99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB1808

 

Introduced 2/20/2015, by Sen. Mattie Hunter

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
525 ILCS 50/2  from Ch. 48, par. 2552
525 ILCS 50/4  from Ch. 48, par. 2554
525 ILCS 50/6  from Ch. 48, par. 2556
525 ILCS 50/8.5 new
525 ILCS 50/9

    Amends the Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act. Creates the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors to provide wages to young adults operating and instructing in conservation or recreational programs. Provides that local sponsors who can provide necessary facilities, materials, and management for conservation or recreational activities within the community may apply to the Department of Natural Resources for a grant under the Act for the purpose of hiring managing supervisors and eligible young adults for conservation or recreational programs. Provides that the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps shall be limited to citizens of this State who, at the time of enrollment, are unemployed, are 18 through 25 years of age, and who have skills that can be used in the conservation or recreational program. Provides that the Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to the administration of the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB1808LRB099 09165 MGM 29363 b

1    AN ACT concerning conservation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult
5Conservation Jobs Act is amended by changing Sections 2, 4, 6,
6and 9 and by adding Section 8.5 as follows:
 
7    (525 ILCS 50/2)  (from Ch. 48, par. 2552)
8    Sec. 2. Declaration of Intent. The General Assembly finds
9that the level of unemployment among veterans, the youths of
10this State, particularly those age 14 through 18, and young
11adults, age 18 through 25, is unsatisfactory. This situation is
12not conducive to the development of veterans and the youth and
13young adults of Illinois as the future of the State. The
14General Assembly further finds that the availability of
15conservation and recreational programs for veterans, youth,
16and young adults in parks and recreational facilities and other
17lands operated by the State, by units of local government, and
18by local not-for-profit entities is severely limited. The
19General Assembly therefore creates the Illinois Veteran,
20Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act to establish (a)
21the Illinois Veteran Conservation Corps and the Illinois Young
22Adult Conservation Corps to provide year-round employment for
23veterans and young adults of this State for the purpose of

 

 

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1conservation, rehabilitation, protection and enhancement of
2the State's public land and (b) the Illinois Veteran Recreation
3Corps, and the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps, and the
4Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps to provide employment for
5the veterans, and youth, and young adults of this State for the
6purpose of administering and operating conservation or
7recreational programs operated by units of local government or
8local not-for-profit entities at conservation and open spaces,
9parks, or recreational facilities or other similar facilities
10or locations.
11(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
 
12    (525 ILCS 50/4)  (from Ch. 48, par. 2554)
13    Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of this Act:
14    (a) "Department" means the Department of Natural
15Resources.
16    (b) "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources.
17    (c) "Local sponsor" means any unit of local government or
18not-for-profit entity that can make available for a summer
19conservation or recreation program park lands, conservation or
20recreational lands or facilities, equipment, materials,
21administration, supervisory personnel, etc.
22    (d) "Managing supervisor" means an enrollee in the Illinois
23Veteran Recreation Corps, or the Illinois Youth Recreation
24Corps, or the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps who is
25selected by the local sponsor to supervise the activities of

 

 

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1the veterans, or youth, or young adults employee enrollees
2working on the conservation or recreation project. A managing
3supervisor in the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps may be 19
4years of age or older.
5    (e) "Veteran" means an Illinois resident who has served or
6is currently serving as a member of the United States Armed
7Forces, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of
8a Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces.
9(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
 
10    (525 ILCS 50/6)  (from Ch. 48, par. 2556)
11    Sec. 6. Funding. Funding for the Illinois Veteran, Youth,
12and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act shall be from any State
13or federal funds or grants or other funding so received by the
14Department and any matching funds required by the Department
15from local sponsors that choose to participate in the Illinois
16Veteran Recreation Corps, or the Illinois Youth Recreation
17Corps, or the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps programs.
18(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
 
19    (525 ILCS 50/8.5 new)
20    Sec. 8.5. Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps.
21    (a) The Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps is
22established for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors
23to provide wages to young adults operating and instructing in
24conservation or recreational programs. The programs shall

 

 

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1provide conservation or recreational opportunities and shall
2include, but are not limited to, the coordination and teaching
3of natural resource conservation and management, physical
4activities, or learning activities directly related to natural
5resource conservation management or recreation. Persons
6employed through the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps
7shall not perform work in State parks. The programs may charge
8user fees, but the fees shall be designed to promote as much
9community involvement as possible, as determined by the
10Department.
11    (b) Local sponsors who can provide necessary facilities,
12materials, and management for conservation or recreational
13activities within the community may apply to the Department for
14a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing
15supervisors, as necessary, and eligible young adults for
16conservation or recreational programs. Applications shall be
17evaluated on the basis of program content, location, need,
18local commitment of resources, and consistency with the
19purposes of this Act.
20    (c) The Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps shall be
21limited to citizens of this State who, at the time of
22enrollment, are unemployed, are 18 through 25 years of age, and
23who have skills that can be used in the conservation or
24recreational program.
25    The ratio of young adult employee enrollees to managing
26supervisors shall not be less than 10 to 1 for any local

