SB2146sam001 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Ram Villivalam

Filed: 3/28/2019

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2146

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2146 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
5Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6amended by adding Section 913 as follows:
 
7    (20 ILCS 605/913 new)
8    Sec. 913. Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program.
9    (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
10        (1) The fresh surface water and groundwater supply in
11    Illinois and Lake Michigan constitute vital natural
12    resources that require careful stewardship and protection
13    for future generations. Access to safe and clean drinking
14    water is the right of all Illinois residents.
15        (2) To adequately protect these resources and provide
16    safe and clean drinking water, substantial investment is

 

 

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1    needed to replace lead components in drinking water
2    infrastructure, improve wastewater treatment, flood
3    control, and stormwater management, control aquatic
4    invasive species, implement green infrastructure
5    solutions, and implement other infrastructure solutions to
6    protect water quality.
7        (3) Implementing these clean water solutions will
8    require a skilled and trained workforce, and new
9    investments will demand additional workers with
10    specialized skills.
11        (4) Water infrastructure jobs have been shown to
12    provide living wages and contribute to Illinois' economy.
13        (5) Significant populations of Illinois residents,
14    including, but not limited to, residents of environmental
15    justice communities, economically and socially
16    disadvantaged communities, those returning from the
17    criminal justice system, foster care alumni, and in
18    particular women and transgender persons, are in need of
19    access to skilled living wage jobs like those in the water
20    infrastructure sector.
21        (6) Many of these residents are more likely to live in
22    communities with aging and inadequate clean water
23    infrastructure and suffer from threats to surface and
24    drinking water quality.
25        (7) The State can provide significant economic
26    opportunities to these residents and achieve greater

 

 

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1    environmental and public health by investing in clean water
2    infrastructure.
3        (8) New training, recruitment, support, and placement
4    efforts are needed to connect these residents with career
5    opportunities in water infrastructure.
6        (9) The State must invest in both clean water
7    infrastructure and workforce development efforts in order
8    to achieve these goals.
9    (b) From appropriations made from the Build Illinois Bond
10Fund, Capital Development Fund, or General Revenue Fund or
11other funds as identified by the Department, the Department
12shall create a Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program to
13provide grants and other financial assistance to prepare and
14support individuals for careers in water infrastructure. All
15funding provided by the Program under this Section shall be
16designed to encourage and facilitate employment in projects
17funded through State capital investment and provide
18participants a skill set to allow them to work professionally
19in fields related to water infrastructure.
20    Grants and other financial assistance may be made available
21on a competitive annual basis to organizations that demonstrate
22a capacity to recruit, support, train, and place individuals in
23water infrastructure careers, including, but not limited to,
24community organizations, educational institutions, workforce
25investment boards, community action agencies, and multi-craft
26labor organizations for new efforts specifically focused on

 

 

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1engaging residents of environmental justice communities,
2economically and socially disadvantaged communities, those
3returning from the criminal justice system, foster care alumni,
4and in particular women and transgender persons in these
5populations.
6    Grants and other financial assistance shall be awarded on a
7competitive and annual basis for the following activities:
8        (1) identification of individuals for job training in
9    the water sector;
10        (2) counseling, preparation, skills training, and
11    other support to increase a candidate's likelihood of
12    success in a job training program and career;
13        (3) financial support for individuals in a water sector
14    job skills training program, support services, and
15    transportation assistance tied to training under this
16    Section;
17        (4) job placement services for individuals during and
18    after completion of water sector job skills training
19    programs; and
20        (5) financial, administrative, and management
21    assistance for organizations engaged in these activities.
22    (c) It shall be an annual goal of the Program to train and
23place at least 300, or 25% of the number of annual jobs created
24by State financed water infrastructure projects, whichever is
25greater, of the following persons in water sector-related
26apprenticeships annually: residents of environmental justice

 

 

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1communities; residents of economically and socially
2disadvantaged communities; those returning from the criminal
3justice system; foster care alumni; and, in particular, women
4and transgender persons. In awarding and administering grants
5under this Program, the Department shall strive to provide
6assistance equitably throughout the State.
7    In order to encourage the employment of individuals trained
8through the Program onto projects receiving State financial
9assistance, the Department shall coordinate with the Illinois
10Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Finance
11Authority, and other State agencies that provide financial
12support for water infrastructure projects. These agencies
13shall take steps to support attaining the training and
14placement goals set forth in this subsection, using a list of
15projects that receive State financial support. These agencies
16may propose and adopt rules to facilitate the attainment of
17this goal.
18    Using funds appropriated for the purposes of this Section,
19the Department may select through a competitive bidding process
20a Program Administrator to oversee the allocation of funds and
21select organizations that receive funding.
22    Recipients of grants under the Program shall report
23annually to the Department on the success of their efforts and
24their contribution to reaching the goals of the Program
25provided in this subsection. The Department shall compile this
26information and annually report to the General Assembly on the

 

 

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1Program, including, but not limited to, the following
2information:
3        (1) progress toward the goals stated in this
4    subsection;
5        (2) any increase in the percentage of water industry
6    jobs in targeted populations;
7        (3) any increase in the rate of acceptance, completion,
8    or retention of water training programs among targeted
9    populations;
10        (4) any increase in the rate of employment, including
11    hours and annual income, measured against pre-Program
12    participant income; and
13        (5) any recommendations for future changes to optimize
14    the success of the Program.
15    (d) Within 90 days after the effective date of this
16amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Department
17shall propose a draft plan to implement this Section for public
18comment. The Department shall allow a minimum of 60 days for
19public comment on the plan, including one or more public
20hearings, if requested. The Department shall finalize the plan
21within 180 days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of
22the 101st General Assembly.
23    The Department may propose and adopt any rules necessary
24for the implementation of the Program and to ensure compliance
25with this Section.
26    (e) The Water Workforce Development Fund is created as a

 

 

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1special fund in the State treasury. The Fund shall receive
2moneys appropriated for the purpose of this Section from the
3Build Illinois Bond, the Capital Development Fund, the General
4Revenue Fund and any other funds. Moneys in the Fund shall only
5be used to fund the Program and to assist and enable
6implementation of clean water infrastructure capital
7investments. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the
8Water Workforce Development Fund is not subject to sweeps,
9administrative charge-backs, or any other fiscal or budgetary
10maneuver that would in any way transfer any amounts from the
11Water Workforce Development Fund into any other fund of the
12State.
13    (f) For purpose of this Section:
14    "Environmental justice community" has the meaning provided
15in subsection (b) of Section 1-50 of the Illinois Power Agency
16Act.
17    "Multi-craft labor organization" means a joint
18labor-management apprenticeship program registered with and
19approved by the United States Department of Labor's Office of
20Apprenticeship.
21    "Organization" means a corporation, company, partnership,
22association, society, order, labor organization, or individual
23or aggregation of individuals.
 
24    Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
25Section 5.891 as follows:
 

 

 

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1    (30 ILCS 105/5.891 new)
2    Sec. 5.891. The Water Workforce Development Fund.".