HB5469 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB101 17203 BMS 66605 b

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.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 805-233 as follows:

(20 ILCS 805/805-233 new)

Sec. 805-233. Outdoor Equity Grants Program.

(a) The Department shall establish the Outdoor Equity Grants Program 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. Subject to adequate funding under subject (g), the grant program shall award grants to units of local government, State agencies, or nonprofit organizations with a focus on funding transportation, logistical, and program operations and capacity costs associated with reaching historically underserved communities.

(b) In developing the grant program, the Department shall:

(1) Develop criteria, procedures, and accountability measures as may be necessary to implement the grant program.

(2) Administer the grant program to ensure that priority is given to underserved populations, including both urban and rural areas and low-income communities, where participation in outdoor environmental education and recreation programs has been limited.

(c) The Department shall give priority for funding to outdoor environmental education programs that primarily provide outreach to and serve pupils who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, foster youth, or pupils of limited English proficiency and have one or more of the following attributes:

(1) Have a curriculum that is aligned to the content standards for public schools adopted by the State Board of Education.

(2) Foster stewardship of the environment.

(3) Integrate instruction in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

(d) The Department may include, but are not limited to, outdoor environmental education programs that do any of the following:

(1) Maximize the number of participants that can be served.

(2) Demonstrate partnerships between public, private, and nonprofit entities.

(3) Contribute to healthy lifestyles, sound nutritional habits, and improved outdoor educational and recreational experiences.

(4) Include service learning and community outreach components for purposes of building partnerships between participants and local communities.

(e) The Department may provide funding for professional learning, based on approved content standards, for the staff and volunteers of those programs given priority pursuant to subsection (c).

(f) In implementing the grant program, the Department shall work with relevant stakeholders to promote and implement the grant program in a manner that effectively reaches a wide geography throughout the state and ensures that regions in northern, central, and southern Illinois, including both urban and rural areas, are adequately considered with an emphasis on addressing the transportation needs within these regions.

(g) Grants under this Section are subject to appropriation, except that the Department may accept private donations and funding made for the support of the grant program.

All private moneys received pursuant to this subsection or appropriated for the purpose of the grant program shall be deposited in the Outdoor Equity Grants Program Fund.

Before commencing any program development activities for the grant program, adequate donations or funds shall be deposited into the Outdoor Equity Grants Program Fund. This amount shall be sufficient to administer the grant program and provide grant awards.

(h) The Department shall gather information from applicants following each year that grants were awarded for purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of outdoor environmental education programs in achieving the objectives of the grant program. The Department shall annually summarize and report this information for the previous award year to the General Assembly. The information in the annual report shall include the total number of children served, the total number and types of entities that received grant awards, appropriate recommendations to improve the grant program, partnerships formed, educational objectives achieved, the total number of applications received, and the total number of children who would have been served had all applicants for the award year received grant awards.

(i) The Department shall adopt rules to implement this Section.

Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.930 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.930 new)

Sec. 5.930. The Outdoor Equity Grants Program Fund.