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HB4868 Engrossed |
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LRB095 14927 HLH 40872 b |
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| AN ACT concerning State government.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The Illinois Lottery Law is amended by changing |
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| Section 21.6 as follows: |
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| (20 ILCS 1605/21.6)
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| Sec. 21.6. Scratch-off for Illinois veterans. |
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| (a) The Department , or any successor in interest, shall |
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| offer a special instant scratch-off game for the benefit of |
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| Illinois veterans. The game shall commence on January 1, 2006 |
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| or as soon thereafter, at the discretion of the Director, as is |
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| reasonably practical. The operation of the game shall be |
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| governed by this Act and any rules adopted by the Department. |
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| If any provision of this Section is inconsistent with any other |
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| provision of this Act, then this Section governs. The |
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| Department, or any successor in interest, shall operate the |
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| game so that tickets are fully available and distributed to |
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| agents year-round. Tickets shall be available in all instant |
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| ticket dispensing machines controlled by the Department or any |
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| successor in interest. |
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| The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs shall approve |
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| the ticket design for the special instant scratch-off game. The |
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| ticket design shall emphasize patriotic themes and achieve |
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LRB095 14927 HLH 40872 b |
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| design continuity and familiarity for ticket purchasers. The |
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| Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs is authorized to |
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| communicate directly with Lottery agents to promote the special |
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| game, and that communication shall be facilitated by the |
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| Department of Revenue. Any cost related to such communication |
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| shall be included as an administrative expense in calculating |
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| net revenue under subsection (b). Notwithstanding any other |
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| rulemaking authority that may exist, neither the Governor nor |
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| any agency or agency head under the jurisdiction of the |
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| Governor has any authority to make or promulgate rules to |
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| implement or enforce the provisions of this amendatory Act of |
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| the 95th General Assembly. If, however, the Governor believes |
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| that rules are necessary to implement or enforce the provisions |
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| of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, the |
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| Governor may suggest rules to the General Assembly by filing |
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| them with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate |
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| and by requesting that the General Assembly authorize such |
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| rulemaking by law, enact those suggested rules into law, or |
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| take any other appropriate action in the General Assembly's |
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| discretion. Nothing contained in this amendatory Act of the |
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| 95th General Assembly shall be interpreted to grant rulemaking |
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| authority under any other Illinois statute where such authority |
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| is not otherwise explicitly given. For the purposes of this |
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| amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly, "rules" is given |
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| the meaning contained in Section 1-70 of the Illinois |
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| Administrative Procedure Act, and "agency" and "agency head" |
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HB4868 Engrossed |
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LRB095 14927 HLH 40872 b |
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| are given the meanings contained in Sections 1-20 and 1-25 of |
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| the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to the extent that |
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| such definitions apply to agencies or agency heads under the |
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| jurisdiction of the Governor.
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| (b) The Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund is created as a |
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| special fund in the State treasury. The net revenue from the |
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| Illinois veterans scratch-off game shall be deposited into the |
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| Fund for appropriation by the General Assembly solely to the |
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| Department of Veterans Affairs for making grants, funding |
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| additional services, or conducting additional research |
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| projects relating to each of the following: |
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| (i) veterans' post traumatic stress disorder; |
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| (ii) veterans' homelessness; |
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| (iii) the health insurance costs of veterans; |
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| (iv) veterans' disability benefits, including but not |
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| limited to, disability benefits provided by veterans |
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| service organizations and veterans assistance commissions |
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| or centers; and |
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| (v) the long-term care of veterans; provided that, |
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| beginning with moneys appropriated for fiscal year 2008, no |
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| more than 20% of such moneys shall be used for health |
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| insurance costs. |
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| In order to expend moneys from this special fund, |
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| beginning with moneys appropriated for fiscal year 2008, |
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| the Director of Veterans' Affairs shall appoint a 3-member |
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| funding authorization committee. The Director shall |
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| designate one of the members as chairperson. The committee |
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| shall meet on a quarterly basis, at a minimum, and shall |
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| authorize expenditure of moneys from the special fund by a |
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| two-thirds vote. Decisions of the committee shall not take |
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| effect unless and until approved by the Director of |
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| Veterans' Affairs. Each member of the committee shall serve |
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| until a replacement is named by the Director of Veterans' |
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| Affairs. One member of the committee shall be a member of |
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| the Veterans' Advisory Council. |
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| Moneys collected from the special instant scratch-off game |
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| shall be used only as a supplemental financial resource and |
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| shall not supplant existing moneys that the Department of |
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| Veterans Affairs may currently expend for the purposes set |
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| forth in items (i) through (v).
