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92_HB3017enr HB3017 Enrolled LRB9200724MWpk 1 AN ACT concerning tourism. 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 Community 5 Affairs Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is 6 amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows: 7 (20 ILCS 605/605-705) (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a) 8 Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention 9 bureaus. 10 (a) To establish a grant program for local tourism and 11 convention bureaus. The Department will develop and 12 implement a program for the use of funds, as authorized under 13 this Act, by local tourism and convention bureaus. For the 14 purposes of this Act, bureaus eligible to receive funds are 15 those local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) 16 either units of local government or incorporated as 17 not-for-profit organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a 18 minimum of 2 years before July 1, 2001; (iii) operating with 19 a paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote 20 tourism in the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated 21 with one or more municipalities or counties that support the 22 bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. After July 1, 2001, 23 bureaus requesting certification in order to receive funds 24 for the first time must be local tourism and convention 25 bureaus that are (i) either units of local government or 26 incorporated as not-for-profit organizations; (ii) in legal 27 existence for a minimum of 2 years before the request for 28 certification; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time staff 29 whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in the designated 30 service area; and (iv) affiliated with multiple 31 municipalities or counties that support the bureau with local HB3017 Enrolled -2- LRB9200724MWpk 1 hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau receiving funds under this Act 2 will be certified by the Department as the designated 3 recipient to serve an area of the State. Notwithstanding the 4 criteria set forth in this subsection (a), or any rule 5 adopted under this subsection (a), the Director of the 6 Department may provide for the award of grant funds to one or 7 more entities if in the Department's judgment that action is 8 necessary in order to prevent a loss of funding critical to 9 promoting tourism in a designated geographic area of the 10 State. 11 (b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention 12 bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund 13 for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to 14 the Department for expenditure under this Section, one-third 15 of those monies shall be used for grants to convention and 16 tourism bureaus in cities with a population greater than 17 500,000. The remaining two-thirds of the annual 18 appropriation shall be used for grants to convention and 19 tourism bureaus in the remainder of the State, in accordance 20 with a formula based upon the population served. The 21 Department may reserve up to 10% of the total appropriated to 22 conduct audits of grants, to provide incentive funds to those 23 bureaus that will conduct promotional activities designed to 24 further the Department's statewide advertising campaign, to 25 fund special statewide promotional activities, and to fund 26 promotional activities that support an increased use of the 27 State's parks or historic sites. 28 (Source: P.A. 91-239, eff. 1-1-00; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 29 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 92-38, eff. 6-28-01.) 30 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 31 becoming law.