Public Act 095-0976
 
HB4527 Enrolled LRB095 17511 BDD 43585 b

    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Library System Act is amended by
changing Sections 8 and 8.4 as follows:
 
    (75 ILCS 10/8)  (from Ch. 81, par. 118)
    Sec. 8. State grants.
    (a) There shall be a program of State grants within the
limitations of funds appropriated by the Illinois General
Assembly together with other funds made available by the
federal government or other sources for this purpose. This
program of State grants shall be administered by the State
Librarian in accordance with rules and regulations as provided
in Section 3 of this Act and shall include the following: (i)
annual equalization grants; (ii) Library System grants; (iii)
per capita grants to public libraries; and (iv) planning and
construction grants to public libraries and library systems.
Libraries, in order to be eligible for grants under this
Section, must be members of a library system.
    (b) An annual equalization grant shall be made to all
public libraries for which the corporate authorities levy a tax
for library purposes at a rate not less than .13% of the value
of all the taxable property as equalized and assessed by the
Department of Revenue if the amount of tax revenue obtained
from a rate of .13% produces less than (i) $4.25 per capita in
property tax revenue from property taxes for the 2006 taxable
year payable in 2007 and (ii) $7.50 per capita in property tax
revenue from property taxes for the 2007 taxable year and
thereafter. In that case, the State Librarian is authorized to
make an equalization grant equivalent to the difference between
the amount obtained from a rate of .13% and an annual income of
$4.25 per capita for grants made through Fiscal Year 2008, and
an annual income of $7.50 per capita for grants made in Fiscal
Year 2009 and thereafter. If moneys appropriated for grants
under this Section are not sufficient, then the State Librarian
shall reduce the per capita amount of the grants so that the
qualifying public libraries receive the same amount per capita,
but in no event shall the grant be less than equivalent to the
difference between the amount of the tax revenue obtained from
the current levy and an annual income of $4.25 per capita. If a
library receiving an equalization grant reduces its tax levy
below the amount levied at the time the original application is
approved, it shall be ineligible to receive further
equalization grants.
    If a library is subject to the Property Tax Extension
Limitation Law in the Property Tax Code and its tax levy for
library purposes has been lowered to a rate of less than .13%,
the library will qualify for this grant if the library levied a
tax for library purposes that met the requirements for this
grant in the previous year and if the tax levied for library
purposes in the current year produces tax revenue for the
library that is an increase over the previous year's extension
of 5% or the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index,
whichever is less, and the tax revenue produced by this levy is
less than (i) $4.25 per capita in property tax revenue from
property taxes for the 2006 taxable year payable in 2007 and
(ii) $7.50 per capita in property tax revenue from property
taxes for the 2007 taxable year and thereafter. In this case,
the State Librarian is authorized to make an equalization grant
equivalent to the difference between the amount of tax revenue
obtained from the current levy and an annual income of $4.25
per capita for grants made through Fiscal Year 2008, and an
annual income of $7.50 per capita for grants made in Fiscal
Year 2009 and thereafter. If moneys appropriated for grants
under this Section are not sufficient, then the State Librarian
shall reduce the per capita amount of the grants so that the
qualifying public libraries receive the same amount per capita,
but in no event shall the grant be less than equivalent to the
difference between the amount of the tax revenue obtained from
the current levy and an annual income of $4.25 per capita. If a
library receiving an equalization grant reduces its tax levy
below the amount levied at the time the original application is
approved, it shall be ineligible to receive further
equalization grants.
    (c) Annual Library System grants shall be made, upon
application, to each library system approved by the State
Librarian on the following basis:
        (1) For library systems, the sum of $1.46 per capita of
    the population of the area served plus the sum of $50.75
    per square mile or fraction thereof of the area served
    except as provided in paragraph (4) of this subsection.
        (2) If the amounts appropriated for grants are
    different from the amount provided for in paragraph (1) of
    this subsection, the area and per capita funding shall be
    proportionately reduced or increased accordingly.
        (3) For library systems, additional funds may be
    appropriated. The appropriation shall be distributed on
    the same proportional per capita and per square mile basis
    as provided in paragraphs (1) and (4) of this subsection.
        (4) Per capita and area funding for a multitype library
    system as defined in subparagraph (3) of the definition of
    "library system" in Section 2 and a public library system
    in cities with a population of 500,000 or more as defined
    in subparagraph (2) of the definition of "library system"
    in Section 2 shall be apportioned with 25% of the funding
    granted to the multitype library system and 75% of the
    funding granted to the public library system.
    (d) The "area served" for the purposes of this Act means
the area that lies within the geographic boundaries of the
library system as approved by the State Librarian. In
determining the population of the area served by the library
system, the Illinois State Library shall use the latest federal
census for the political subdivisions in the area served.
    (e) In order to be eligible for a grant under this Section,
the corporate authorities, instead of a tax levy at a
particular rate, may provide an amount equivalent to the amount
produced by that levy.
(Source: P.A. 93-527, eff. 8-14-03.)
 
    (75 ILCS 10/8.4)  (from Ch. 81, par. 118.4)
    Sec. 8.4. School library grants. Beginning July 1, 1989,
the State Librarian shall make grants annually under this
Section to all school districts in the State for the
establishment and operation of qualified school libraries, or
the additional support of existing qualified school libraries,
from funds appropriated by the General Assembly. Such grants
shall be in the amount of $0.75 per student as determined by
the official enrollment as of the previous September 30 of the
respective school having a qualified school library. If the
moneys appropriated for grants under this Section are not
sufficient, the State Librarian shall reduce the amount of the
grants as necessary; in making these reductions, the State
Librarian shall endeavor to provide each school district that
has a qualifying school library (i) at least the same amount
per student as the district received under this Section in the
preceding fiscal year, and (ii) a total grant of at least $750,
which, in the event of an insufficient appropriation, shall not
be reduced to a total grant of less than $100 $100.
    To qualify for grants under this Section, a school library
must:
        (1) Be an entity which serves the basic information and
    library needs of the school's employees and students
    through a bibliographically organized collection of
    library materials, has at least one employee whose primary
    duty is to serve as a librarian, and has a collection
    permanently supported financially, accessible centrally,
    and occupying identifiable quarters in one principal
    location.
        (2) Meet the requirements for membership in a library
    system under the provisions of this Act.
        (3) Have applied for membership in the library system
    of jurisdiction if the system is a multitype library system
    under this Act.
        (4) Provide, as mutually determined by the Illinois
    State Librarian and the Illinois State Board of Education,
    library services which either meet or show progress toward
    meeting the Illinois school library standards as most
    recently adopted by the Illinois School Library Media
    Association.
        (5) Submit a statement certifying that the financial
    support for the school library or libraries of the applying
    school district has been maintained undiminished, or if
    diminished, the percentage of diminution of financial
    support is no more than the percentage of diminution of the
    applying school's total financial support for educational
    and operations purposes since the submission of the last
    previous application of the school district for the school
    library per student grant that was funded.
    Grants under this Section shall be made only upon
application of the school district for its qualified school
library or school libraries.
(Source: P.A. 91-507, eff. 8-13-99.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2008.

Effective Date: 9/22/2008