HB4455ham001 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Carol Ammons

Filed: 2/23/2022

10200HB4455ham001 LRB102 23487 RJF 36616 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4455

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4455 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 605-1095 as follows:

(20 ILCS 605/605-1095 new)

Sec. 605-1095. Recovery Initiative to Support Employment (RISE) Grant Program.

(a) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall establish the Recovery Initiative to Support Employment (RISE) Grant Program.

(b) From funds appropriated, directly or indirectly, from moneys received by the State from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund under the American Rescue Plan Act, the Department shall allocate $250,000,000 as grants to: (i) businesses for the purpose of aiding in the employment of persons unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency; and (ii) nonprofit organizations acting as community navigators that serve the purpose of aiding underserved businesses, including businesses owned or operated by minority persons, veterans, and women, in gaining access to relief funds and resources related to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

(c) Eligible businesses shall receive grants in the amount of $5,000. To be eligible for a grant under this Section, a business must: (i) retrain and hire qualified employees; (ii) employ less than 50 employees; and (iii) create a net new job. Grants will be awarded in the order in which applications are received. A business shall be eligible for one grant provided under this Program. Once all applicants receive an initial grant, a business may apply for a second grant until the initial fund allocation is depleted.

(d) Eligible community navigators shall receive grants in amounts ranging from $100,000 to $2,000,000. To be eligible for grants under this Section, a community navigator must be a nonprofit organization that provides outreach to hard-to-reach or underserved businesses to raise awareness of opportunities for federal or State support related to the COVID-19 public health emergency, including, but not limited to, aiding such businesses with access to grants, financial planning, marketing outreach, and technical assistance. Grants will be awarded in the order in which applications are received. The number and scale of grants awarded will depend on the proposed scope of services provided by the community navigator in terms of geography and targeted business types.

(e) The Department shall adopt rules for the implementation of this Section.

(f) For purposes of this Section:

"Net new job" means a full-time equivalent employment position that causes the taxpayer's average employee head count in the State for the calendar year in which the taxable year begins to exceed its employee head count in the State on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly.

"Qualified employee" means a resident of the State who is hired by the taxpayer to fill a net new job and was unemployed as a result of mandated business closures caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency prior to the date he or she was hired by the taxpayer. "Qualified employee" includes, but is not limited to, a resident who was self-employed, but became unemployed because of COVID-19. "Qualified employee" does not include an employee who was furloughed by the taxpayer and reinstated during the taxable year.".