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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform | |||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Act is amended by changing Sections 5, 10, and 15 as follows:
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6 | (20 ILCS 608/5)
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7 | Sec. 5. Goal. The goal of this Act is to improve the | |||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | State's business
climate by making it easier for small and | |||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | mid-size businesses to deal with
State requirements for doing | |||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | business. This goal will be achieved through
providing quick, | |||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | accurate information on existing requirements , and avoiding
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12 | unnecessary requirements , and expediting permit issuance .
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13 | (Source: P.A. 88-404.)
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14 | (20 ILCS 608/10)
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15 | Sec. 10. Executive Office. There is created an Office of | |||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | Business
Permits and Regulatory Assistance (hereinafter | |||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | referred to as "office")
within the Department of Commerce and | |||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic | |||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | Opportunity)
which shall (i) consolidate existing programs
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20 | throughout State government, provide assistance to businesses | |||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | with fewer than
500
employees in meeting State requirements | |||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | for doing business , (ii) consolidate existing programs |
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1 | throughout State government, and (iii) perform other
functions | ||||||
2 | specified in this Act. The office shall implement reforms to | ||||||
3 | improve interagency coordination that allow for expeditious | ||||||
4 | permitting issuance. The office shall use information | ||||||
5 | technology tools to track project schedules and metrics in | ||||||
6 | order to improve transparency and accountability in the | ||||||
7 | permitting process, reduce uncertainty and delays, and reduce | ||||||
8 | costs and risks to taxpayers. The
By March 1, 1994, the office | ||||||
9 | shall complete and file with the Governor and the
General | ||||||
10 | Assembly a plan for the implementation of this Act. | ||||||
11 | Thereafter, the
office shall carry out the provisions of this | ||||||
12 | Act, subject to funding
through appropriation.
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13 | (Source: P.A. 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
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14 | (20 ILCS 608/15)
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15 | Sec. 15. Providing Information and Expediting Permit | ||||||
16 | Reviews.
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17 | (a) The office shall provide an online information system | ||||||
18 | using a website toll-free
business assistance number. The | ||||||
19 | number shall be advertised throughout the
State. Interested | ||||||
20 | businesses shall If requested, the caller will be sent a basic | ||||||
21 | business kit, describing
the basic requirements and procedures | ||||||
22 | for doing business in Illinois. If
requested, the caller shall | ||||||
23 | be directed to one or more of the additional
services provided | ||||||
24 | by the office. All persons providing advice to callers on
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25 | behalf of
the office and all persons responsible for directly |
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1 | providing services to
persons visiting the office or one of | ||||||
2 | its branches shall be persons with small
business experience | ||||||
3 | in an administrative or managerial capacity.
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4 | (b) (Blank).
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5 | (c) Any applicant for permits required for a business | ||||||
6 | activity may confer
with the office to obtain assistance in | ||||||
7 | the prompt and efficient processing and
review of | ||||||
8 | applications. The office shall may designate an employee of | ||||||
9 | the office to
act as a permit assistance manager to:
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10 | (1) facilitate contacts for the applicant with | ||||||
11 | responsible agencies;
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12 | (2) arrange conferences to clarify the requirements of | ||||||
13 | interested
agencies;
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14 | (3) consider with State agencies the feasibility of | ||||||
15 | consolidating
hearings and data required of the applicant;
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16 | (4) assist the applicant in resolution of outstanding | ||||||
17 | issues identified by
State agencies; and
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18 | (5) coordinate federal, State and local regulatory | ||||||
19 | procedures and permit
review actions to the extent | ||||||
20 | possible.
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21 | (d) The office shall publish an online a directory of | ||||||
22 | State business permits and State
programs to assist small | ||||||
23 | businesses.
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24 | (e) The office shall attempt to establish
agreements with | ||||||
25 | local governments to
allow the office to provide assistance to | ||||||
26 | applicants for permits required by
these local governments.
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1 | (f) (Blank). Interested
State agencies shall, to the | ||||||
2 | maximum extent feasible, establish procedures to
expedite | ||||||
3 | applications for infrastructure projects. Applications for | ||||||
4 | permits
for infrastructure projects shall be approved or | ||||||
5 | disapproved within 45 days of
submission, unless law or | ||||||
6 | regulations specify a different period. If the
interested | ||||||
7 | agency is unable to act within that period, the agency shall | ||||||
8 | provide
a written notification to the office specifying | ||||||
9 | reasons for its inability to
act and the date by which approval | ||||||
10 | or disapproval shall be determined. The
office may require any | ||||||
11 | interested State agency to designate an employee who
will | ||||||
12 | coordinate the handling of permits in that area.
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13 | (g) In addition to its responsibilities in connection with | ||||||
14 | permit
assistance, the office shall provide general regulatory | ||||||
15 | information by
directing businesses to appropriate officers in | ||||||
16 | State agencies to supply the
information requested.
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17 | (h) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply | ||||||
18 | to training
programs available to train current employees in | ||||||
19 | particular skills, techniques
or areas of knowledge relevant | ||||||
20 | to the employees' present or anticipated job
duties. In | ||||||
21 | pursuit of this objective, the office shall provide businesses | ||||||
22 | with
pertinent information about training programs offered by | ||||||
23 | State agencies, units
of local government, public universities | ||||||
24 | and colleges, community colleges, and
school districts in | ||||||
25 | Illinois.
