94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
HB0395

 

Introduced 1/25/2005, by Rep. Jay C. Hoffman

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 2310/2310-612 new
30 ILCS 105/5.640 new
35 ILCS 5/507EE new
35 ILCS 5/509   from Ch. 120, par. 5-509

    Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a tax checkoff for the Blindness Prevention Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Fund. Amends the Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the Department of Public Health to make grants to charitable or educational entities in Illinois for the purpose of funding (i) public education on the importance of eye care and the prevention of blindness and (ii) the provision of eye care to children, senior citizens, and other needy individuals whose needs are not covered by any other source of funds. Sets forth requirements for the grants. Requires the Department to create an advisory committee to make recommendations concerning the grant proposals. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB0395 LRB094 06840 AJO 36946 b

1     AN ACT concerning public health.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Department of Public Health Powers and
5 Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6 amended by adding Section 2310-612 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 2310/2310-612 new)
8     Sec. 2310-612. Blindness prevention grants.
9     (a) From funds appropriated from the Blindness Prevention
10 Fund, a special fund created in the State treasury, the
11 Department must make grants to charitable or educational
12 entities in Illinois for the purpose of funding (i) public
13 education on the importance of eye care and the prevention of
14 blindness and (ii) the provision of eye care to children,
15 senior citizens, and other needy individuals whose needs are
16 not covered by any other source of funds.
17     (b) Grants under this Section must be awarded on both a
18 statewide and regional basis, taking into consideration each
19 region's contributions to the Fund. At least 25% of the grants
20 must be made to regional grantees.
21     (c) A grant under this Section shall be made for a period
22 of one year and, subject to the availability of funds, may be
23 renewed by the Department.
24     (d) The Department must create an advisory committee to
25 make recommendations to the Department concerning grant
26 proposals. The advisory committee shall consist of one
27 representative from the Illinois Society for the Prevention of
28 Blindness, one licensed doctor of optometry, one member of the
29 Gateway Lions & Partners, one optometric educator from a school
30 of optometry located within Illinois, and one member from the
31 general public. Members of the advisory committee may not
32 receive compensation or reimbursement for their services.

 

 

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1 Members of the committee must recuse themselves from
2 consideration of any grant proposals submitted by any entity
3 from which they were appointed.
4     (e) The Department must adopt any rules necessary to
5 implement and administer this Section, including, without
6 limitation, a methodology for determining regions of the State.
 
7     Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
8 Section 5.640 as follows:
 
9     (30 ILCS 105/5.640 new)
10     Sec. 5.640. The Blindness Prevention Fund.
 
11     Section 15. The Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by
12 adding Section 507EE and amending Section 509 as follows:
 
13     (35 ILCS 5/507EE new)
14     Sec. 507EE. Blindness Prevention Fund checkoff. For
15 taxable years ending on or after December 31, 2005, the
16 Department shall print on its standard individual income tax
17 form a provision indicating that if the taxpayer wishes to
18 contribute to the Blindness Prevention Fund, as authorized by
19 this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, he or she may
20 do so by stating the amount of the contribution (not less than
21 $1) on the return and that the contribution will reduce the
22 taxpayer's refund or increase the amount of payment to
23 accompany the return. Failure to remit any amount of increased
24 payment shall reduce the contribution accordingly. This
25 Section shall not apply to any amended return.
 
26
27     (35 ILCS 5/509)  (from Ch. 120, par. 5-509)
28     Sec. 509. Tax checkoff explanations. All individual income
29 tax return forms shall contain appropriate explanations and
30 spaces to enable the taxpayers to designate contributions to
31 the following funds: the Child Abuse Prevention Fund, the

 

 

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1 Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund (as required by the
2 Illinois Non-Game Wildlife Protection Act), the Alzheimer's
3 Disease Research Fund (as required by the Alzheimer's Disease
4 Research Act), the Assistance to the Homeless Fund (as required
5 by this Act), the Penny Severns Breast and Cervical Cancer
6 Research Fund, the National World War II Memorial Fund, the
7 Prostate Cancer Research Fund, the Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS)
8 Research Fund, the Multiple Sclerosis Assistance Fund, the
9 Leukemia Treatment and Education Fund, the World War II
10 Illinois Veterans Memorial Fund, the Korean War Veterans
11 National Museum and Library Fund, the Illinois Military Family
12 Relief Fund, the Blindness Prevention Fund, the Illinois
13 Veterans' Homes Fund, and the Asthma and Lung Research Fund.
14     Each form shall contain a statement that the contributions
15 will reduce the taxpayer's refund or increase the amount of
16 payment to accompany the return. Failure to remit any amount of
17 increased payment shall reduce the contribution accordingly.
18     If, on October 1 of any year, the total contributions to
19 any one of the funds made under this Section do not equal
20 $100,000 or more, the explanations and spaces for designating
21 contributions to the fund shall be removed from the individual
22 income tax return forms for the following and all subsequent
23 years and all subsequent contributions to the fund shall be
24 refunded to the taxpayer.
25 (Source: P.A. 92-84, eff. 7-1-02; 92-198, eff. 8-1-01; 92-651,
26 eff. 7-11-02; 92-772, eff. 8-6-02; 92-886, eff. 2-7-03; 93-36,
27 eff. 6-24-03; 93-131, eff. 7-10-03; 93-292, eff. 7-22-03;
28 93-324, eff. 7-23-03; 93-776, eff. 7-21-04.)
 
29     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
30 becoming law.