(d) The office shall publish a directory of State business permits and State
programs to assist small businesses.
(e) The office shall attempt to establish
agreements with local governments to
allow the office to provide assistance to applicants for permits required by
these local governments.
(f) Interested
State agencies shall, to the maximum extent feasible, establish procedures to
expedite applications for infrastructure projects. Applications for permits
for infrastructure projects shall be approved or disapproved within 45 days of
submission, unless law or regulations specify a different period. If the
interested agency is unable to act within that period, the agency shall provide
a written notification to the office specifying reasons for its inability to
act and the date by which approval or disapproval shall be determined. The
office may require any interested State agency to designate an employee who
will coordinate the handling of permits in that area.
(g) In addition to its responsibilities in connection with permit
assistance, the office shall provide general regulatory information by
directing businesses to appropriate officers in State agencies to supply the
information requested.
(h) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply to training
programs available to train current employees in particular skills, techniques
or areas of knowledge relevant to the employees' present or anticipated job
duties. In pursuit of this objective, the office shall provide businesses with
pertinent information about training programs offered by State agencies, units
of local government, public universities and colleges, community colleges, and
school districts in Illinois.
(i) The office shall help businesses to locate and apply to State programs
offering to businesses grants, loans, loan or bond guarantees, investment
partnerships, technology or productivity consultation, or other forms of
business assistance.
(j) To the extent authorized by federal law, the office shall assist
businesses in ascertaining and complying with the requirements of the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act.
(k) The office shall provide confidential on-site assistance in identifying
problems and solutions in compliance with requirements of State and federal
environmental regulations. The office shall work through and contract with the Illinois Sustainable Technology
Center to provide confidential on-site
consultation audits that (i) assist regulatory compliance and (ii) identify
pollution prevention opportunities.
(k-5) Until July 1, 2012, the office shall provide confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited to, consultation audits, to identify
problems and solutions regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. On and after July 1, 2012, the Department of Labor shall provide confidential on-site assistance, including, but not limited to, consultation audits, to identify
problems and solutions regarding compliance with the requirements of the federal
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
(l) The office shall provide information on existing loan and business
assistance programs provided by the State.
(m) Each State agency having jurisdiction to approve or deny a permit shall
have the continuing power heretofore or hereafter vested in it to make such
determinations. The provisions of this Act shall not lessen or reduce such
powers and shall modify the procedures followed in carrying out such powers
only to the extent provided in this Act.
(n) (1) Each State agency shall fully cooperate with the office in
providing information, documentation, personnel or facilities requested by the
office.
(2) Each State agency having jurisdiction of any permit to which the
master application procedure is applicable shall designate an employee to act
as permit liaison office with the office in carrying out the provisions of this
Act.
(o) (1) The office has authority, but is not required, to keep and analyze
appropriate statistical data regarding the number of permits issued by State
agencies, the amount of time necessary for the permits to be issued, the cost
of obtaining such permits, the types of projects for which specific permits are
issued, a geographic distribution of permits, and other pertinent data the
office deems appropriate.
The office shall make such data and any analysis of the data available to
the public.
(2) The office has authority, but is not required, to conduct or cause to be
conducted a thorough review of any agency's permit requirements and the need
by the State to require such permits. The office shall draw on the review, on
its direct experience, and on its statistical analyses to prepare
recommendations regarding how to:
(i) eliminate unnecessary or antiquated permit
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The office shall submit copies of all recommendations within 5 days of
issuance to the affected agency, the Governor, the General Assembly, and the
Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
(p) The office has authority to review State forms on its own initiative or
upon the request of another State agency to ascertain the burden, if any, of
complying with those forms. If the office determines that a form is unduly
burdensome to business, it may recommend to the agency issuing the form either
that the form be eliminated or that specific changes be made in the form.
(q) Not later than March 1 of each year, beginning March 1, 1995, the office
shall submit an annual
report of its activities during the preceding year to the Governor and General
Assembly. The report shall describe the activities of the office during the
preceding year and shall contain statistical information on the permit
assistance activities of the office.
(Source: P.A. 97-787, eff. 7-13-12; 98-346, eff. 8-14-13.)
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