Full Text of HB0665 102nd General Assembly
HB0665enr 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning State government.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic | 5 | | Opportunity Law of the
Civil Administrative Code of Illinois | 6 | | is amended by adding Section 605-503 as follows: | 7 | | (20 ILCS 605/605-503 new) | 8 | | Sec. 605-503. Entrepreneurship assistance centers. | 9 | | (a) The Department shall establish and support, subject to | 10 | | appropriation, entrepreneurship assistance centers, including | 11 | | the issuance of grants, at career education agencies and | 12 | | not-for-profit corporations including, but not limited to, | 13 | | local development corporations, chambers of commerce, | 14 | | community-based business outreach centers, and other | 15 | | community-based organizations. The purpose of the centers | 16 | | shall be to train minority group members, women, individuals | 17 | | with a disability, dislocated workers, and veterans in the | 18 | | principles and practice of entrepreneurship in order to | 19 | | prepare those persons to pursue self-employment opportunities | 20 | | and to pursue a minority business enterprise or a women-owned | 21 | | business enterprise. The centers shall provide for training in | 22 | | all aspects of business development and small business | 23 | | management as defined by the Department. |
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| 1 | | (b) The Department shall establish criteria for selection | 2 | | and designation of the centers which shall include, but not be | 3 | | limited to: | 4 | | (1) the level of support for the center from local | 5 | | post-secondary education institutions, businesses, and | 6 | | government; | 7 | | (2) the level of financial assistance provided at the | 8 | | local and federal level to support the operations of the | 9 | | center; | 10 | | (3) the applicant's understanding of program goals and | 11 | | objectives articulated by the Department; | 12 | | (4) the plans of the center to supplement State and | 13 | | local funding through fees for services which may be based | 14 | | on a sliding scale based on ability to pay; | 15 | | (5) the need for and anticipated impact of the center | 16 | | on the community in which it will function; | 17 | | (6) the quality of the proposed work plan and staff of | 18 | | the center; and | 19 | | (7) the extent of economic distress in the area to be | 20 | | served. | 21 | | (c) Each center shall: | 22 | | (1) be operated by a board of directors representing | 23 | | community leaders in business, education, finance and | 24 | | government; | 25 | | (2) be incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation; | 26 | | (3) be located in an area accessible to eligible |
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| 1 | | clients; | 2 | | (4) establish an advisory group of community business | 3 | | experts, at least one-half of whom shall be representative | 4 | | of the clientele to be served by the center, which shall | 5 | | constitute a support network to provide counseling and | 6 | | mentoring services to minority group members, women, | 7 | | individuals with a disability, dislocated workers, and | 8 | | veterans from the concept stage of development through the | 9 | | first one to 2 years of existence on a regular basis and as | 10 | | needed thereafter; and | 11 | | (5) establish a referral system and linkages to | 12 | | existing area small business assistance programs and | 13 | | financing sources. | 14 | | (d) Each entrepreneurship assistance center shall provide | 15 | | needed services to eligible clients, including, but not | 16 | | limited to: (i) orientation and screening of prospective | 17 | | entrepreneurs; (ii) analysis of business concepts and | 18 | | technical feasibility; (iii) market analysis; (iv) management | 19 | | analysis and counseling; (v) business planning and financial | 20 | | planning assistance; (vi) referrals to financial resources; | 21 | | (vii) referrals to existing educational programs for training | 22 | | in such areas as marketing, accounting, and other training | 23 | | programs as may be necessary and available; and (viii) | 24 | | referrals to business incubator facilities, when appropriate, | 25 | | for the purpose of entering into agreements to access shared | 26 | | support services. |
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| 1 | | (e) Applications for grants made under this Section shall | 2 | | be made in the manner and on forms prescribed by the | 3 | | Department. The application shall include, but shall not be | 4 | | limited to: | 5 | | (1) a description of the training programs available | 6 | | within the geographic area to be served by the center to | 7 | | which eligible clients may be referred; | 8 | | (2) designation of a program director; | 9 | | (3) plans for providing ongoing technical assistance | 10 | | to program graduates, including linkages with providers of | 11 | | other entrepreneurial assistance programs and with | 12 | | providers of small business technical assistance and | 13 | | services; | 14 | | (4) a program budget, including matching funds, | 15 | | in-kind and otherwise, to be provided by the applicant; | 16 | | and | 17 | | (5) any other requirements as deemed necessary by the | 18 | | Department. | 19 | | (f) Grants made under this Section shall be disbursed for | 20 | | payment of the cost of services and expenses of the program | 21 | | director, the instructors of the participating career | 22 | | education agency or not-for-profit corporation, the faculty | 23 | | and support personnel thereof, and any other person in the | 24 | | service of providing instruction and counseling in furtherance | 25 | | of the program. | 26 | | (g) The Department shall monitor the performance of each |
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| 1 | | entrepreneurial assistance center and require quarterly | 2 | | reports from each center at such time and in such a manner as | 3 | | prescribed by the Department. | 4 | | The Department shall also evaluate the entrepreneurial | 5 | | assistance centers established under this Section and report | 6 | | annually beginning on January 1, 2023, and on or before | 7 | | January 1 of each year thereafter, the results of the | 8 | | evaluation to the Governor and the General Assembly. The | 9 | | report shall discuss the extent to which the centers serve | 10 | | minority group members, women, individuals with a disability, | 11 | | dislocated workers, and veterans; the extent to which the | 12 | | training program is coordinated with other assistance programs | 13 | | targeted to small and new businesses; the ability of the | 14 | | program to leverage other sources of funding and support; and | 15 | | the success of the program in aiding entrepreneurs to start up | 16 | | new businesses, including the number of new business start-ups | 17 | | resulting from the program. The report shall recommend changes | 18 | | and improvements in the training program and in the quality of | 19 | | supplemental technical assistance offered to graduates of the | 20 | | training programs. The report shall be made available to the | 21 | | public on the Department's website. Between evaluation due | 22 | | dates, the Department shall maintain the necessary records and | 23 | | data required to satisfy the evaluation requirements. | 24 | | (h) For purposes of this Section: | 25 | | "Entrepreneurship assistance center" or "center" means the | 26 | | business development centers or programs which provide |
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| 1 | | assistance to primarily minority group members, women, | 2 | | individuals with a disability, dislocated workers and veterans | 3 | | under this Section. | 4 | | "Disability" means, with respect to an individual: (i) a | 5 | | physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or | 6 | | more of the major life activities of an individual; (ii) a | 7 | | record of such an impairment; or (iii) being regarded as | 8 | | having an impairment. | 9 | | "Minority business enterprise" has the same meaning as | 10 | | provided for "minority-owned business" under Section 2 of the | 11 | | Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with | 12 | | Disabilities Act. | 13 | | "Minority group member" has the same meaning as provided | 14 | | for "minority person" under Section 2 of the Business | 15 | | Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with | 16 | | Disabilities Act. | 17 | | "Women-owned business enterprise" has the same meaning as | 18 | | provided for "women-owned business" under Section 2 of the | 19 | | Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with | 20 | | Disabilities Act. | 21 | | "Veteran" means a person who served in and who has | 22 | | received an honorable or general discharge from, the United | 23 | | States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or | 24 | | reserves thereof, or who served in the Army National Guard, | 25 | | Air National Guard, or Illinois National Guard.
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