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26 | (i) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply |
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1 | to State programs
offering to businesses grants, loans, loan | ||||||
2 | or bond guarantees, investment
partnerships, technology or | ||||||
3 | productivity consultation, or other forms of
business | ||||||
4 | assistance.
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5 | (j) To the extent authorized by federal law, the office | ||||||
6 | shall assist
businesses in ascertaining and complying with the | ||||||
7 | requirements of the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act.
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8 | (k) The office shall provide confidential on-site | ||||||
9 | assistance in identifying
problems and solutions in compliance | ||||||
10 | with requirements of State and federal
environmental | ||||||
11 | regulations. The office shall work through and contract with | ||||||
12 | the Illinois Sustainable Technology
Center to provide | ||||||
13 | confidential on-site
consultation audits that (i) assist | ||||||
14 | regulatory compliance and (ii) identify
pollution prevention | ||||||
15 | opportunities.
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16 | (k-5) Until July 1, 2012, the office shall provide | ||||||
17 | confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited | ||||||
18 | to, consultation audits, to identify
problems and solutions | ||||||
19 | regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
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20 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. On and after | ||||||
21 | July 1, 2012, the Department of Labor shall provide | ||||||
22 | confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited | ||||||
23 | to, consultation audits, to identify
problems and solutions | ||||||
24 | regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
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25 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. | ||||||
26 | (l) The office shall provide information on existing loan |
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1 | and business
assistance programs provided by the State.
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2 | (m) Each State agency having jurisdiction to approve or | ||||||
3 | deny a permit shall
have the continuing power heretofore or | ||||||
4 | hereafter vested in it to make such
determinations. The | ||||||
5 | provisions of this Act shall not lessen or reduce such
powers | ||||||
6 | and shall modify the procedures followed in carrying out such | ||||||
7 | powers
only to the extent provided in this Act.
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8 | (n) (1) Each State agency shall fully cooperate with the | ||||||
9 | office in
providing information, documentation, personnel or | ||||||
10 | facilities requested by the
office.
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11 | (2) Each State agency having jurisdiction of any permit to | ||||||
12 | which the
master application procedure is applicable shall | ||||||
13 | designate an employee to act
as permit liaison office with the | ||||||
14 | office in carrying out the provisions of this
Act.
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15 | (o) (1) The office shall identify, develop, and track | ||||||
16 | metrics for timeliness of permit reviews, permit decisions, | ||||||
17 | and project outcomes has authority, but is not required, to | ||||||
18 | keep and analyze
appropriate statistical data regarding the | ||||||
19 | number of permits issued by State
agencies, the amount of time | ||||||
20 | necessary for the permits to be issued, the cost
of obtaining | ||||||
21 | such permits, the types of projects for which specific permits | ||||||
22 | are
issued, a geographic distribution of permits, and other | ||||||
23 | pertinent data the
office deems appropriate .
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24 | The office shall administer and expand the use of online | ||||||
25 | transparency tools providing: | ||||||
26 | (i) tracking and reporting metrics; |
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1 | (ii) development and posting of schedules for permit | ||||||
2 | reviews and permit decisions; | ||||||
3 | (iii) the sharing of best practices relating to | ||||||
4 | efficient project permitting and reviews; and | ||||||
5 | (iv) the visual display of relevant geospatial data to | ||||||
6 | support the permitting process. make such data and any | ||||||
7 | analysis of the data available to
the public.
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8 | (2) The office shall has authority, but is not required, | ||||||
9 | to conduct or cause to be
conducted a thorough review of any | ||||||
10 | agency's permit requirements and the need
by the State to | ||||||
11 | require such permits. The office shall draw on the review, on
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12 | its direct experience, and on its statistical analyses to | ||||||
13 | prepare
recommendations regarding how to:
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14 | (i) eliminate unnecessary or antiquated permit | ||||||
15 | requirements;
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16 | (ii) consolidate duplicative or overlapping permit | ||||||
17 | requirements;
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18 | (iii) simplify overly complex or lengthy application | ||||||
19 | procedures;
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20 | (iv) expedite time-consuming agency review and | ||||||
21 | approval procedures; or
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22 | (v) otherwise improve the permitting processes in the | ||||||
23 | State.
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24 | The office shall submit copies of all recommendations | ||||||
25 | within 5 days of
issuance to the affected agency, the | ||||||
26 | Governor, the General Assembly, and the
Joint Committee on |
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1 | Administrative Rules.
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2 | (p) The office shall has authority to review State forms | ||||||
3 | on its own initiative or
upon the request of another State | ||||||
4 | agency to ascertain the burden, if any, of
complying with | ||||||
5 | those forms. If the office determines that a form is unduly
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6 | burdensome to business, it may recommend to the agency issuing | ||||||
7 | the form either
that the form be eliminated or that specific | ||||||
8 | changes be made in the form.
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9 | (q) Not later than March 1 of each year, beginning March 1, | ||||||
10 | 1995, the office
shall submit an annual
report of its | ||||||
11 | activities during the preceding year to the Governor and | ||||||
12 | General
Assembly. The report shall describe the activities of | ||||||
13 | the office during the
preceding year and shall contain | ||||||
14 | statistical information on the permit
assistance activities of | ||||||
15 | the office.
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16 | (Source: P.A. 97-787, eff. 7-13-12; 98-346, eff. 8-14-13.)
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