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1    AN ACT concerning environmental justice.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Environmental Justice Act.
 
6    Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
7finds that:
8        (i) the principle of environmental justice requires
9    that no segment of the population, regardless of race,
10    national origin, age, or income, should bear
11    disproportionately high or adverse effects of
12    environmental pollution;
13        (ii) certain communities in the State may suffer
14    disproportionately from environmental hazards related to
15    facilities with permits approved by the State; and
16        (iii) these environmental hazards can cause long-term
17    health effects.
 
18    Section 10. Commission on Environmental Justice.
19    (a) The Commission on Environmental Justice is established
20and consists of the following 20 voting members:
21        (1) 2 members of the Senate, one appointed by the
22    President of the Senate and the other by the Minority

 

 

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1    Leader of the Senate, each to serve at the pleasure of the
2    appointing officer;
3        (2) 2 members of the House of Representatives, one
4    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
5    and the other by the Minority Leader of the House of
6    Representatives, each to serve at the pleasure of the
7    appointing officer;
8        (3) the following ex officio members: the Director of
9    Aging or his or her designee, the Director of Commerce and
10    Economic Opportunity or his or her designee, the Director
11    of the Environmental Protection Agency or his or her
12    designee, the Director of Natural Resources or his or her
13    designee, the Director of Public Health or his or her
14    designee, and the Director of Transportation or his or her
15    designee; and
16        (4) 10 members appointed by the Governor who represent
17    the following interests:
18            (i) affected communities concerned with
19        environmental justice;
20            (ii) business organizations;
21            (iii) environmental organizations;
22            (iv) experts on environmental health and
23        environmental justice;
24            (v) units of local government; and
25            (vi) members of the general public who have an
26        interest or expertise in environmental justice.

 

 

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1    (b) Of the initial members of the Commission appointed by
2the Governor, 5 shall serve for a 2-year term and 5 shall serve
3for a 1-year term, as designated by the Governor at the time of
4appointment. Thereafter, the members appointed by the Governor
5shall serve 2-year terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same
6manner as appointments. Members of the Commission appointed by
7the Governor may not receive compensation for their service on
8the Commission and are not entitled to reimbursement for
9expenses.
10    (c) The Governor shall designate a Chairperson from among
11the Commission's members. The Commission shall meet at the call
12of the Chairperson, but no later than 90 days after the
13effective date of this Act and at least quarterly thereafter.
14    (d) The Commission shall:
15        (1) advise State entities on environmental justice and
16    related community issues;
17        (2) review and analyze the impact of current State laws
18    and policies on the issue of environmental justice and
19    sustainable communities;
20        (3) assess the adequacy of State and local laws to
21    address the issue of environmental justice and sustainable
22    communities;
23        (4) develop criteria to assess whether communities in
24    the State may be experiencing environmental justice
25    issues; and
26        (5) recommend options to the Governor for addressing

 

 

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1    issues, concerns, or problems related to environmental
2    justice that surface after reviewing State laws and
3    policies, including prioritizing areas of the State that
4    need immediate attention.
5    (e) On or before October 1, 2011 and each October 1
6thereafter, the Commission shall report its findings and
7recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly.
8    (f) The Environmental Protection Agency shall provide
9administrative and other support to the Commission.
 
10    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11becoming law.