HB4594 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 17972 TRT 31409 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4594

Introduced 2/3/2026, by Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 801/1-25

Amends the Department of Natural Resources Act. In a provision that directs the Department of Natural Resources to contribute to and support the operations, programs, and capital development of public museums in the State, deletes a provision requiring public museums that receive funds for capital development to match State funds with local or private funding in accordance with certain requirements.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 5. The Department of Natural Resources Act is amended by changing Section 1-25 as follows:

(20 ILCS 801/1-25)

Sec. 1-25. Illinois State Museum. In addition to its other powers and duties, the Department shall have the following powers and duties which shall be performed by the State Museum:

(1) To investigate and study the natural resources and histories of the State and to prepare printed reports and furnish information fundamental to the conservation and development of natural resources, and, for that purpose and for the purpose of upholding federal requirements under the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, the officers and employees thereof may, pursuant to rule adopted by the Department, enter and cross all lands in this State, doing no damage to private property.

(2) To cooperate with and advise departments having administrative powers and duties relating to the natural resources of the State, and to cooperate with similar departments in other states, with tribal nations, and with the United States Government.

(3) To cooperate with the Illinois State Academy of Science and to publish a suitable number of the results of the investigations and research in the field of natural science to the end that the same may be distributed to the interested public. This cooperation shall not grant any special rights, authority, or privileges to the Academy.

(4) To maintain a State Museum, and to collect and preserve objects of scientific, historic, and artistic value, representing past and present fauna and flora, the life and work of humankind, geological history, natural resources, and the manufacturing and fine arts; to welcome visitors of all ages to the State Museum; and to interpret for and educate the public concerning the foregoing. The State Museum shall work with Native Americans to create an interpretation of Native American histories and art directed by tribal partners.

(5) At the sole discretion of the Department, the State Museum may cooperate with the Illinois State Museum Society for the benefit of the State Museum. This cooperation shall not grant any special rights, authority, or privileges to the Society. Upon the recommendation of the State Museum Director with the approval of the Director of the Department, the State Museum may enter into agreements with the Society for the operation of a sales counter and other concessions for the benefit of the State Museum and the Society. The State Museum may enter into agreements with the Society for programs at or outside the State Museum. The Society shall be solely responsible for its own budget and the preparation of the budget, its staff, its equipment, its supplies, and its programs.

(6) To accept grants of property and to hold property to be administered as part of the State Museum for the purpose of preservation, research of interpretation of significant areas within the State for the purpose of preserving, studying, and interpreting history and archaeological and natural phenomena and for the purpose of upholding Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act requirements.

(7) To contribute to and support the operations, programs and capital development of public museums in this State. For the purposes of this Section, "public museum" means a facility: (A) that is operating for the purposes of promoting cultural development through special activities or programs or through performing arts that are performed in an indoor setting, and acquiring, conserving, preserving, studying, interpreting, enhancing, and in particular, organizing and continuously exhibiting specimens, artifacts, articles, documents and other things of historical, anthropological, archaeological, industrial, scientific or artistic import, to the public for its instruction and enjoyment, and (B) that either (i) is operated by or located upon land owned by a unit of local government or (ii) is a museum that has an annual attendance of at least 150,000 and offers educational programs to school groups during school hours. A museum is eligible to receive funds for capital development under this subdivision (7) only if it is operated by or located upon land owned by a unit of local government or if it is certified by a unit of local government in which it is located as a public museum meeting the criteria of this Section. Recipients of funds for capital development under this subdivision (7) shall match State funds with local or private funding according to the following:

(a) for a public museum with an attendance of 300,000 or less during the preceding calendar year, no match is required;

(b) for a public museum with an attendance of over 300,000 but less than 600,000 during the preceding calendar year, the match must be at a ratio of $1 from local and private funds for every $1 in State funds; and

(c) for a public museum with an attendance of over 600,000 during the preceding calendar year, the match must be at a ratio of $2 from local and private funds for every $1 in State funds.

The Department shall formulate rules and regulations relating to the allocation of any funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the purpose of contributing to the support of public museums in this State.

(8) To perform all other duties and assume all obligations of the former Department of Energy and Natural Resources and the former Department of Registration and Education pertaining to the State Museum.

(9) To work in collaboration with the Division of Historic Preservation of the Department in the exercise of all the rights, powers, and duties conferred upon the Department under the Historic Preservation Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-1005, eff. 5-27-22; 103-835, eff. 8-9-24.)