Public Act 0370 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1928 Enrolled LRB102 15384 CMG 20746 b

Public Act 102-0370

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Southern Illinois University Management Act is amended by changing Sections 2 and 6.6 as follows:

(110 ILCS 520/2) (from Ch. 144, par. 652)

Sec. 2. The Board shall consist of 7 members appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, or his chief assistant for liaison with higher education when designated to serve in his place, ex-officio, and 2 voting student members, one from each campus of the University. Each student member shall be chosen by the respective campuses of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and Edwardsville. The method of choosing these student members shall be by campus-wide student election. The student members shall serve terms of one year beginning on July 1 of each year, except that the student members initially selected shall serve a term beginning on the date of such selection and expiring on the next succeeding June 30. To be eligible for selection as a student member and to be eligible to remain as a student member of the Board, a student member must be a resident of this State, must have and maintain a grade point average that is equivalent to at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and must be a full-time student enrolled at all times during his or her term of office except for that part of the term which follows the completion of the last full regular semester of an academic year and precedes the first full regular semester of the succeeding academic year at the university (sometimes commonly referred to as the summer session or summer school). If a student member serving on the Board fails to continue to meet or maintain the residency, minimum grade point average, or enrollment requirement established by this Section, his or her membership on the Board shall be deemed to have terminated by operation of law. No more than 4 of the members appointed by the Governor shall be affiliated with the same political party. Each member appointed by the Governor must be a resident of this State. A failure to meet or maintain this residency requirement constitutes a resignation from and creates a vacancy in the Board. Upon the expiration of the terms of members appointed by the Governor, their respective successors shall be appointed for terms of 6 years from the third Monday in January of each odd-numbered year and until their respective successors are appointed for like terms. If the Senate is not in session appointments shall be made as in the case of vacancies.

(Source: P.A. 101-175, eff. 1-1-20.)

(110 ILCS 520/6.6)

Sec. 6.6. The Illinois Ethanol Research Advisory Board.

(a) There is established the Illinois Ethanol Research Advisory Board (the "Advisory Board").

(b) The Advisory Board shall be composed of 14 13 members including: the President of Southern Illinois University who shall be Chairman; the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; the Director of Agriculture; the President of the Illinois Corn Growers Association; the President of the National Corn Growers Association; the President of the Renewable Fuels Association; the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Science, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and 6 at-large members appointed by the Governor representing the ethanol industry, growers, suppliers, and universities.

(c) The 6 at-large members shall serve a term of 4 years. The Advisory Board shall meet at least annually or at the call of the Chairman. At any time a majority of the Advisory Board may petition the Chairman for a meeting of the Board. Seven members of the Advisory Board shall constitute a quorum.

(d) The Advisory Board shall:

(1) Review the annual operating plans and budget of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Pilot Plant.

(2) Advise on research and development priorities and projects to be carried out at the Corn-to-Ethanol Research Pilot Plant.

(3) Advise on policies and procedures regarding the management and operation of the ethanol research pilot plant. This may include contracts, project selection, and personnel issues.

(4) Develop bylaws.

(5) Submit a final report to the Governor and General Assembly outlining the progress and accomplishments made during the year along with a financial report for the year.

(6) Establish and operate, subject to specific appropriation for the purpose of providing facility operating funds, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville as a State Biorefining Center of Excellence with the following purposes and goals:

(A) To utilize interdisciplinary, interinstitutional, and industrial collaborations to conduct research.

(B) To provide training and services to the ethanol fuel industry to make projects and training to advance the biofuels industry in the State more affordable for the institutional and industrial bodies, including, but not limited to, Illinois farmer-owned ethanol cooperatives.

(C) To coordinate near-term industry research needs and laboratory services by identifying needs and pursuing federal and other funding sources.

(D) To develop and provide hands-on training to prepare students for the biofuels workforce and train workforce reentrants.

(E) To serve as an independent, third-party source for review, testing, validation standardization, and definition in areas of industry need.

(F) To provide seminars, tours, and informational sessions advocating renewable energy.

(G) To provide consultation services and information for those interested in renewable energy.

(H) To develop demonstration projects by pursuing federal and other funding sources.

(e) The Advisory Board established by this Section is a continuation, as changed by the Section, of the Board established under Section 8a of the Energy Conservation and Coal Act and repealed by this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06; 95-99, eff. 1-1-08.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/13/2021