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| 1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 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 605-300 as follows:
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| 7 | (20 ILCS 605/605-300) (was 20 ILCS 605/46.2)
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| 8 | Sec. 605-300. Economic and business development plans; | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois Business Development Council. | ||||||
| 10 | (a) Economic development plans. The Department shall | ||||||
| 11 | develop a strategic economic development plan for the State by | ||||||
| 12 | July 1, 2014. By no later than July 1, 2015, and by July 1 | ||||||
| 13 | annually thereafter, the Department shall make modifications | ||||||
| 14 | to the plan as modifications are warranted by changes in | ||||||
| 15 | economic conditions or by other factors, including changes in | ||||||
| 16 | policy. In addition to the annual modification, the plan shall | ||||||
| 17 | be reviewed and redeveloped in full every 5 years. In the | ||||||
| 18 | development of the annual economic development plan, the | ||||||
| 19 | Department shall consult with representatives of the private | ||||||
| 20 | sector, other State agencies, academic institutions, local | ||||||
| 21 | economic development organizations, local governments, and | ||||||
| 22 | not-for-profit organizations. The annual economic development | ||||||
| 23 | plan shall set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and | ||||||
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| 1 | time-sensitive goals and shall include a focus on areas of high | ||||||
| 2 | unemployment or poverty. | ||||||
| 3 | The term "economic development" shall be construed broadly | ||||||
| 4 | by the Department and may include, but is not limited to, job | ||||||
| 5 | creation, job retention, tax base enhancements, development of | ||||||
| 6 | human capital, workforce productivity, critical | ||||||
| 7 | infrastructure, regional competitiveness, social inclusion, | ||||||
| 8 | standard of living, environmental sustainability, energy | ||||||
| 9 | independence, quality of life, the effective use of financial | ||||||
| 10 | incentives, the utilization of public private partnerships | ||||||
| 11 | where appropriate, and other metrics determined by the | ||||||
| 12 | Department. | ||||||
| 13 | The plan shall be based on relevant economic data, focus on | ||||||
| 14 | economic development as prescribed by this Section, and | ||||||
| 15 | emphasize strategies to retain and create jobs. | ||||||
| 16 | The plan shall identify and develop specific strategies for | ||||||
| 17 | utilizing the assets of regions within the State defined as | ||||||
| 18 | counties and municipalities or other political subdivisions in | ||||||
| 19 | close geographical proximity that share common economic traits | ||||||
| 20 | such as commuting zones, labor market areas, or other | ||||||
| 21 | economically integrated characteristics. | ||||||
| 22 | If the plan includes strategies that have a fiscal impact | ||||||
| 23 | on the Department or any other agency, the plan shall include a | ||||||
| 24 | detailed description of the estimated fiscal impact of such | ||||||
| 25 | strategies. | ||||||
| 26 | Prior to publishing the plan in its final form, the | ||||||
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| 1 | Department shall allow for a reasonable time for public input. | ||||||
| 2 | The Department shall transmit copies of the economic | ||||||
| 3 | development plan to the Governor and the General Assembly no | ||||||
| 4 | later than July 1, 2014, and by July 1 annually thereafter. The | ||||||
| 5 | plan and its corresponding modifications shall be published and | ||||||
| 6 | made available to the public in both paper and electronic | ||||||
| 7 | media, on the Department's website, and by any other method | ||||||
| 8 | that the Department deems appropriate. | ||||||
| 9 | The Department shall annually submit legislation to | ||||||
| 10 | implement the strategic economic development plan or | ||||||
| 11 | modifications to the strategic economic development plan to the | ||||||
| 12 | Governor, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, and | ||||||
| 13 | the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of | ||||||
| 14 | Representatives. The legislation shall be in the form of one or | ||||||
| 15 | more substantive bills drafted by the Legislative Reference | ||||||
| 16 | Bureau. | ||||||
| 17 | (b) Business development plans; Illinois Business | ||||||
| 18 | Development Council. | ||||||
| 19 | (1) There is created the Illinois Business Development | ||||||
| 20 | Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council. The | ||||||
| 21 | Council shall consist of the Director, who shall serve as | ||||||
| 22 | co-chairperson, and 12 voting members who shall be | ||||||
| 23 | appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of | ||||||
| 24 | the Senate. | ||||||
| 25 | (A) The voting members of the Council shall include | ||||||
| 26 | one representative from each of the following | ||||||
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| 1 | businesses and groups: small business, coal, | ||||||
| 2 | healthcare, large manufacturing, small or specialized | ||||||
| 3 | manufacturing, agriculture, high technology or applied | ||||||
| 4 | science, local economic development entities, private | ||||||
| 5 | sector organized labor, a local or state business | ||||||
| 6 | association or chamber of commerce. | ||||||
| 7 | (B) There shall be 2 at-large voting members who | ||||||
| 8 | reside within areas of high unemployment within | ||||||
| 9 | counties or municipalities that have had an annual | ||||||
| 10 | average unemployment rate of at least 120% of the | ||||||
