Public Act 095-0670
 
SB0627 Enrolled LRB095 09890 HLH 30101 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 Recreational Trails of Illinois Act is
amended by changing Section 15 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 862/15)
    Sec. 15. Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund.
    (a) The Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund is created as a
special fund in the State treasury. Money from federal, State,
and private sources may be deposited into the Fund. Fines
assessed by the Department of Natural Resources for citations
issued to off-highway vehicle operators shall be deposited into
the Fund. All interest accrued on the Fund shall be deposited
into the Fund.
    (b) All money in the Fund shall be used, subject to
appropriation, by the Department for the following purposes:
        (1) Grants for construction of off-highway vehicle
    recreational trails on county, municipal, other units of
    local government, or private lands where a recreational
    need for the construction is shown.
        (2) Grants for maintenance and construction of
    off-highway vehicle recreational trails on federal lands,
    where permitted by law.
        (3) Grants for development of off-highway vehicle
    trail-side facilities in accordance with criteria approved
    by the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee.
        (4) Grants for acquisition of property from willing
    sellers for off-highway vehicle recreational trails when
    the objective of a trail cannot be accomplished by other
    means.
        (5) Grants for development of urban off-highway
    vehicle trail linkages near homes and workplaces.
        (6) Grants for maintenance of existing off-highway
    vehicle recreational trails, including the grooming and
    maintenance of trails across snow.
        (7) Grants for restoration of areas damaged by usage of
    off-highway vehicle recreational trails and back country
    terrain.
        (8) Grants for provision of features that facilitate
    the access and use of off-highway vehicle trails by persons
    with disabilities.
        (9) Grants for acquisition of easements for
    off-highway vehicle trails or for trail corridors.
        (10) Grants for a rider education and safety program.
        (11) Administration, enforcement, planning, and
    implementation of this Act and Sections 11-1426 and 11-1427
    of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
    Of the money used from the Fund for the purposes set forth
in this subsection, at least 92% shall be allocated for
motorized recreation and not more than 8% shall be used by the
Department for administration, enforcement, planning, and
implementation of this Act or diverted from the Fund,
notwithstanding any other law to the contrary adopted after the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General
Assembly. The Department shall establish, by rule, measures to
verify that recipients of money from the Fund comply with the
specified conditions for the use of the money.
    (c) The Department may not use the money from the Fund for
the following purposes:
        (1) Condemnation of any kind of interest in property.
        (2) Construction of any recreational trail on National
    Forest System land for motorized uses unless those lands
    have been allocated for uses other than wilderness by an
    approved forest land and resource management plan or have
    been released to uses other than wilderness by an Act of
    Congress, and the construction is otherwise consistent
    with the management direction in the approved land and
    resource management plan.
        (3) Construction of motorized recreational trails on
    Department owned or managed land.
    (d) The Department shall establish a program to administer
grants from the Fund to units of local government,
not-for-profit organizations, and other groups to operate,
maintain, and acquire land for off-highway vehicle parks that
are open and accessible to the public.
(Source: P.A. 93-1050, eff. 11-16-04.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.