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| Moneys received for the purposes of this Section, |
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| including, without limitation, net revenue from the special |
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| instant scratch-off game and from gifts, grants, and awards |
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| from any public or private entity, must be deposited into the |
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| Fund. Any interest earned on moneys in the Fund must be |
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| deposited into the Fund.
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| For purposes of this subsection, "net revenue" means the |
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| total amount for which tickets have been sold less the sum of |
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| the amount paid out in the prizes and the actual administrative |
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| expenses of the Department solely related to the scratch-off |
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| game under this Section.
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| (c) During the time that tickets are sold for the Illinois |
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LRB095 14927 HLH 40872 b |
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| veterans scratch-off game, the Department shall not |
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| unreasonably diminish the efforts devoted to marketing and |
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| distributing the any other instant scratch-off lottery game. |
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| (d) The Department may adopt any rules necessary to |
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| implement and administer the provisions of this Section.
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| (Source: P.A. 94-585, eff. 8-15-05; 95-331, eff. 8-20-07; |
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| 95-649, eff. 10-11-07.) |
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| Section 10. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is |
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| amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
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| (20 ILCS 2805/4) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 69)
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| Sec. 4. Veterans' service officers.
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| (a) A veterans' service officer shall be assigned to each |
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| field office. He
must be an honorably discharged veteran from |
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| service in the Armed Forces
of the United States. He must have |
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| served during
a time of hostilities with a foreign country, and |
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| must meet
one or more of the following conditions:
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| (i) The veteran served a total of at least 6 months.
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| (ii) The veteran served for the duration of hostilities |
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| regardless of the
length of engagement.
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| (iii) The veteran was discharged on the basis of |
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| hardship.
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| (iv) The veteran was released from active duty because |
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| of a service
connected disability and was discharged under |
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| honorable conditions.
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HB4868 Engrossed |
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LRB095 14927 HLH 40872 b |
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| As used in this Section, "time of hostilities with a |
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| foreign country" means
any period of time in the past, present, |
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| or future during which a declaration
of war by the United |
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| States Congress has been or is in effect or during which
an |
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| emergency condition has been or is in effect that is recognized |
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| by the
issuance of a Presidential proclamation or a |
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| Presidential executive order and
in which the armed forces |
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| expeditionary medal or other campaign service medals
are |
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| awarded according to Presidential executive order.
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| (b) The duties of veterans' service officers shall include:
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| (1) assisting veterans and their families in working
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| with federal, State, and local agencies that administer
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| programs for veterans;
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| (2) assisting veterans in maximizing State and federal
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| benefits that may be available to them;
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| (3) streamlining the benefit application and awareness
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| process;
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| (4) coordinating community outreach to promote
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| veterans assistance programs;
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| (5) promoting the use of veterans advocates in the |
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| State and serving as a link between veterans, veterans |
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| advocates, and the Department; and
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| (6) recommending improvements in outreach methods, |
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| programs, and training.
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| Subject to appropriation, the Director of Veterans Affairs |
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| shall appoint a Chief Veterans' Service Officer who shall serve |
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HB4868 Engrossed |
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LRB095 14927 HLH 40872 b |
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| at the pleasure of the Director and who shall coordinate the |
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| duties and activities of all veterans' service officers |
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| assigned to field offices. The Chief Veterans' Service Officer |
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| shall also advise senior Department staff regarding the duties |
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| and activities of veterans' service officers.
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| Notwithstanding any other rulemaking authority that may |
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| exist, neither the Governor nor any agency or agency head under |
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| the jurisdiction of the Governor has any authority to make or |
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| promulgate rules to implement or enforce the provisions of this |
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| amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. If, however, the |
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| Governor believes that rules are necessary to implement or |
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| enforce the provisions of this amendatory Act of the 95th |
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| General Assembly, the Governor may suggest rules to the General |
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| Assembly by filing them with the Clerk of the House and |
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| Secretary of the Senate and by requesting that the General |
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| Assembly authorize such rulemaking by law, enact those |
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| suggested rules into law, or take any other appropriate action |
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| in the General Assembly's discretion. Nothing contained in this |
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| amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly shall be |
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| interpreted to grant rulemaking authority under any other |
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| Illinois statute where such authority is not otherwise |
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| explicitly given. For the purposes of this amendatory Act of |
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| the 95th General Assembly, "rules" is given the meaning |
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| contained in Section 1-70 of the Illinois Administrative |
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| Procedure Act, and "agency" and "agency head" are given the |
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| meanings contained in Sections 1-20 and 1-25 of the Illinois |