Public Act 096-0659
 
HB0740 Enrolled LRB096 07627 NHT 17725 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
2-3.148 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.148 new)
    Sec. 2-3.148. Green career and technical education
programs.
    (a) As used in this Section, "green industries" means
industries that contribute directly to preserving or enhancing
environmental quality by reducing waste and pollution or
producing sustainable products using sustainable processes and
materials and that provide opportunities for advancement along
a career track of increasing skills and wages. Green industries
include any of the following:
        (1) Energy system retrofits to increase energy
    efficiency and conservation.
        (2) The production and distribution of biofuels and
    vehicle retrofits for biofuels.
        (3) Building design and construction that meet the
    equivalent of the best available technology in energy and
    environmental design standards.
        (4) Organic and community food production.
        (5) The manufacture of products from non-toxic,
    environmentally certified or recycled materials.
        (6) The manufacture and production of sustainable
    technologies, including, but not limited to, solar panels,
    wind turbines, and fuel cells.
        (7) Solar technology installation and maintenance.
        (8) Recycling, green composting, and large-scale reuse
    of construction and demolition materials and debris.
        (9) Water system retrofits to increase water
    efficiency and conservation.
        (10) Horticulture.
    (b) It is the purpose and intent of this Section to
establish a State grant program that develops secondary
programs that introduce students to developing green
industries.
    (c) Subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education
shall establish a State grant program that develops, through a
competitive process, 2-year pilot programs to assist in the
creation and promotion of green career and technical education
programs in public secondary schools in this State. Preference
must be given to proposals that include the integration of
academic and career and technical education content, arranged
in sequences of courses that lead to post-secondary completion.
    (d) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules
necessary for the implementation of this Section.
    (e) The State Board of Education may use up to 5% of the
funds appropriated for the purposes of this Section for
administrative costs, including the hiring of positions for the
implementation and administration of the grant program,
provided that if no appropriation is made to the State Board
for a given fiscal year for the purposes of the grant program,
then the State Board is not required to make any expenditures
in support of the program during that fiscal year.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2009.