093_HB2273enr HB2273 Enrolled LRB093 08346 JAM 08565 b 1 AN ACT concerning recreational trails. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Recreational Trails of Illinois Act is 5 amended by changing Section 15 as follows: 6 (20 ILCS 862/15) 7 Sec. 15. Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund. 8 (a) The Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund is created as a 9 special fund in the State treasury. Money from federal, 10 State, and private sources may be deposited into the Fund. 11 Fines assessed by the Department of Natural Resources for 12 citations issued to off-highway vehicle operators shall be 13 deposited into the Fund. All interest accrued on the Fund 14 shall be deposited into the Fund. 15 (b) All money in the Fund shall be used, subject to 16 appropriation, by the Department for the following purposes: 17 (1) Grants for construction of off-highway vehicle 18 recreational trails on county, municipal, other units of 19 local government, or private lands where a recreational 20 need for the construction is shown. 21 (2) Grants for maintenance and construction of 22 off-highway vehicle recreational trails on federal lands, 23 where permitted by law. 24 (3) Grants for development of off-highway vehicle 25 trail-side facilities in accordance with criteria 26 approved by the National Recreational Trails Advisory 27 Committee. 28 (4) Grants for acquisition of property from willing 29 sellers for off-highway vehicle recreational trails when 30 the objective of a trail cannot be accomplished by other 31 means. HB2273 Enrolled -2- LRB093 08346 JAM 08565 b 1 (5) Grants for development of urban off-highway 2 vehicle trail linkages near homes and workplaces. 3 (6) Grants for maintenance of existing off-highway 4 vehicle recreational trails, including the grooming and 5 maintenance of trails across snow. 6 (7) Grants for restoration of areas damaged by 7 usage of off-highway vehicle recreational trails and back 8 country terrain. 9 (8) Grants for provision of features that 10 facilitate the access and use of off-highway vehicle 11 trails by persons with disabilities. 12 (9) Grants for acquisition of easements for 13 off-highway vehicle trails or for trail corridors. 14 (10) Grants for a rider education and safety 15 program. 16 (11) Administration, enforcement, planning, and 17 implementation of this Act and Sections 11-1426 and 18 11-1427 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. 19 Of the money used from the Fund for the purposes set 20 forth in this subsection, at least 85%60%shall be allocated 21 for motorized recreation. The Department shall establish, by 22 rule, measures to verify that recipients of money from the 23 Fund comply with the specified conditions for the use of the 24 money. 25 (c) The Department may not use the money from the Fund 26 for the following purposes: 27 (1) Condemnation of any kind of interest in 28 property. 29 (2) Construction of any recreational trail on 30 National Forest System land for motorized uses unless 31 those lands have been allocated for uses other than 32 wilderness by an approved forest land and resource 33 management plan or have been released to uses other than 34 wilderness by an Act of Congress, and the construction is HB2273 Enrolled -3- LRB093 08346 JAM 08565 b 1 otherwise consistent with the management direction in the 2 approved land and resource management plan. 3 (3) Construction of motorized recreational trails 4 on Department owned or managed land. 5 (d) The Department shall establish a program to 6 administer grants from the Fund to units of local government, 7 not-for-profit organizations, and other groups to operate, 8 maintain, and acquire land for off-highway vehicle parks that 9 are open and accessible to the public. 10 (Source: P.A. 90-287, eff. 1-1-98.) 11 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 12 becoming law.