more but less than 100,000 inhabitants,
29    $156,000 $72,000 in counties of 100,000 or more but less than
30    250,000 inhabitants, $233,000 $108,000 in counties of 250,000
31    or more but less than 500,000 inhabitants, $311,000  $144,000
                            -2-                LRB9009101PTsb
 1    in  counties  of  500,000  or  more  but  less than 1,000,000
 2    inhabitants and $583,000 $270,000 in counties of 1,000,000 or
 3    more inhabitants. The amount to be  so  appropriated  by  the
 4    county  governing  board  may  be reduced by the total of any
 5    private gifts or grants  specifically  made  to  support  the
 6    county extension programs included in such determination, and
 7    may  also be reduced by the fair market value of office space
 8    furnished the Cooperative Extension  Service  by  the  county
 9    governing  board, provided it is suitable for extension needs
10    and meets the housing standards adopted  by  the  Cooperative
11    Extension Service.
12        In  order  to  provide  matching  funds  to  counties for
13    Cooperative Extension programs the State will recognize those
14    needs and may make an annual appropriation from  the  General
15    Revenue  Agricultural Premium Fund, in an amount equal to 50%
16    of the total funds needed as provided herein.
17        On or before October 15 of each  year,  the  director  of
18    extension  of the University of Illinois shall forward to the
19    Director of Agriculture, the Governor,  the  Speaker  of  the
20    House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of
21    Representatives,   the  President  of  the  Senate,  and  the
22    Minority Leader of the Senate, a report of the determinations
23    made by the various county  governing  boards  of  the  total
24    funds  needed  for  Cooperative Extension Service programs in
25    the respective counties. The State matching  funds  shall  be
26    included  in  an  appropriation  request by the Department of
27    Agriculture for the next State  fiscal  year.   That  request
28    shall  be separate and apart from the operating appropriation
29    request for the Department  of  Agriculture.   The  funds  so
30    appropriated  by  the  State to the Department of Agriculture
31    shall be  deposited  into  the  State  Cooperative  Extension
32    Service  Trust  Fund and transferred as provided in Section 8
33    (d) of this Act. The Department of Agriculture shall have  no
34    responsibility  for or control over the cooperative extension
                            -3-                LRB9009101PTsb
 1    service or its programs.
 2        All funds provided pursuant to this Act may be  used  for
 3    operations or facilities.
 4        (b)  If  sufficient  funds  are  not  available  from the
 5    general corporate fund or if sums greater  than  the  maximum
 6    listed  above  are  needed  for  the  county's  share  of the
 7    extension education program, the county governing board shall
 8    have the power to increase by not more  than  .05  per  cent,
 9    with  approval  by  referendum,  the maximum rate at which it
10    levies, or can levy, taxes for general county purposes.  Such
11    additional  rate  shall  not be included within any statutory
12    limitation or rate or amount for other  county  purposes  and
13    shall be in addition thereto.
14        Any  county that under this Cooperative Extension Law has
15    approved a rate by referendum prior to the effective date  of
16    this  amendment, shall have authority to continue such tax as
17    approved, but may use the provisions of  this  subsection  as
18    amended  provided that another referendum must be held if the
19    rate desired is greater than the rate previously approved.
20        (c)  Upon approval by resolution the county  board  shall
21    certify  the resolution and the question of the adoption of a
22    levy sufficient to produce the sums determined by the  county
23    board  to the proper election officials, who shall submit the
24    question to the electors of the  county  at  an  election  in
25    accordance with the general election law.  No such levy shall
26    be  made  until the adoption by majority vote of the electors
27    voting on the proposition.
28        (d)  Funds  received  from  local   sources   and   funds
29    appropriated  by  the county governing board or the State for
30    the county extension education program in any county shall be
31    paid over to the University of Illinois.
32    (Source: P.A. 89-691, eff. 12-31-96.)
33        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
                            -4-                LRB9009101PTsb
 1    July 1, 1999.

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