093_HB2921
LRB093 07162 RCE 07317 b
1 AN ACT concerning legislative member initiatives.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
5 Section 13.5 as follows:
6 (30 ILCS 105/13.5 new)
7 Sec. 13.5. Limitations on legislative member
8 initiatives.
9 (a) Unless it complies with this Section, a purported
10 appropriation of State funds for a legislative member
11 initiative is not a valid appropriation. No State funds may
12 be expended for a legislative member initiative unless the
13 appropriation for that legislative member initiative complies
14 with this Section.
15 (b) Each appropriation for a legislative member
16 initiative must be by a separate line item appropriation.
17 That line item must fully describe the legislative member
18 initiative, including without limitation the entity that will
19 receive the benefit of the expenditure, the purpose of the
20 expenditure, the specific location of the project, and the
21 Legislative District and Representative District in which the
22 project is located. No legislative member initiative may be
23 funded through a lump sum appropriation.
24 (c) Neither house of the General Assembly may consider
25 for passage any bill containing an appropriation for a
26 legislative member initiative unless at least 3 calendar days
27 before consideration for passage (i) there is on file with
28 the Bureau of the Budget an application of an entity
29 requesting that legislative member initiative and (ii) that
30 complete application is posted on a web site maintained by
31 the Bureau of the Budget. The application must enumerate the
-2- LRB093 07162 RCE 07317 b
1 funds requested, the name and address of the applicant, the
2 specific location (including the Legislative District and
3 Representative District) that would benefit from the
4 expenditure of the funds, the purpose of the proposed
5 expenditure, any alternate avenues for funding that might be
6 available to the applicant if the legislative member
7 initiative is not approved, and any other information
8 required by the Bureau of the Budget. As part of the
9 application, the applicant must disclaim any intent to
10 re-transfer the funds to a third party and must consent to
11 full and complete audits of any program that will benefit
12 from the funds. Any person who knowingly re-transfers any
13 legislative member initiative funds is guilty of a Class A
14 misdemeanor. The web site maintained by the Bureau of the
15 Budget must provide easy access to the information contained
16 in the applications by Legislative District, Representative
17 District, address of the project, applicant's name, and
18 otherwise. The Auditor General is directed to randomly audit
19 legislative member initiative funds, their expenditure for
20 the stated purpose of the appropriation, the effectiveness of
21 the expenditure in accomplishing that stated purpose, and, if
22 the legislative member initiative is in the form of a loan,
23 the ability of the recipient to repay the loan.
24 (d) "Legislative member initiative" means an
25 appropriation for a grant, distribution, or loan to a
26 specific unit of local government, specific school district,
27 specific not-for-profit organization, or specific
28 non-governmental entity for infrastructure improvements or
29 operating expenses. Appropriations that are part of a
30 statewide program and are based on generally applicable
31 standards of eligibility are not legislative member
32 initiatives. "Infrastructure improvements" include without
33 limitation capital improvements, capital projects, planning,
34 construction, reconstruction, equipment, utilities, vehicles,
-3- LRB093 07162 RCE 07317 b
1 and all costs associated with economic development, community
2 programs, educational programs, public health, and public
3 safety.
4 (e) The purpose of this Section is to require full and
5 complete disclosure during the appropriation process of State
6 expenditures that are primarily for a specific local
7 community within a Legislative District or Representative
8 District. This Section shall be liberally construed to
9 effectuate its purpose.
10 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11 becoming law.