102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB4147

 

Introduced 10/19/2021, by Rep. Daniel Didech - Rita Mayfield

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
525 ILCS 15/6b

    Amends the Illinois Forestry Development Act. With regard to the membership of the Illinois Forestry Development Council, provides that 4 members representing the leaders of the General Assembly (rather than 4 members of the General Assembly) shall be appointed to the Council. Effective immediately.


LRB102 20194 CMG 29046 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4147LRB102 20194 CMG 29046 b

1    AN ACT concerning conservation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Forestry Development Act is
5amended by changing Section 6b as follows:
 
6    (525 ILCS 15/6b)
7    Sec. 6b. Illinois Forestry Development Council.
8    (a) The Illinois Forestry Development Council is created
9by this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly.
10    (b) The Council shall consist of 29 members appointed as
11follows:
12        (1) four members representing the leaders of the
13    General Assembly, one appointed by the President of the
14    Senate, one appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, one
15    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
16    and one appointed by the House Minority Leader;
17        (2) one member appointed by the Governor to represent
18    the Governor;
19        (3) the Directors of the Departments of Natural
20    Resources, Agriculture, and Commerce and Economic
21    Opportunity, the Executive Director of the Illinois
22    Finance Authority, and the Director of the Office of Rural
23    Affairs, or their designees;

 

 

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1        (4) the chair of the Department of Forestry or a
2    forestry academician, appointed by the Dean of
3    Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University at
4    Carbondale;
5        (5) the head of the Department of Natural Resources
6    and Environmental Sciences or a forestry academician,
7    appointed by the Dean of Agricultural Consumer and
8    Environmental Sciences of the University of Illinois at
9    Urbana-Champaign;
10        (6) two members, appointed by the Governor, who shall
11    be private timber growers;
12        (7) one member, appointed by the president of a
13    statewide association involved in promoting wood products,
14    who shall be involved in primary forest industry;
15        (8) one member, appointed by the president of a
16    statewide association involved in promoting wood products,
17    who shall be involved in secondary forest industry;
18        (9) one member who is actively involved in
19    environmental issues, appointed by the Governor;
20        (10) the president of a statewide association involved
21    in promoting soil and water conservation;
22        (11) two persons who are actively engaged in farming,
23    appointed by the Governor;
24        (12) one member, appointed by the Governor, whose
25    primary area of expertise is urban forestry;
26        (13) one member appointed by the president of a

 

 

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1    statewide organization of arborists;
2        (14) the Supervisor of the Shawnee National Forest and
3    the United States Department of Agriculture Natural
4    Resource Conservation Service's State Conservationist, ex
5    officio, or their designees;
6        (15) the president of a statewide association involved
7    in promoting Illinois forestry;
8        (16) the president of a statewide association involved
9    in promoting Illinois walnut trees;
10        (17) the chair of a statewide association involved in
11    promoting Illinois tree farms;
12        (18) the president of a statewide association of
13    American foresters; and
14        (19) the president of a statewide association
15    promoting Illinois wildlife.
16    (c) Members of the Council shall serve without
17compensation but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses
18incurred in the performance of their duties which are not
19otherwise reimbursed.
20    (d) The Council shall select from its membership a
21chairperson and such other officers as it considers necessary.
22Appointees to the Council shall serve for an initial term of 2
23years and may be reappointed for one additional term.
24    (e) Other individuals, agencies and organizations may be
25invited to participate as deemed advisable by the Council.
26    (f) The Council shall study and evaluate the forest

 

 

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1resources and forest industry of Illinois. The Council shall:
2        (1) determine the magnitude, nature and extent of the
3    State's forest resources;
4        (2) determine current uses and project future demand
5    for forest products, services and benefits in Illinois;
6        (3) determine and evaluate the ownership
7    characteristics of the State's forests, the motives for
8    forest ownership and the success of incentives necessary
9    to stimulate development of forest resources;
10        (4) determine the economic development and management
11    opportunities that could result from improvements in local
12    and regional forest product marketing and from the
13    establishment of new or additional wood-related businesses
14    in Illinois;
15        (5) confer with and offer assistance to the Illinois
16    Finance Authority relating to its implementation of forest
17    industry assistance programs authorized by the Illinois
18    Finance Authority Act;
19        (6) determine the opportunities for increasing
20    employment and economic growth through development of
21    forest resources;
22        (7) determine the effect of current governmental
23    policies and regulations on the management of woodlands
24    and the location of wood products markets;
25        (8) determine the staffing and funding needs for
26    forest and other conservation programs to support and

 

 

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1    enhance forest resources development;
2        (9) determine the needs of forest education programs
3    in this State;
4        (10) confer with and offer assistance to the
5    Department of Natural Resources relating to the
6    implementation of urban forest assistance grants pursuant
7    to the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Act; and
8        (11) determine soil and water conservation benefits
9    and wildlife habitat enhancement opportunities that can be
10    promoted through approved forest management plans.
11    (g) The Council shall report (i) its findings and
12recommendations for future State action and (ii) its
13evaluation of Urban/Community Forestry Assistance Grants to
14the General Assembly no later than July 1 of each year.
15(Source: P.A. 96-217, eff. 8-10-09; 96-545, eff. 8-17-09.)
 
16    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
17becoming law.