101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB3182

 

Introduced 2/11/2020, by Sen. Pat McGuire

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
30 ILCS 705/2  from Ch. 127, par. 2302
705 ILCS 95/15

    Amends the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Provides that "grantor agency" includes the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation when it makes grants under the Access to Justice Act or the Illinois Equal Justice Act. Amends the Access to Justice Act. Provides that grants or distributions made under the Act by (rather than to) the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation are subject to the requirements of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB3182LRB101 17335 LNS 66740 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act is amended
5by changing Section 2 as follows:
 
6    (30 ILCS 705/2)  (from Ch. 127, par. 2302)
7    Sec. 2. Definitions. The following terms when used in this
8Act shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section:
9    (a) "Grantor agency" is any agency of State government
10which dispenses grant funds. "Grantor agency" includes the
11Illinois Equal Justice Foundation when it makes grants under
12Section 15 of the Access to Justice Act or Section 20 of the
13Illinois Equal Justice Act.
14    (b) "Grant funds" are any public funds dispensed by a
15grantor agency to any person or entity for obligation,
16expenditure, or use by that person or entity for a specific
17purpose or purposes. Funds disbursed by the State Comptroller
18pursuant to an appropriation made by the General Assembly to a
19named entity or person are not grant funds for purposes of this
20Act. Funds disbursed in accordance with a fee for service
21purchase of care contract are not grant funds for purposes of
22this Act.
23    Neither the method by which funds are dispensed whether by

 

 

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1contract, agreement, grant subsidy, letter of credit, or any
2other method nor the purpose for which the funds are used can
3change the character of funds which otherwise would be
4considered grant funds as defined in this Section.
5    (c) "Grantee" means the person or entity which may use
6grant funds.
7    (d) "Institution of higher education" means any
8institution which is authorized to grant degrees within the
9State of Illinois.
10(Source: P.A. 86-602.)
 
11    Section 10. The Access to Justice Act is amended by
12changing Section 15 as follows:
 
13    (705 ILCS 95/15)
14    Sec. 15. Access to Justice Fund.
15    (a) The Access to Justice Fund is created as a special fund
16in the State treasury. Moneys in the Access to Justice Fund
17shall be appropriated to the Attorney General for disbursements
18to the Foundation. The Foundation shall use the moneys to make
19grants and distributions for the administration of the pilot
20programs created under this Act. Grants or distributions made
21under this Act by to the Foundation are subject to the
22requirements of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act.
23    (b) In accordance with the requirements of the Illinois
24Equal Justice Act, the Foundation may make grants, enter into

 

 

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1contracts, and take other actions recommended by the Council to
2effectuate the pilot programs and comply with the other
3requirements of this Act.
4    (c) The governing board of the Foundation must prepare and
5submit an annual report to the Governor, the President of the
6Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the
7House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of
8Representatives, and the Justices of the Illinois Supreme
9Court. The report must include: (i) a statement of the total
10receipts and a breakdown by source during each of the previous
112 calendar years; (ii) a list of the names and addresses of the
12recipients that are currently receiving grants or
13distributions and that received grants or distributions in the
14previous year and the amounts committed to recipients for the
15current year and paid in the previous year; (iii) a breakdown
16of the amounts of grants or distributions paid during the
17previous year to recipients and the amounts committed to each
18recipient for the current year; (iv) a breakdown of the
19Foundation's costs in administering the Fund; (v) a statement
20of the Fund balance at the start and at the close of the
21previous year and the interest earned during the previous year;
22and (vi) any notices the Foundation issued denying applications
23for grants or distributions under this Act. The report, in its
24entirety, is a public record, and the Foundation and the
25Governor shall make the report available for inspection upon
26request.

 

 

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1    (d) The Foundation may annually retain a portion of the
2disbursements it receives under this Section to reimburse the
3Foundation for the actual cost of administering the Council and
4for making the grants and distributions pursuant to this Act
5during that year.
6    (e) No moneys distributed by the Foundation from the Access
7to Justice Fund may be directly or indirectly used for lobbying
8activities, as defined in Section 2 of the Lobbyist
9Registration Act or as defined in any ordinance or resolution
10of a municipality, county, or other unit of local government in
11Illinois.
12    (f) The Foundation may make, enter into, and execute
13contracts, agreements, leases, and other instruments with any
14person, including without limitation any federal, State, or
15local governmental agency, and may take other actions that may
16be necessary or convenient to accomplish any purpose authorized
17by this Act.
18    (g) The Foundation has the authority to receive and accept
19any and all grants, loans, subsidies, matching funds,
20reimbursements, federal grant moneys, fees for services, and
21other things of value from the federal or State government or
22any agency of any other state or from any institution, person,
23firm, or corporation, public or private, to be used to carry
24out the purposes of this Act.
25(Source: P.A. 99-281, eff. 8-5-15; 100-987, eff. 7-1-19.)
 
26    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon

 

 

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1becoming law.