Public Act 0541 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2920 Enrolled LRB099 19775 MGM 44173 b

Public Act 099-0541

AN ACT concerning safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Environmental Justice Act is amended by changing Section 10 as follows:

(415 ILCS 155/10)

Sec. 10. Commission on Environmental Justice.

(a) The Commission on Environmental Justice is established and consists of the following 24 20 voting members:

(1) 2 members of the Senate, one appointed by the President of the Senate and the other by the Minority Leader of the Senate, each to serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer;

(2) 2 members of the House of Representatives, one appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the other by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, each to serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer;

(3) the following ex officio members: the Director of Aging or his or her designee, the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity or his or her designee, the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency or his or her designee, the Director of Natural Resources or his or her designee, the Director of Public Health or his or her designee, and the Secretary Director of Transportation or his or her designee, and a representative of the housing office of the Department of Human Services appointed by the Secretary of Human Services; and

(4) 14 10 members appointed by the Governor who represent the following interests:

(i) at least 4 members of affected communities concerned with environmental justice;

(ii) at least 2 members of business organizations including one member representing a statewide organization representing manufacturers and one member representing an organization representing the energy sector;

(iii) environmental organizations;

(iv) experts on environmental health and environmental justice;

(v) units of local government; and

(vi) members of the general public who have an interest or expertise in environmental justice; and .

(vii) at least 2 members of labor organizations including one member from a statewide labor federation representing more than one international union and one member from an organization representing workers in the energy sector.

(b) Of the initial members of the Commission appointed by the Governor, 5 shall serve for a 2-year term and 5 shall serve for a 1-year term, as designated by the Governor at the time of appointment. Thereafter, the members appointed by the Governor shall serve 2-year terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as appointments. Members of the Commission appointed by the Governor may not receive compensation for their service on the Commission and are not entitled to reimbursement for expenses.

(c) The Governor shall designate a Chairperson from among the Commission's members. The Commission shall meet at the call of the Chairperson, but no later than 90 days after the effective date of this Act and at least quarterly thereafter.

(d) The Commission shall:

(1) advise State entities on environmental justice and related community issues;

(2) review and analyze the impact of current State laws and policies on the issue of environmental justice and sustainable communities;

(3) assess the adequacy of State and local laws to address the issue of environmental justice and sustainable communities;

(4) develop criteria to assess whether communities in the State may be experiencing environmental justice issues; and

(5) recommend options to the Governor for addressing issues, concerns, or problems related to environmental justice that surface after reviewing State laws and policies, including prioritizing areas of the State that need immediate attention.

(e) On or before October 1, 2011 and each October 1 thereafter, the Commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly.

(f) The Environmental Protection Agency shall provide administrative and other support to the Commission.

(Source: P.A. 97-391, eff. 8-16-11.)