101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB5469

 

Introduced , by Rep. Sonya M. Harper

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 805/805-233 new
30 ILCS 105/5.930 new

    Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department shall establish the Outdoor Equity Grants Program, subject to adequate appropriation or private funding, to increase the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor environmental educational experiences at State parks and other public lands where outdoor environmental education programs take place. Contains provisions relating to the organization of the grant program, priority of specified populations, funding of the grant program, and annual reporting. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules to implement the provisions. Amends the State Finance Act by adding the Outdoor Equity Grants Program Fund.


LRB101 17203 BMS 66605 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5469LRB101 17203 BMS 66605 b

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 Natural Resources
5(Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois
6is amended by adding Section 805-233 as follows:
 
7    (20 ILCS 805/805-233 new)
8    Sec. 805-233. Outdoor Equity Grants Program.
9    (a) The Department shall establish the Outdoor Equity
10Grants Program to increase the ability of underserved and
11at-risk populations to participate in outdoor environmental
12educational experiences at State parks and other public lands
13where outdoor environmental education programs take place.
14Subject to adequate funding under subject (g), the grant
15program shall award grants to units of local government, State
16agencies, or nonprofit organizations with a focus on funding
17transportation, logistical, and program operations and
18capacity costs associated with reaching historically
19underserved communities.
20    (b) In developing the grant program, the Department shall:
21        (1) Develop criteria, procedures, and accountability
22    measures as may be necessary to implement the grant
23    program.

 

 

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1        (2) Administer the grant program to ensure that
2    priority is given to underserved populations, including
3    both urban and rural areas and low-income communities,
4    where participation in outdoor environmental education and
5    recreation programs has been limited.
6    (c) The Department shall give priority for funding to
7outdoor environmental education programs that primarily
8provide outreach to and serve pupils who are eligible for free
9or reduced-price meals, foster youth, or pupils of limited
10English proficiency and have one or more of the following
11attributes:
12        (1) Have a curriculum that is aligned to the content
13    standards for public schools adopted by the State Board of
14    Education.
15        (2) Foster stewardship of the environment.
16        (3) Integrate instruction in science, technology,
17    engineering, arts, and mathematics.
18    (d) The Department may include, but are not limited to,
19outdoor environmental education programs that do any of the
20following:
21        (1) Maximize the number of participants that can be
22    served.
23        (2) Demonstrate partnerships between public, private,
24    and nonprofit entities.
25        (3) Contribute to healthy lifestyles, sound
26    nutritional habits, and improved outdoor educational and

 

 

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1    recreational experiences.
2        (4) Include service learning and community outreach
3    components for purposes of building partnerships between
4    participants and local communities.
5    (e) The Department may provide funding for professional
6learning, based on approved content standards, for the staff
7and volunteers of those programs given priority pursuant to
8subsection (c).
9    (f) In implementing the grant program, the Department shall
10work with relevant stakeholders to promote and implement the
11grant program in a manner that effectively reaches a wide
12geography throughout the state and ensures that regions in
13northern, central, and southern Illinois, including both urban
14and rural areas, are adequately considered with an emphasis on
15addressing the transportation needs within these regions.
16    (g) Grants under this Section are subject to appropriation,
17except that the Department may accept private donations and
18funding made for the support of the grant program.
19    All private moneys received pursuant to this subsection or
20appropriated for the purpose of the grant program shall be
21deposited in the Outdoor Equity Grants Program Fund.
22    Before commencing any program development activities for
23the grant program, adequate donations or funds shall be
24deposited into the Outdoor Equity Grants Program Fund. This
25amount shall be sufficient to administer the grant program and
26provide grant awards.

 

 

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1    (h) The Department shall gather information from
2applicants following each year that grants were awarded for
3purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of outdoor
4environmental education programs in achieving the objectives
5of the grant program. The Department shall annually summarize
6and report this information for the previous award year to the
7General Assembly. The information in the annual report shall
8include the total number of children served, the total number
9and types of entities that received grant awards, appropriate
10recommendations to improve the grant program, partnerships
11formed, educational objectives achieved, the total number of
12applications received, and the total number of children who
13would have been served had all applicants for the award year
14received grant awards.
15    (i) The Department shall adopt rules to implement this
16Section.
 
17    Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
18Section 5.930 as follows:
 
19    (30 ILCS 105/5.930 new)
20    Sec. 5.930. The Outdoor Equity Grants Program Fund.