| 11 | State's annual average unemployment rate as reported | ||||||
| 12 | by the Department of Employment Security for the 5 | ||||||
| 13 | years preceding the date of appointment. | ||||||
| 14 | (2) All appointments shall be made in a geographically | ||||||
| 15 | diverse manner. | ||||||
| 16 | (3) For the initial appointments to the Council, 6 | ||||||
| 17 | voting members shall be appointed to serve a 2-year term | ||||||
| 18 | and 6 voting members shall be appointed to serve a 4-year | ||||||
| 19 | term. Thereafter, all appointments shall be for terms of 4 | ||||||
| 20 | years. The initial term of voting members shall commence on | ||||||
| 21 | the first Wednesday in February 2014. Thereafter, the terms | ||||||
| 22 | of voting members shall commence on the first Wednesday in | ||||||
| 23 | February, except in the case of an appointment to fill a | ||||||
| 24 | vacancy. Vacancies occurring among the members shall be | ||||||
| 25 | filled in the same manner as the original appointment for | ||||||
| 26 | the remainder of the unexpired term. For a vacancy | ||||||
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| 1 | occurring when the Senate is not in session, the Governor | ||||||
| 2 | may make a temporary appointment until the next meeting of | ||||||
| 3 | the Senate when a person shall be nominated to fill the | ||||||
| 4 | office, and, upon confirmation by the Senate, he or she | ||||||
| 5 | shall hold office during the remainder of the term. A | ||||||
| 6 | vacancy in membership does not impair the ability of a | ||||||
| 7 | quorum to exercise all rights and perform all duties of the | ||||||
| 8 | Council. A member is eligible for reappointment. | ||||||
| 9 | (4) Members shall serve without compensation, but may | ||||||
| 10 | be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the | ||||||
| 11 | performance of their duties from funds appropriated for | ||||||
| 12 | that purpose. | ||||||
| 13 | (5) In addition, the following shall serve as ex | ||||||
| 14 | officio, non-voting members of the Council in order to | ||||||
| 15 | provide specialized advice and support to the Council: the | ||||||
| 16 | Secretary of Transportation, or his or her designee; the | ||||||
| 17 | Director of Employment Security, or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 18 | the Executive Director of the Illinois Finance Authority, | ||||||
| 19 | or his or her designee; the Director of Agriculture, or his | ||||||
| 20 | or her designee; the Director of Revenue, or his or her | ||||||
| 21 | designee; the Director of Labor, or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 22 | and the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, or | ||||||
| 23 | his or her designee. Ex officio Ex-officio members shall | ||||||
| 24 | provide staff and technical assistance to the Council when | ||||||
| 25 | appropriate. | ||||||
| 26 | (6) In addition to the Director, the voting members | ||||||
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| 1 | shall elect a co-chairperson. | ||||||
| 2 | (7) The Council shall meet at least twice annually and | ||||||
| 3 | at such other times as the co-chairpersons or any 5 voting | ||||||
| 4 | members consider necessary. Seven voting members shall | ||||||
| 5 | constitute a quorum of the Council. | ||||||
| 6 | (8) The Department shall provide staff assistance to | ||||||
| 7 | the Council. | ||||||
| 8 | (9) The Council shall provide the Department relevant | ||||||
| 9 | information in a timely manner pursuant to its duties as | ||||||
| 10 | enumerated in
this Section that can be used by the | ||||||
| 11 | Department to enhance the State's strategic economic | ||||||
| 12 | development plan. | ||||||
| 13 | (10) The Council shall: | ||||||
| 14 | (A) Develop an overall strategic business | ||||||
| 15 | development plan for the State of Illinois and update | ||||||
| 16 | the plan at least annually; that plan shall include, | ||||||
| 17 | without limitation, (i) an assessment of the economic | ||||||
| 18 | development practices of states that border Illinois | ||||||
| 19 | and (ii) recommendations for best practices with | ||||||
| 20 | respect to economic development, business incentives, | ||||||
| 21 | business attraction, and business retention for | ||||||
| 22 | counties in Illinois that border at least one other | ||||||
| 23 | state. | ||||||
| 24 | (B) Develop business marketing plans for the State | ||||||
| 25 | of Illinois to effectively solicit new company | ||||||
| 26 | investment and existing business expansion. Insofar as | ||||||
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| 1 | allowed under the Illinois Procurement Code, and | ||||||
| 2 | subject to appropriations made by the General Assembly | ||||||
| 3 | for such purposes, the Council may assist the | ||||||
| 4 | Department in the procurement of outside vendors to | ||||||
| 5 | carry out such marketing plans. | ||||||
| 6 | (C) Seek input from local economic development | ||||||
| 7 | officials to develop specific strategies to | ||||||
| 8 | effectively link State and local business development | ||||||
| 9 | and marketing efforts focusing on areas of high | ||||||
| 10 | unemployment or poverty. | ||||||
| 11 | (D) Provide the Department with advice on | ||||||
| 12 | strategic business development
and business marketing | ||||||
| 13 | for the State of Illinois. | ||||||
| 14 | (E) Provide the Department research and recommend | ||||||
| 15 | best practices for developing investment tools for | ||||||
| 16 | business attraction and retention.
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| 17 | (Source: P.A. 98-397, eff. 8-16-13; revised 10-8-13.)
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| 18 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 19 | becoming law.
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