Public Act 101-0576
 
SB2146 EnrolledLRB101 10041 CPF 55143 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 913 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 605/913 new)
    Sec. 913. Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program.
    (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
        (1) The fresh surface water and groundwater supply in
    Illinois and Lake Michigan constitute vital natural
    resources that require careful stewardship and protection
    for future generations. Access to safe and clean drinking
    water is the right of all Illinois residents.
        (2) To adequately protect these resources and provide
    safe and clean drinking water, substantial investment is
    needed to replace lead components in drinking water
    infrastructure, improve wastewater treatment, flood
    control, and stormwater management, control aquatic
    invasive species, implement green infrastructure
    solutions, and implement other infrastructure solutions to
    protect water quality.
        (3) Implementing these clean water solutions will
    require a skilled and trained workforce, and new
    investments will demand additional workers with
    specialized skills.
        (4) Water infrastructure jobs have been shown to
    provide living wages and contribute to Illinois' economy.
        (5) Significant populations of Illinois residents,
    including, but not limited to, residents of environmental
    justice communities, economically and socially
    disadvantaged communities, those returning from the
    criminal justice system, foster care alumni, and in
    particular women and transgender persons, are in need of
    access to skilled living wage jobs like those in the water
    infrastructure sector.
        (6) Many of these residents are more likely to live in
    communities with aging and inadequate clean water
    infrastructure and suffer from threats to surface and
    drinking water quality.
        (7) The State can provide significant economic
    opportunities to these residents and achieve greater
    environmental and public health by investing in clean water
    infrastructure.
        (8) New training, recruitment, support, and placement
    efforts are needed to connect these residents with career
    opportunities in water infrastructure.
        (9) The State must invest in both clean water
    infrastructure and workforce development efforts in order
    to achieve these goals.
    (b) From appropriations made from the Build Illinois Bond
Fund, Capital Development Fund, or General Revenue Fund or
other funds as identified by the Department, the Department
shall create a Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program to
provide grants and other financial assistance to prepare and
support individuals for careers in water infrastructure. All
funding provided by the Program under this Section shall be
designed to encourage and facilitate employment in projects
funded through State capital investment and provide
participants a skill set to allow them to work professionally
in fields related to water infrastructure.
    Grants and other financial assistance may be made available
on a competitive annual basis to organizations that demonstrate
a capacity to recruit, support, train, and place individuals in
water infrastructure careers, including, but not limited to,
community organizations, educational institutions, workforce
investment boards, community action agencies, and multi-craft
labor organizations for new efforts specifically focused on
engaging residents of environmental justice communities,
economically and socially disadvantaged communities, those
returning from the criminal justice system, foster care alumni,
and in particular women and transgender persons in these
populations.
    Grants and other financial assistance shall be awarded on a
competitive and annual basis for the following activities:
        (1) identification of individuals for job training in
    the water sector;
        (2) counseling, preparation, skills training, and
    other support to increase a candidate's likelihood of
    success in a job training program and career;
        (3) financial support for individuals in a water sector
    job skills training program, support services, and
    transportation assistance tied to training under this
    Section;
        (4) job placement services for individuals during and
    after completion of water sector job skills training
    programs; and
        (5) financial, administrative, and management
    assistance for organizations engaged in these activities.
    (c) It shall be an annual goal of the Program to train and
place at least 300, or 25% of the number of annual jobs created
by State financed water infrastructure projects, whichever is
greater, of the following persons in water sector-related
apprenticeships annually: residents of environmental justice
communities; residents of economically and socially
disadvantaged communities; those returning from the criminal
justice system; foster care alumni; and, in particular, women
and transgender persons. In awarding and administering grants
under this Program, the Department shall strive to provide
assistance equitably throughout the State.
    In order to encourage the employment of individuals trained
through the Program onto projects receiving State financial
assistance, the Department shall coordinate with the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Finance
Authority, and other State agencies that provide financial
support for water infrastructure projects. These agencies
shall take steps to support attaining the training and
placement goals set forth in this subsection, using a list of
projects that receive State financial support. These agencies
may propose and adopt rules to facilitate the attainment of
this goal.
    Using funds appropriated for the purposes of this Section,
the Department may select through a competitive bidding process
a Program Administrator to oversee the allocation of funds and
select organizations that receive funding.
    Recipients of grants under the Program shall report
annually to the Department on the success of their efforts and
their contribution to reaching the goals of the Program
provided in this subsection. The Department shall compile this
information and annually report to the General Assembly on the
Program, including, but not limited to, the following
information:
        (1) progress toward the goals stated in this
    subsection;
        (2) any increase in the percentage of water industry
    jobs in targeted populations;
        (3) any increase in the rate of acceptance, completion,
    or retention of water training programs among targeted
    populations;
        (4) any increase in the rate of employment, including
    hours and annual income, measured against pre-Program
    participant income; and
        (5) any recommendations for future changes to optimize
    the success of the Program.
    (d) Within 90 days after the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Department
shall propose a draft plan to implement this Section for public
comment. The Department shall allow a minimum of 60 days for
public comment on the plan, including one or more public
hearings, if requested. The Department shall finalize the plan
within 180 days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of
the 101st General Assembly.
    The Department may propose and adopt any rules necessary
for the implementation of the Program and to ensure compliance
with this Section.
    (e) The Water Workforce Development Fund is created as a
special fund in the State treasury. The Fund shall receive
moneys appropriated for the purpose of this Section from the
Build Illinois Bond Fund, the Capital Development Fund, the
General Revenue Fund and any other funds. Moneys in the Fund
shall only be used to fund the Program and to assist and enable
implementation of clean water infrastructure capital
investments. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the
Water Workforce Development Fund is not subject to sweeps,
administrative charge-backs, or any other fiscal or budgetary
maneuver that would in any way transfer any amounts from the
Water Workforce Development Fund into any other fund of the
State.
    (f) For purpose of this Section:
    "Environmental justice community" has the meaning provided
in subsection (b) of Section 1-50 of the Illinois Power Agency
Act.
    "Multi-craft labor organization" means a joint
labor-management apprenticeship program registered with and
approved by the United States Department of Labor's Office of
Apprenticeship or a labor organization that has an accredited
training program through the Higher Learning Commission or the
Illinois Community College Board.
    "Organization" means a corporation, company, partnership,
association, society, order, labor organization, or individual
or aggregation of individuals.
 
    Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.891 as follows:
 
    (30 ILCS 105/5.891 new)
    Sec. 5.891. The Water Workforce Development Fund.