State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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90_SB1381

      35 ILCS 5/211 new
      305 ILCS 5/9A-14 new
          Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act  and  the  Public  Aid
      Code  to  administer  an  Employment  Opportunity Certificate
      Program under which TANF (formerly AFDC) recipients are given
      opportunity certificate vouchers of  $1,500  to  be  used  to
      negotiate  for  employment  opportunities  in  a  child  care
      facility licensed under the Child Care Act of 1969.  Provides
      an income tax credit of up to $1,500 per employee hired under
      the  Program  for  the business licensed under the Child Care
      Act of 1969.  Applicable to tax  years  ending  on  or  after
      December 31, 1998.  Sunsets the credit after 5 years.
                                                     LRB9008906KDks
                                               LRB9008906KDks
 1        AN  ACT  in  relation  to public aid recipients, amending
 2    named Acts.
 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section  5.   The  Illinois  Income Tax Act is amended by
 6    adding Section 211 as follows:
 7        (35 ILCS 5/211 new)
 8        Sec.  211.  Tax  credit   for   child   care   facilities
 9    participating in the employment opportunity certificate pilot
10    program.
11        (a)  Beginning  with  taxable  years  ending  on or after
12    December 31, 1998 and ending with taxable years ending on  or
13    before  December  31, 2002, each child care facility licensed
14    under the Child Care Act of 1969  that  participates  in  the
15    employment  opportunity certificate pilot program established
16    under Section 9A-14  of  the  Illinois  Public  Aid  Code  is
17    entitled   to   a   credit  against  the  tax  imposed  under
18    subsections (a) and (b) of Section 201 in an amount equal  to
19    $1,500 per employee hired under the program per year in which
20    the credit is claimed.
21        (b)  If  the  amount  of credit exceeds the tax liability
22    for the year, the excess may be carried forward  and  applied
23    to  the  tax  liability for the 2 taxable years following the
24    excess credit year.  The  credit  shall  be  applied  to  the
25    earliest  year  for which there is a tax liability.  If there
26    are credits from more than one tax year that are available to
27    offset a liability,  the  earlier  credit  shall  be  applied
28    first.
29        Section  10.   The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
30    adding Section 9A-14 as follows:
                            -2-                LRB9008906KDks
 1        (305 ILCS 5/9A-14 new)
 2        Sec. 9A-14.  Employment opportunity  certificates;  pilot
 3    program.
 4        (a)  The    Illinois    Department    may,   subject   to
 5    appropriations  for  that  purpose,  conduct  an   employment
 6    opportunity  certificate  pilot  program  as provided in this
 7    Section.  The Illinois Department  may  implement  the  pilot
 8    program  in  2  locations  to  be  designated by the Illinois
 9    Department: (i) an administrative district  in  the  City  of
10    Chicago and (ii) a downstate county.
11        (b)  For   purposes   of   this   Section,   "opportunity
12    certificate"  means  a  voucher  of  $1,500  to  be used by a
13    recipient of aid under Article IV of this Code  to  negotiate
14    for   employment  opportunities  in  a  child  care  facility
15    licensed under the Child Care Act of 1969.
16        (c)  Under a pilot program conducted under this  Section,
17    except  as otherwise provided in this Section, recipients who
18    are unemployed, or employed for less than  the  full  working
19    time  for  the  occupation  in  which  they  are engaged, and
20    dependent members of the family age 16 or over who are not in
21    regular attendance in school shall be required to  obtain  an
22    employment opportunity certificate to use in negotiating with
23    potential  employers  in return for obtaining employment in a
24    child care facility licensed under  the  Child  Care  Act  of
25    1969.    The  following  recipients  are  excluded  from  the
26    requirement of the preceding sentence  and  are  exempt  from
27    mandatory   participation   in   the  employment  opportunity
28    certificate program established under this Section:
29             (1)  Disabled persons  who  meet  the  criteria  for
30        coverage  under  the  federal Americans with Disabilities
31        Act (Public Law 101-336) and are assessed as lacking  the
32        capacity  to  engage in full-time or part-time subsidized
33        employment.
34             (2)  A full-time caretaker of a  disabled  dependent
                            -3-                LRB9008906KDks
 1        child or disabled adult.
 2             (3)  A  caretaker  of a child in the assistance unit
 3        who is one year of age or less.
 4        (d)  An employer participating in the program shall enter
 5    into a written contract, signed and subscribed to under oath,
 6    with  the  Illinois  Department  containing   the   following
 7    assurances:
 8             (1)  The child care facility has submitted a plan to
 9        the  Illinois  Department  (i)  describing  the  proposed
10        compensation  and  duties  of  employees  hired under the
11        opportunity   certificate   pilot   program   and    (ii)
12        demonstrating  that  with  the  tax credit provided under
13        Section 211 of the Illinois Income Tax Act the child care
14        facility is likely to succeed and continue to employ  the
15        persons hired under the program.
16             (2)  The child care facility must use the tax credit
17        exclusively  for  compensation  and  fringe  benefits  of
18        eligible job applicants.
19             (3)  The  tax credit is necessary to allow the child
20        care facility to employ additional people but not to fill
21        positions that would be filled even in the absence of the
22        tax credit.
23             (4)  The child care facility is in  compliance  with
24        all  applicable  affirmative  action, fair labor, health,
25        safety, and environmental standards.
26        (e)  An employer may not terminate, lay  off,  or  reduce
27    the working hours of an employee for the purpose of hiring an
28    individual under this program.
29        (f)  An  employer  participating  in  this  program shall
30    receive a tax credit in accordance with Section  211  of  the
31    Illinois Income Tax Act.
32        (g)  An  employer may receive the tax credit specified in
33    Section 211 of the Illinois Income Tax Act for each  employee
34    hired  under the program for 5 years or until the employee is
                            -4-                LRB9008906KDks
 1    terminated,  whichever  occurs  first.   In   order   for   a
 2    participant  in  this program to continue eligibility for aid
 3    under Article IV of this  Code  during  the  6  months  after
 4    employment  under  this  Section  has  been  terminated,  the
 5    participant  must  provide  proof  to the Illinois Department
 6    that he or she is actively seeking  other  employment  or  is
 7    enrolled in an approved job training or educational activity.
 8    The  Illinois  Department  shall  make  job  training and job
 9    search services available to a participant  in  this  program
10    for  a  period  of  one  year after termination of employment
11    under this program.

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