SB2589 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 33857 AWJ 63672 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2589

Introduced 10/18/2023, by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

15 ILCS 30/5 new

Amends the Disaster Relief Act. Provides that the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security may provide State supplemental grants to meet disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of individuals and households adversely affected by any disaster declared by the President of the United States in those cases in which individuals and households are unable to meet those expenses or needs through other assistance. Sets eligibility, application, and other requirements for the grants.

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 Disaster Relief Act is amended by adding Section 5 as follows:

(15 ILCS 30/5 new)

Sec. 5. Supplemental disaster relief grants.

(a) The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security may provide State supplemental grants to meet disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of individuals and households adversely affected by any disaster declared by the President of the United States in those cases in which individuals and households are unable to meet those expenses or needs through assistance under Section 408 of the federal Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) or from other sources.

(b) Grants under this Section shall be made only to individuals and households that, in either case, are determined, by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, to be eligible for federal assistance under 42 U.S.C. 5174, that have unmet serious needs, and that have suffered losses reimbursable under that program in excess of the maximum federal grant amount.

(c) The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security may make a grant to an eligible individual or eligible household in an amount equal to the difference between the federal grant awarded to the individual or household and the federally eligible appraised loss of the individual or household, not to exceed $10,000 per individual or household.

(d) The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security shall adopt rules establishing application procedures for grants awarded under this Section. The adopted rules must, at a minimum, specify that:

(1) all application procedures must conform to the procedures required in the federal Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended;

(2) the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security must ensure that applicants for relief under this Section have exhausted all other available means of seeking relief for disaster damage prior to receiving any grants under this Section;

(3) all applications, forms, and other written materials to be presented to persons seeking assistance must be available in English and in the same language as that used by the largest non-English-speaking population within the disaster area; and

(4) bilingual staff who reflect the demographics of the disaster area must be available to applicants.