93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
SB3215

 

Introduced 2/6/2004, by Vince Demuzio

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 605/605-705   was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a

    Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning local tourism grants.


LRB093 19065 RCE 44800 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3215 LRB093 19065 RCE 44800 b

1     AN ACT concerning tourism.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
5 Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6 amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 605/605-705)  (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a)
8     Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention
9 bureaus.
10     (a) To establish a grant program for local tourism and
11 convention bureaus. The Department of Commerce and Economic
12 Opportunity will develop and implement a program for the use of
13 funds, as authorized under this Act, by local tourism and
14 convention bureaus. For the purposes of this Act, bureaus
15 eligible to receive funds are those local tourism and
16 convention bureaus that are (i) either units of local
17 government or incorporated as not-for-profit organizations;
18 (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years before July 1,
19 2001; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time staff whose sole
20 purpose is to promote tourism in the designated service area;
21 and (iv) affiliated with one or more municipalities or counties
22 that support the bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. After
23 July 1, 2001, bureaus requesting certification in order to
24 receive funds for the first time must be local tourism and
25 convention bureaus that are (i) either units of local
26 government or incorporated as not-for-profit organizations;
27 (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years before the
28 request for certification; (iii) operating with a paid,
29 full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in the
30 designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with multiple
31 municipalities or counties that support the bureau with local
32 hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau receiving funds under this Act

 

 

SB3215 - 2 - LRB093 19065 RCE 44800 b

1 will be certified by the Department as the designated recipient
2 to serve an area of the State. Notwithstanding the criteria set
3 forth in this subsection (a), or any rule adopted under this
4 subsection (a), the Director of the Department may provide for
5 the award of grant funds to one or more entities if in the
6 Department's judgment that action is necessary in order to
7 prevent a loss of funding critical to promoting tourism in a
8 designated geographic area of the State.
9     (b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention
10 bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund
11 for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the
12 Department for expenditure under this Section, one-third of
13 those monies shall be used for grants to convention and tourism
14 bureaus in cities with a population greater than 500,000. The
15 remaining two-thirds of the annual appropriation shall be used
16 for grants to convention and tourism bureaus in the remainder
17 of the State, in accordance with a formula based upon the
18 population served. The Department may reserve up to 10% of
19 total local tourism funds available for costs of administering
20 the program to conduct audits of grants, to provide incentive
21 funds to those bureaus that will conduct promotional activities
22 designed to further the Department's statewide advertising
23 campaign, to fund special statewide promotional activities,
24 and to fund promotional activities that support an increased
25 use of the State's parks or historic sites.
26 (Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 92-38, eff. 6-28-01; 92-524,
27 eff. 2-8-02; 93-25, eff. 6-20-03.)