HB0309eng 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0309 Engrossed LRB097 05458 RLJ 45517 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Local Initiative Sunshine Act.

Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Gubernatorial or legislative member initiative" means a grant from State funds to a specific unit of local government, specific school district, specific not-for-profit organization, or specific non-governmental entity for infrastructure improvements or operating expenses. Grants that are part of a statewide program and are based on generally applicable standards of eligibility are not gubernatorial or legislative member initiatives.

"Infrastructure improvements" include without limitation capital improvements, capital projects, planning, construction, reconstruction, equipment, utilities, vehicles, and all costs associated with economic development, community programs, educational programs, public health, and public safety.

"Initiative sponsor", with respect to each gubernatorial or legislative member initiative, includes the Governor and each member of the General Assembly designated in the grant application as having requested or initiated the grant.

"Initiative recipient" means an individual or entity that is designated to receive or receives a gubernatorial or legislative member initiative.

"Recoverable grants" mean grant money to an initiative recipient that has been determined, in accordance with applicable State law and rule, to be refundable to the State.

"Searchable database website" means a website that allows the public to (i) search the database by name of initiative recipient, initiative sponsor, funding agency, and location of performed and recoverable grants and (ii) download data included in item (i), including outcomes from searches.

Section 10. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to provide full and complete disclosure to the public of the recipients of gubernatorial and legislative member initiatives. The database shall also serve as a warning to initiative recipients that the misuse of public funds will not be tolerated by the State.

Section 15. Initiative recipient database.

(a) Beginning on July 1, 2011, the Office of the Comptroller shall create and maintain a searchable database website containing information concerning initiative recipients. The database shall include for each initiative recipient:

(1) the name of the initiative recipient and initiative sponsor;

(2) the amount of the gubernatorial or legislative member initiative;

(3) the funding agency and the funding source;

(4) the purpose of each initiative;

(5) the location of the initiative recipient and the primary location of the performance of the initiative;

(6) any recoverable grants; and

(7) any other relevant information.

(b) The database website shall also provide an opportunity for the public to provide input about the utility of the website and recommendations for improvements.

(c) The database website shall not be considered in compliance with this Act if it relies upon links to other existing websites and databases, unless each of those sites has information from all agencies and each category of information required to be itemized can be searched electronically by field in a single search.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.