Section 125.30  Eligibility

a)         The Department may make non-competitive economic incentive awards, including, but not limited to, grants and loans, to assist applicants that pledge to make capital investments and create new jobs in this State or retain jobs in this State. "Non-competitive" means the Department determines the recipient of the award and is not required to follow a competitive application process. [30 ILCS 751/15(a)]

b)         To qualify for an incentive award, the applicant must:

1)         be in good standing under the laws of this State and the laws of all other states where the applicant was formed or is organized; and

2)         owe no delinquent taxes to the State of Illinois.

c)         The Department may not award an incentive award to an applicant that:

1)         closes operations at one location in the State or reduces those operations by more than 50% within the last 12 months; and

2)         relocates substantially the same operations to another location in the State.

This prohibition does not apply if the applicant moves its operations from one location in the State to another location in the State for the purpose of expanding its operations in the State and the Department determines that expansion could not reasonably be accommodated within the municipality or county where the business was located prior to the relocation. In making its determination, the Department shall confer with the chief executive officer of the municipality or county where the business was located prior to the relocation and take into consideration any evidence offered by the municipality or county regarding its ability to accommodate expansion within the municipality or county. [30 ILCS 751/15(c)]

d)         The Department shall only disburse the award to the applicant's domestic bank.