|
|
|
SB1526 Engrossed |
|
LRB096 03959 RCE 13994 b |
|
|
1 |
| AN ACT concerning State government.
|
2 |
| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
|
3 |
| represented in the General Assembly:
|
4 |
| Section 5. The Department of Natural Resources Act is |
5 |
| amended by changing Section 1-15 as follows:
|
6 |
| (20 ILCS 801/1-15)
|
7 |
| Sec. 1-15. General powers and duties.
|
8 |
| (a) It shall be the duty of the Department to investigate |
9 |
| practical
problems, implement studies, conduct research and |
10 |
| provide assistance,
information and data relating to the |
11 |
| technology and administration of
the natural history, |
12 |
| entomology, zoology, and botany of this State; the geology
and |
13 |
| natural resources of this State; the water and atmospheric |
14 |
| resources of
this State; and the archeological and cultural |
15 |
| history of this State.
|
16 |
| (b) The Department (i) shall obtain, store, and process |
17 |
| relevant
data; recommend technological, administrative, and |
18 |
| legislative changes and
developments; cooperate with other |
19 |
| federal, state, and local governmental
research agencies, |
20 |
| facilities, or institutes in the selection of projects
for |
21 |
| study; cooperate with the Board of Higher Education and with |
22 |
| the public
and private colleges and universities in this State |
23 |
| in developing relevant
interdisciplinary approaches to |
|
|
|
SB1526 Engrossed |
- 2 - |
LRB096 03959 RCE 13994 b |
|
|
1 |
| problems; and evaluate curricula at all
levels
of education and |
2 |
| provide assistance to instructors and (ii) may
sponsor an
|
3 |
| annual
conference of leaders in government, industry, health, |
4 |
| and education to
evaluate the state of this State's environment |
5 |
| and natural resources.
|
6 |
| (c) The Director, in accordance with the Personnel Code, |
7 |
| shall employ
such personnel, provide such facilities, and |
8 |
| contract for such outside services
as may be necessary to carry |
9 |
| out the purposes of the Department. Maximum use
shall be made |
10 |
| of existing federal and state agencies, facilities, and |
11 |
| personnel
in conducting research under this Act.
|
12 |
| (d) In addition to its other powers, the Department has the |
13 |
| following
powers:
|
14 |
| (1) To obtain, store, process, and provide data and |
15 |
| information
related to the powers and duties of the |
16 |
| Department under this Act.
This subdivision (d)(1) does not |
17 |
| give authority to the Department to
require reports from |
18 |
| nongovernmental sources or entities.
|
19 |
| (2) To cooperate with and support the Illinois Science
|
20 |
| and Technology Advisory
Committee and the Illinois |
21 |
| Coalition for the purpose of facilitating the
effective |
22 |
| operations and activities of such entities. Support may |
23 |
| include,
but need not be limited to, providing space for |
24 |
| the operations of the
Committee and the Illinois Coalition.
|
25 |
| (e) The Department is authorized to make grants to local |
26 |
| not-for-profit
organizations for the purposes of development, |
|
|
|
SB1526 Engrossed |
- 3 - |
LRB096 03959 RCE 13994 b |
|
|
1 |
| maintenance and study of
wetland areas.
|
2 |
| (f) The Department has the authority to accept, receive and |
3 |
| administer
on behalf of the State any gifts, bequests, |
4 |
| donations, income from property
rental and endowments. Any such |
5 |
| funds received by the Department shall be
deposited into the |
6 |
| Natural Resources Fund, a special fund which is hereby
created |
7 |
| in the State treasury, and used for the purposes of this Act |
8 |
| or,
when appropriate, for such purposes and under such |
9 |
| restrictions, terms and
conditions as are predetermined by the |
10 |
| donor or grantor of such funds or
property. Any accrued |
11 |
| interest from money deposited into the Natural
Resources Fund |
12 |
| shall be reinvested into the Fund and used in the same
manner |
13 |
| as the principal. The Director shall maintain records which |
14 |
| account
for and assure that restricted funds or property are |
15 |
| disbursed or used
pursuant to the restrictions, terms or |
16 |
| conditions of the donor.
|
17 |
| (g) The Department shall recognize, preserve, and promote |
18 |
| our special
heritage of recreational hunting and trapping by |
19 |
| providing opportunities to
hunt and trap in accordance with the |
20 |
| Wildlife Code.
|
21 |
| (h) No license, permit, or other fee imposed or collected |
22 |
| by the Department, and no related federal funds received by the |
23 |
| State for the use of the Department, shall be used for any |
24 |
| purpose other than the administration of the Department or the |
25 |
| implementation and enforcement of its policies and programs or |
26 |
| any purpose not in compliance with the federal funding |