101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB3349

 

Introduced , by Rep. Justin Slaughter

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 605/913 new
30 ILCS 105/5.891 new

    Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall create a Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program to provide grants and other financial assistance to prepare and support individuals for careers in water infrastructure. Provides specified groups that may be provided with grants and other financial assistance on a competitive annual basis. Directs the Department to coordinate with the Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Finance Authority, and other State agencies that provide financial support for water infrastructure projects. Provides that the Department may select a Program Administrator. Provides that recipients of grants or other financial assistance under the Program shall report annually to the Department. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Clean Water Workforce Development Fund.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
5Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6amended by adding Section 913 as follows:
 
7    (20 ILCS 605/913 new)
8    Sec. 913. Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program.
9    (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
10        (1) The fresh surface water and groundwater supply in
11    Illinois and Lake Michigan constitute vital natural
12    resources that require careful stewardship and protection
13    for future generations. Access to safe and clean drinking
14    water is the right of all Illinois residents.
15        (2) To adequately protect these resources and provide
16    safe and clean drinking water, substantial investment is
17    needed to replace lead components in drinking water
18    infrastructure, improve wastewater treatment, flood
19    control, and stormwater management, control aquatic
20    invasive species, implement green infrastructure
21    solutions, and implement other infrastructure solutions to
22    protect water quality.
23        (3) Implementing these clean water solutions will

 

 

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1    require a skilled and trained workforce, and new
2    investments will demand additional workers with
3    specialized skills.
4        (4) Water infrastructure jobs have been shown to
5    provide living wages and contribute to Illinois' economy.
6        (5) Significant populations of Illinois residents,
7    including, but not limited to, residents of environmental
8    justice communities, economically and socially
9    disadvantaged communities, those returning from the
10    criminal justice system, foster care alumni, and in
11    particular women and transgender persons, are in need of
12    access to skilled living wage jobs like those in the water
13    infrastructure sector.
14        (6) These residents are more likely to live in
15    communities with aging and inadequate clean water
16    infrastructure and suffer from threats to surface and
17    drinking water quality.
18        (7) The State can provide significant economic
19    opportunities to these residents and achieve greater
20    environmental and public health by investing in clean water
21    infrastructure.
22        (8) New training, recruitment, support, and placement
23    efforts are needed to connect these residents with career
24    opportunities in water infrastructure.
25        (9) The State must invest in both clean water
26    infrastructure and workforce development efforts in order

 

 

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1    to achieve these goals.
2    (b) The Department shall create a Clean Water Workforce
3Pipeline Program to provide grants and other financial
4assistance to prepare and support individuals for careers in
5water infrastructure. All funding provided by the Program under
6this Section shall be designed to encourage and facilitate
7employment in projects funded through State capital investment
8and provide participants a skill set which is sufficiently
9broad enough to allow them to work professionally in fields
10related to water infrastructure. Such projects may include
11training in construction, plumbing, or other relevant fields.
12    Grants and other financial assistance may be made available
13on a competitive annual basis to organizations that demonstrate
14a capacity to recruit, support, train, and place individuals in
15water infrastructure careers, including, but not limited to,
16community organizations, educational institutions, workforce
17investment boards, community action agencies, and labor unions
18for new efforts specifically focused on engaging residents of
19environmental justice communities, economically and socially
20disadvantaged communities, those returning from the criminal
21justice system, foster care alumni, and in particular women and
22transgender persons in these populations.
23    Grants and other financial assistance shall be awarded on a
24competitive and annual basis for the following activities:
25        (1) identification of individuals for job training in
26    the water sector;

 

 

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1        (2) counseling, preparation, skills training, and
2    other support to increase a candidate's likelihood of
3    success in a job training program and career;
4        (3) continuing education for individuals to prepare
5    for and build on workforce training;
6        (4) financial support for individuals in a water sector
7    job skills training program, including stipends and
8    assistance with transportation, child care, uniforms,
9    tools, and other costs;
10        (5) training of individuals in various skills and
11    trades necessary to build and maintain clean water
12    infrastructure;
13        (6) job placement services for individuals during and
14    after completion of water sector job skills training
15    programs; and
16        (7) financial, administrative, and management
17    assistance for organizations engaged in these activities.
18    It shall be an annual goal of the Program to train and
19place 2,500 residents of environmental justice communities,
20economically and socially disadvantaged communities, those
21returning from the criminal justice system, foster care alumni,
22and in particular women and transgender persons, in water
23sector jobs annually.
24    In order to encourage the employment of individuals trained
25through the Program onto projects receiving State financial
26assistance, the Department shall coordinate with the Illinois

 

 

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1Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Finance
2Authority, and other State agencies that provide financial
3support for water infrastructure projects.
4    The Department may select through a competitive bidding
5process a Program Administrator to oversee the allocation of
6funds and select organizations that receive funding.
7    Recipients of grants or other financial assistance under
8the Program shall report annually to the Department on the
9success of their efforts and their contribution to reaching the
10goals of the Program provided in this subsection. The
11Department shall compile this information and annually report
12to the General Assembly on the Program, including, but not
13limited to, the following information:
14        (1) progress toward the goals stated in this
15    subsection;
16        (2) any increase in the percentage of water industry
17    jobs in targeted populations;
18        (3) any increase in the rate of acceptance, completion,
19    or retention of water training programs among targeted
20    populations;
21        (4) any increase in the rate of employment, including
22    hours and annual income, measured against pre-Program
23    participant income; and
24        (5) any recommendations for future changes to optimize
25    the success of the Program.
26    (c) Within 90 days after the effective date of this

 

 

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1amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Department
2shall propose a draft plan to implement this Section for public
3comment. The Department shall allow a minimum of 60 days for
4public comment on the plan, including one or more public
5hearings, if requested. The Department shall finalize the plan
6within 180 days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of
7the 101st General Assembly.
8    The Department may propose and adopt any rules necessary
9for the implementation of the Program and to ensure compliance
10with this Section.
11    (d) The Water Workforce Development Fund is created as a
12special fund in the State treasury. Moneys in the Fund shall
13only be used to fund the Program and to assist and enable
14implementation of clean water infrastructure capital
15investments. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the
16Water Workforce Development Fund is not subject to sweeps,
17administrative charge-backs, or any other fiscal or budgetary
18maneuver that would in any way transfer any amounts from the
19Water Workforce Development Fund into any other fund of the
20State.
 
21    Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
22Section 5.891 as follows:
 
23    (30 ILCS 105/5.891 new)
24    Sec. 5.891. The Water Workforce Development Fund.