Full Text of HB5785 99th General Assembly
HB5785enr 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning finance.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Urban Weatherization Initiative Act is | 5 | | amended by changing Sections 40-10, 40-20, and 40-40 as | 6 | | follows: | 7 | | (30 ILCS 738/40-10)
| 8 | | Sec. 40-10. Urban Weatherization Initiative established; | 9 | | purpose.
| 10 | | (a) The Urban Weatherization Initiative is created. The | 11 | | Initiative shall be administered by the Department of Commerce | 12 | | and Economic Opportunity in consultation with other | 13 | | appropriate State agencies and overseen by the Weatherization | 14 | | Initiative Board. | 15 | | (b) The purpose of the Urban Weatherization Initiative is | 16 | | to promote the State's interest in reducing the impact of high | 17 | | energy costs on low-income households. The Initiative seeks to | 18 | | increase employment and entrepreneurship opportunities through | 19 | | the installation and manufacturing of low-cost weatherization | 20 | | materials. In particular, the Initiative is intended to | 21 | | weatherize owner-occupied, single family homes and | 22 | | multi-family (6 units or fewer) housing in census tracts with | 23 | | high rates of unemployment, underemployment, and poverty and to |
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| 1 | | ensure that residents of those communities are able to access | 2 | | the work as a local employment engine. The Initiative also | 3 | | seeks to implement outreach strategies to increase awareness of | 4 | | cost savings and job training services associated with the | 5 | | program.
| 6 | | (c) The efforts of the Urban Weatherization Initiative | 7 | | shall be coordinated with those of federal weatherization | 8 | | programs, including, but not limited to, the weatherization | 9 | | programs of the United States Department of Energy. The | 10 | | Department shall administer the Initiative so as to qualify for | 11 | | any federal grant or matching programs that may from time to | 12 | | time be offered to the State of Illinois or any political | 13 | | subdivision thereof. Employees hired under the Initiative | 14 | | shall be paid in accordance with the hourly wages associated | 15 | | with the federal prevailing wage rates for weatherization | 16 | | workers. | 17 | | (Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09.) | 18 | | (30 ILCS 738/40-20)
| 19 | | Sec. 40-20. Award of grants.
| 20 | | (a) The Department shall award grants under this Article | 21 | | using a competitive request-for-proposal process administered | 22 | | by the Department and overseen by the Board. No more than 2% of | 23 | | funds used for grants may be retained by the Department for | 24 | | administrative costs, program evaluation, and technical | 25 | | assistance activities. |
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| 1 | | (b) The Department must award grants competitively in | 2 | | accordance with the priorities described in this Article. | 3 | | Grants must be awarded in support of the implementation, | 4 | | expansion, or implementation and expansion of weatherization | 5 | | and job training programs consistent with the priorities | 6 | | described in this Article. Strategies for grant use include, | 7 | | but are not limited to, the following: | 8 | | (1) Repair or replacement of inefficient heating and | 9 | | cooling units. | 10 | | (2) Addressing of air infiltration with weather | 11 | | stripping, caulking, thresholds, minor repairs to walls, | 12 | | roofs, ceilings, and floors, and window and door | 13 | | replacement. | 14 | | (3) Repair or replacement of water heaters. | 15 | | (4) Pipe, duct, or pipe and duct insulation. | 16 | | (c) Portions of grant funds may be used for: | 17 | | (1) Work-aligned training in weatherization skill | 18 | | sets, including skills necessary for career advancement in | 19 | | the energy efficiency field. | 20 | | (2) Basic skills training, including soft-skill | 21 | | training, and other workforce development services, | 22 | | including mentoring, job development, support services, | 23 | | transportation assistance, and wage subsidies tied to | 24 | | training and employment in weatherization. | 25 | | (d) All grant applicants must include a comprehensive plan | 26 | | for local community engagement. Grant recipients may devote a |
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| 1 | | portion of awarded funds to conduct outreach activities | 2 | | designed to assure that eligible households and relevant | 3 | | workforce populations are made aware of the opportunities | 4 | | available under this Article. A portion of outreach activities | 5 | | must occur in convenient, local intake centers, including but | 6 | | not limited to churches, local schools, and community centers. | 7 | | (e) Any private, public, and non-profit entities that | 8 | | provide, or demonstrate desire and ability to provide, | 9 | | weatherization services that act to decrease the impact of | 10 | | energy costs on low-income areas and incorporate an effective | 11 | | local employment strategy are eligible grant applicants. | 12 | | (f) For grant recipients, maximum per unit expenditure | 13 | | shall not exceed $10,000 $6,500 . | 14 | | (g) A grant recipient may not be awarded grants totaling | 15 | | more than $2,000,000 $500,000 per fiscal year. | 16 | | (h) A grant recipient may not use more than 15% of its | 17 | | total grant amount for administrative expenses.
| 18 | | (Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09.) | 19 | | (30 ILCS 738/40-40)
| 20 | | Sec. 40-40. Weatherization Initiative Board.
