HR0259 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0259 LRB094 11860 CSA 44251 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Community Development Block Grant Program administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has served as a foundation upon which local governments across Illinois have created jobs, developed affordable housing, stabilized neighborhoods, and provided important public services for all Illinois citizens, including those economically disadvantaged and disabled, for the past 23 years; and

WHEREAS, The United States Office of Management and Budget recommends the consolidation of 18 federal community development programs into a single program which will be housed in the United States Department of Commerce; and

WHEREAS, The United States Office of Management and Budget proposal further recommends that the administration of community development and other programs be placed at the federal level despite the fact that Illinois has responsibly and effectively managed the program for 23 years; and

WHEREAS, As a result of this consolidation, programs with combined budgets totaling nearly $5.7 billion will be squeezed into a $3.7 billion package, resulting in program reductions of up to 40 percent in the Community Development Block Grant Program, which is currently funded at $4.7 billion; and

WHEREAS, The Community Development Block Grant Program provides crucial funding for entitlement community grantees to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services; in FY 2004, almost $37 million in Community Development Block Grant funding was directed to Illinois and allocated to 46 counties and communities across Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The State-managed Community Development Block Grant Program administers the funds for three imperative purposes: infrastructure development, business development, and home rehabilitation; in 2004, the State program invested more than $33 million in community projects around the State; the program assisted 101 Illinois communities and more than 66,000 residents with funding for improvements to their water, sanitary, or storm water systems; and

WHEREAS, The strength of the Community Development Block Grant Program lies in local determination of immediate need, flexible criteria in how to address infrastructure problems, a wide variety of eligible economic development activities, and the responsible administration of funds by State and local officials; and

WHEREAS, In FY 2004, Community Development Block Grant funds available to our smaller cities and counties in the State have leveraged the creation and retention of more than 1,000 new jobs and, for low income homeowners in small and rural communities, have provided housing rehabilitation for 313 homes in 27 communities to address health and safety issues; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the administering agency for Community Development Block Grant funds, has not only effectively designed and managed the Community Development Block Grant Non-Entitlement Program for small cities without incident for 23 years, but has also been a responsible steward of federal funds and has developed programs tailored to meet specific, critical state-wide needs, including the Economic Development Program, Emergency Public Facilities Program, Housing Planning Assistance Program, and the Public Facilities Construction and Design Engineering Program; and

WHEREAS, While Illinois' rural communities continue to suffer from declines in traditional industries and face difficulties in arranging the resources to develop and attract the new economic engines of the twenty-first century, the tenacity and innovation shown by local governments in initiating local solutions to their needs point the way towards successful concepts that can be cultivated and expanded; and

WHEREAS, The State-administered Community Development Block Grant Program is playing a pivotal role in providing the seed capital and leveraging of private funds needed for these communities to create and implement their own local solutions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that this body urges the continued support and full funding of the Community Development Block Grant Program for city and county community and economic development programs and projects, and supports continued administration of the Community Development Block Grant Program at the State level; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to United States Senator Richard Durbin, United States Senator Barack Obama, United States Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, and the other members of the Illinois congressional delegation.