SB1354eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1354 Engrossed LRB094 10922 RSP 41487 b

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 Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 605-215 as follows:

(20 ILCS 605/605-215 new)

Sec. 605-215. Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee.

(a) To make reports and act as a communications center for issues relating to military base closures in the State, the Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee is created as an entity within the Department.

(b) The Committee shall be composed of 13 voting members: the Lieutenant Governor; 4 members of the General Assembly, one each appointed by the President of the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader; and 8 members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate that include appropriate representatives from the counties, or adjoining counties, of a military base site. The members appointed by the Governor shall serve for terms of 4 years, except that the terms of the initial members appointed by the Governor shall expire on July 1, 2009. General Assembly appointees shall serve for the duration of the General Assembly in which the appointee is appointed, but the appointee's term shall expire if the appointee no longer remains a member of that General Assembly. The Lieutenant Governor shall serve ex officio.

(c) The Governor shall appoint a chair from among the members of the Committee. The Committee shall meet at the call of the chair and shall meet not less than quarterly.

(d) Members of the Committee shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred while performing their duties as members of the Committee from funds appropriated to the Department for that purpose.

(e) The Committee shall provide advice and recommendations to the Department on the following:

(1) The formation of a strategic plan for State and local military base retention and conversion efforts.

(2) The issues impacting the military bases in the State, including infrastructure requirements, environmental needs, military force structure possibilities, tax implications, property considerations, and other issues requiring State agency coordination and support.

(3) The status of community involvement and participation in retention efforts and the community support for economic development before and after a military base closing.

(4) The State's retention advocacy efforts on the federal level.

(5) The development of impact studies concerning the closing of a base on the community, housing, the economy, schools, and other public and private entities, including additional economic development ideas to minimize the impact in the event of the base closing.

(6) The development of future economic expansion plans for areas that are subject to the risk of a military base closing.

(f) The Committee, in cooperation with the Department, shall make an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly concerning the progress of military base retention and economic development efforts in areas of the State where a military base has closed or may close.

(g) The Committee shall serve as the central information clearinghouse for all military base closing and retention activities. This shall include: (i) serving as a liaison between the State and community organizations that support the long-term viability of military bases; (ii) communicating with the State's congressional delegation; and (iii) generally coordinate the public, governmental bodies, and officials in communicating about the future of military bases in the State.

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