| 21 | | (a) The Weatherization Initiative Board is created within | 22 | | the Department. The Board must approve or deny all grants from | 23 | | the Fund. | 24 | | (a-5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, | 25 | | the Board has the authority to direct the Department to |
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| 1 | | authorize the awarding of grants to applicants serving areas or | 2 | | populations not included in the target areas and populations | 3 | | set forth in Section 40-25 if the Board determines that there | 4 | | are special circumstances involving the areas or populations | 5 | | served by the applicant. | 6 | | (b) The Board shall consist of 5 voting members appointed | 7 | | by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The | 8 | | initial members shall have terms as follows as designated by | 9 | | the Governor: one for one year, one for 2 years, one for 3 | 10 | | years, one for 4 years, and one for 5 years, or until a | 11 | | successor is appointed and qualified. Thereafter, members | 12 | | shall serve 5-year terms or until a successor is appointed and | 13 | | qualified. Two voting members shall have experience in | 14 | | residential weatherization or energy efficiency; one voting | 15 | | member shall have experience in workforce development. The | 16 | | voting members shall elect a voting member to serve as chair | 17 | | for a one-year term. Vacancies shall be filled in the same | 18 | | manner for the balance of a term.
| 19 | | (c) The Board shall also have 4 non-voting ex officio | 20 | | members appointed as follows: one Representative appointed by | 21 | | the Speaker of the House, one Representative appointed by the | 22 | | House Minority Leader, one Senator appointed by the President | 23 | | of the Senate, and one Senator appointed by the Senate Minority | 24 | | Leader, each to serve at the pleasure of the appointing | 25 | | authority. | 26 | | (d) Members shall receive no compensation, but may be |
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| 1 | | reimbursed for necessary expenses from appropriations to the | 2 | | Department available for that purpose. | 3 | | (e) The Board may adopt rules under the Illinois | 4 | | Administrative Procedure Act. | 5 | | (f) A quorum of the Board is at least 3 voting members, and | 6 | | the affirmative vote of at least 3 voting members is required | 7 | | for Board decisions and adoption of rules. | 8 | | (g) The Department shall provide staff and administrative | 9 | | assistance to the Board.
| 10 | | (h) By May December 31 of each year, the Board shall file | 11 | | an annual report with the Governor and the General Assembly | 12 | | concerning the Initiative, grants awarded, and grantees and | 13 | | making recommendations for any changes needed to enhance the | 14 | | effectiveness of the Initiative.
| 15 | | (Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09.)
| 16 | | Section 10. The Energy Assistance Act is amended by | 17 | | changing Section 7 as follows:
| 18 | | (305 ILCS 20/7) (from Ch. 111 2/3, par. 1407)
| 19 | | Sec. 7. State Weatherization Plan and Program.
| 20 | | (a) The Department shall, after consultation with the | 21 | | Policy Advisory
Council, prepare and promulgate an annual State | 22 | | Weatherization Plan
beginning in the year this Act becomes | 23 | | effective. To the extent
practicable, such Plan shall provide | 24 | | for targeting use of both State and
federal weatherization |
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| 1 | | funds to the households of eligible applicants
pursuant to this | 2 | | Act whose ratios of energy costs to income are the
highest. The | 3 | | State Weatherization Plan shall include but need not be
limited | 4 | | to the following:
| 5 | | (1) a description of the demographic characteristics | 6 | | and energy use
patterns of people eligible for assistance | 7 | | pursuant to this Act;
| 8 | | (2) the methodology used by the Department in targeting | 9 | | weatherization
funds;
| 10 | | (3) a description of anticipated activity and results | 11 | | for the year
covered by the Plan, including an estimate of | 12 | | energy cost savings expected
to be realized by the | 13 | | weatherization program; and
| 14 | | (4) every third year, beginning in 2002, an evaluation | 15 | | of
results from the weatherization program in the
year | 16 | | preceding the plan year, including the effect of State | 17 | | Weatherization
Program investments on energy consumption | 18 | | and cost in the population
eligible for assistance pursuant | 19 | | to this Act, and the effect of targeted
weatherization | 20 | | investments on the costs of the energy assistance program
| 21 | | authorized by this Act.
| 22 | | (b) The Department shall implement the State | 23 | | Weatherization Plan
by rule through a program which provides | 24 | | targeted weatherization assistance to
eligible applicants for | 25 | | energy assistance pursuant to this Act.
The Department may | 26 | | enter into such contracts and other arrangements with
local |
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| 1 | | agencies as may be necessary for the purpose of administering | 2 | | the
weatherization program. Individuals performing | 3 | | weatherization work under the weatherization program shall be | 4 | | paid in accordance with the hourly wages associated with the | 5 | | federal prevailing wage rates for such weatherization | 6 | | classifications as determined by the United States Department | 7 | | of Labor, until specifically superseded by additional | 8 | | standards and regulations.
| 9 | | (Source: P.A. 92-690, eff. 7-18-02.)
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