 

 

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1sponsor with a total number of young adult employee enrollees
2of 10 or more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of
3young adult employee enrollees of less than 10 shall be limited
4to one managing supervisor.
5    The local sponsors shall make public notification of the
6availability of jobs for eligible young adults in the Illinois
7Young Adult Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers,
8electronic media, educational facilities, units of local
9government, and Department of Employment Security offices.
10Application for employment shall be made directly to the local
11sponsor.
12    The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to
13the administration of the Illinois Young Adult Recreation
14Corps. These rules shall prohibit the use of Illinois Young
15Adult Recreation Corps employees in a manner that displaces or
16replaces regular employees and shall prohibit any activity that
17impairs or is inconsistent with an existing collective
18bargaining agreement or with the collective bargaining rights
19of employees. Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps employees
20shall not be assigned work within the scope of bargaining unit
21work without the written consent of the exclusive bargaining
22representative.
23    (d) The enrollment period for any successful applicant of
24the program shall not be longer than 12 months. Once enrolled
25in the program, each enrollee shall receive a reasonable wage
26as set by the Department and shall work hours as required by

 

 

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1the conservation or recreation program as determined by the
2Department, except that an enrollee working as a managing
3supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an enrollee working
4in any other capacity on the conservation or recreation
5program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local sponsor and
6not contractual hires for the purpose of employment taxes,
7except that enrollees shall not be classified as employees of
8this State or the local sponsor for purposes of contributions
9to the State Employees' Retirement System of Illinois or any
10other public employee retirement system.
 
11    (525 ILCS 50/9)
12    Sec. 9. Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps. With respect to
13the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps:
14    (a) Purpose. The Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps is
15established for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors
16to provide wages to veterans of any age operating and
17instructing in conservation or recreational programs. Such
18programs shall provide conservation or recreational
19opportunities and shall include, but are not limited to, the
20coordination and teaching of natural resource conservation and
21management, physical activities, or learning activities
22directly related to natural resource conservation management
23or recreation. Such programs may charge user fees, but such
24fees shall be designed to promote as much community involvement
25as possible, as determined by the Department.

 

 

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1    (b) Application. Local sponsors who can provide necessary
2facilities, materials, and management for summer conservation
3or recreational activities within the community and who desire
4a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing
5supervisors as necessary and eligible veterans for such
6conservation or recreational programs may make application to
7the Department. Applications shall be evaluated on the basis of
8program content, location, need, local commitment of
9resources, and consistency with the purposes of this Act.
10    (c) Enrollment. The Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps
11shall be limited to citizens of this State who at the time of
12enrollment are veterans of any age and are unemployed and who
13have skills that can be utilized in the summer conservation or
14recreational program. Preference may be given to veterans with
15a disability.
16    The ratio of veterans employee enrollees to a managing
17supervisor must not be less than 10 to 1 for any local sponsor
18with a total number of veterans employee enrollees of 10 or
19more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of veteran
20employee enrollees of less than 10 must be limited to one
21managing supervisor. Veterans who are unemployed shall be given
22preference for employment as managing supervisors.
23    The local sponsors shall make public notification of the
24availability of jobs for eligible veterans in the Illinois
25Veteran Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers, electronic
26media, educational facilities, units of local government, and

 

 

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1Department of Employment Security offices. Application for
2employment shall be made directly to the local sponsor.
3    The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to
4the administration of the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps.
5    (d) Terms of employment. The enrollment period for any
6successful applicant of the program shall not be longer than 12
76 total months. Once enrolled in the program, each enrollee
8shall receive a reasonable wage as set by the Department and
9shall work hours as required by the conservation or recreation
10program but not in excess of a maximum number of hours as
11determined by the Department, except that an enrollee working
12as a managing supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an
13enrollee working in any other capacity on the conservation or
14recreation program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local
15sponsor and not contractual hires for the purpose of employment
16taxes, except that enrollees shall not be classified as
17employees of the State or the local sponsor for purposes of
18contributions to the State Employees' Retirement System of
19Illinois or any other public employee retirement system.
20(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
 
21    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
22becoming law.