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1 | AN ACT concerning elections.
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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 Election Code is amended by adding Section | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 1A-52 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (10 ILCS 5/1A-52 new) | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 1A-52. Regulation and oversight of private, | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | nongovernmental funds. | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | (a) The State Board of Elections is responsible for the | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | regulation and oversight of all private, nongovernmental funds | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | from an organization or an individual that are given or | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | distributed to an election authority for the election | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | authority to use. | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | (b) An election authority may not apply for or request in | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | some other manner any private, nongovernmental funding from | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | any source. | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | (c) The Board may seek and apply for private, | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | nongovernmental grants and donations to secure funds that will | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | be distributed to election authorities to reimburse the | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | election authorities for carrying out its duties related to | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | official day-to-day operations and administering elections | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | within the election authorities' respective jurisdictions. | |||||||||||||||||||||
23 | (d) All funds that are secured by the Board under |
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1 | subsection (c) shall be deposited by the Board into the | ||||||
2 | Election Authority Support Fund, a special fund that is | ||||||
3 | created in the State treasury, and, as directed by the State | ||||||
4 | Board of Elections, may be disbursed and expended for the | ||||||
5 | purposes described in this Section. | ||||||
6 | (e) When funds are not designated for disbursement in the | ||||||
7 | Election Authority Support Fund, the Board shall publish a | ||||||
8 | notice of funds available to election authorities in the | ||||||
9 | State. The notice must list the source or sources of funds, the | ||||||
10 | total amount available, and how an election authority may | ||||||
11 | apply to be reimbursed for expenditures. The frequency of | ||||||
12 | notices shall be at the discretion of the Board, but shall not | ||||||
13 | be less than once per calendar year unless no funds are | ||||||
14 | available. | ||||||
15 | (f) Funds disbursed under this Section must be directly | ||||||
16 | proportional to the total population residing within the | ||||||
17 | jurisdiction of the selected election authority. The initial | ||||||
18 | amount of funds disbursed shall be calculated as if every | ||||||
19 | election authority will apply for reimbursement. Any funds | ||||||
20 | remaining due to an insufficient number of applications, or | ||||||
21 | another reason, shall be distributed through a second round of | ||||||
22 | applications in which first round applicants may apply for a | ||||||
23 | second time. | ||||||
24 | (g) The Board must disburse funds to selected election | ||||||
25 | authorities within 30 days of reimbursement application | ||||||
26 | approval by check mailed to the official business address of |
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1 | the election authority or direct deposit into the election | ||||||
2 | authority's government account. The Board is required to | ||||||
3 | disburse all funds within 365 days of receiving the funds from | ||||||
4 | an outside source unless the reason for not disbursing the | ||||||
5 | funds is due to lack of applications from election | ||||||
6 | authorities. In that case, the Board shall keep the funds | ||||||
7 | until fully disbursed through the application process and the | ||||||
8 | funds shall not be used for any other purpose. | ||||||
9 | (h) Both the Board and all election authorities are | ||||||
10 | required to create and maintain records pertaining to the | ||||||
11 | requirements of this Section. These records include, at a | ||||||
12 | minimum, applications by the Board for grants and donations, | ||||||
13 | reimbursement applications by election authorities, and | ||||||
14 | records of financial transfers. Election authorities must keep | ||||||
15 | records on how any private, nongovernmental funds were spent. | ||||||
16 | Funds received through this process must only be used as noted | ||||||
17 | on the original reimbursement application to the Board. These | ||||||
18 | financial records that detail the spending of funds must be | ||||||
19 | made available to the Board upon request to the election | ||||||
20 | authority. | ||||||
21 | (i) The Board shall establish rules by January 1, 2024 to | ||||||
22 | implement this Section, including, at a minimum, procedures | ||||||
23 | for grant applications, the frequency of notice of available | ||||||
24 | funds, the reimbursement application process for election | ||||||
25 | authorities to secure funding, and the process through which | ||||||
26 | funds are distributed. |
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1 | (j) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to | ||||||
2 | interfere with any funds or procedures relating to the Help | ||||||
3 | America Vote Act, the Help Illinois Vote Fund, or the ERIC | ||||||
4 | Operations Trust Fund, or any other type of funds and | ||||||
5 | financial procedures detailed in any other provision of law. | ||||||
6 | (k) If this Section conflicts with any other provision of | ||||||
7 | law that specifies types of private, nongovernmental funds | ||||||
8 | that may be used by election authorities, including, but not | ||||||
9 | limited to, Section 1A-50, then the other, more specific law | ||||||
10 | controls. | ||||||
11 | (l) Except for the adoption of rules under subsection (i), | ||||||
12 | election authorities and the Board must comply with the | ||||||
13 | requirements of this Section beginning January 1, 2024. | ||||||
14 | Nothing in this Section shall be construed to affect private, | ||||||
15 | nongovernmental funds granted or given to an election | ||||||
16 | authority or the Board prior to January 1, 2024. | ||||||
17 | Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||||
18 | Section 5.990 as follows: | ||||||
19 | (30 ILCS 105/5.990 new) | ||||||
20 | Sec. 5.990. The Election Authority Support Fund.
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21 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
22 | becoming law.
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