99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2015 and 2016 SB1808

Introduced 2/20/2015, by Sen. Mattie Hunter

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

`525 ILCS 50/2`	`from Ch. 48, par. 2552`
`525 ILCS 50/4`	`from Ch. 48, par. 2554`
`525 ILCS 50/6`	`from Ch. 48, par. 2556`
`525 ILCS 50/8.5 new`
`525 ILCS 50/9`

Amends the Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act. Creates the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors to provide wages to young adults operating and instructing in conservation or recreational programs. Provides that local sponsors who can provide necessary facilities, materials, and management for conservation or recreational activities within the community may apply to the Department of Natural Resources for a grant under the Act for the purpose of hiring managing supervisors and eligible young adults for conservation or recreational programs. Provides that the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps shall be limited to citizens of this State who, at the time of enrollment, are unemployed, are 18 through 25 years of age, and who have skills that can be used in the conservation or recreational program. Provides that the Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to the administration of the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps. Effective immediately.

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A BILL FOR

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1 AN ACT concerning conservation.

2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3 represented in the General Assembly:

4 Section 5. The Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult

5 Conservation Jobs Act is amended by changing Sections 2, 4, 6,

6 and 9 and by adding Section 8.5 as follows:

7 (525 ILCS 50/2) (from Ch. 48, par. 2552)

8 Sec. 2. Declaration of Intent. The General Assembly finds

9 that the level of unemployment among veterans, the youths of

10 this State, particularly those age 14 through 18, and young

11 adults, age 18 through 25, is unsatisfactory. This situation is

12 not conducive to the development of veterans and the youth and

13 young adults of Illinois as the future of the State. The

14 General Assembly further finds that the availability of

15 conservation and recreational programs for veterans, youth,

16 and young adults in parks and recreational facilities and other

17 lands operated by the State, by units of local government, and

18 by local not-for-profit entities is severely limited. The

19 General Assembly therefore creates the Illinois Veteran,

20 Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act to establish (a)

21 the Illinois Veteran Conservation Corps and the Illinois Young

22 Adult Conservation Corps to provide year-round employment for

23 veterans and young adults of this State for the purpose of

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1 conservation, rehabilitation, protection and enhancement of

2 the State's public land and (b) the Illinois Veteran Recreation

3 Corps, ~~and~~ the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps, and the

4 Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps to provide employment for

5 the veterans, ~~and~~ youth, and young adults of this State for the

6 purpose of administering and operating conservation or

7 recreational programs operated by units of local government or

8 local not-for-profit entities at conservation and open spaces,

9 parks, or recreational facilities or other similar facilities

10 or locations.

11 (Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

12 (525 ILCS 50/4) (from Ch. 48, par. 2554)

13 Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of this Act:

14 (a) "Department" means the Department of Natural

15 Resources.

16 (b) "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources.

17 (c) "Local sponsor" means any unit of local government or

18 not-for-profit entity that can make available for a ~~summer~~

19 conservation or recreation program park lands, conservation or

20 recreational lands or facilities, equipment, materials,

21 administration, supervisory personnel, etc.

22 (d) "Managing supervisor" means an enrollee in the Illinois

23 Veteran Recreation Corps, ~~or~~ the Illinois Youth Recreation

24 Corps, or the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps who is

25 selected by the local sponsor to supervise the activities of

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1 the veterans, ~~or~~ youth, or young adults employee enrollees

2 working on the conservation or recreation project. A managing

3 supervisor in the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps may be 19

4 years of age or older.

5 (e) "Veteran" means an Illinois resident who has served or

6 is currently serving as a member of the United States Armed

7 Forces, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of

8 a Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces.

9 (Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)

10 (525 ILCS 50/6) (from Ch. 48, par. 2556)

11 Sec. 6. Funding. Funding for the Illinois Veteran, Youth,

12 and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act shall be from any State

13 or federal funds or grants or other funding so received by the

14 Department and any matching funds required by the Department

15 from local sponsors that choose to participate in the Illinois

16 Veteran Recreation Corps, ~~or~~the Illinois Youth Recreation

17 Corps, or the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps programs.

18 (Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

19 (525 ILCS 50/8.5 new)

20 Sec. 8.5. Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps.

21 (a) The Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps is

22 established for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors

23 to provide wages to young adults operating and instructing in

24 conservation or recreational programs. The programs shall

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1 provide conservation or recreational opportunities and shall

2 include, but are not limited to, the coordination and teaching

3 of natural resource conservation and management, physical

4 activities, or learning activities directly related to natural

5 resource conservation management or recreation. Persons

6 employed through the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps

7 shall not perform work in State parks. The programs may charge

8 user fees, but the fees shall be designed to promote as much

9 community involvement as possible, as determined by the

10 Department.

11 (b) Local sponsors who can provide necessary facilities,

12 materials, and management for conservation or recreational

13 activities within the community may apply to the Department for

14 a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing

15 supervisors, as necessary, and eligible young adults for

16 conservation or recreational programs. Applications shall be

17 evaluated on the basis of program content, location, need,

18 local commitment of resources, and consistency with the

19 purposes of this Act.

20 (c) The Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps shall be

21 limited to citizens of this State who, at the time of

22 enrollment, are unemployed, are 18 through 25 years of age, and

23 who have skills that can be used in the conservation or

24 recreational program.

25 The ratio of young adult employee enrollees to managing

26 supervisors shall not be less than 10 to 1 for any local

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1 sponsor with a total number of young adult employee enrollees

2 of 10 or more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of

3 young adult employee enrollees of less than 10 shall be limited

4 to one managing supervisor.

5 The local sponsors shall make public notification of the

6 availability of jobs for eligible young adults in the Illinois

7 Young Adult Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers,

8 electronic media, educational facilities, units of local

9 government, and Department of Employment Security offices.

10 Application for employment shall be made directly to the local

11 sponsor.

12 The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to

13 the administration of the Illinois Young Adult Recreation

14 Corps. These rules shall prohibit the use of Illinois Young

15 Adult Recreation Corps employees in a manner that displaces or

16 replaces regular employees and shall prohibit any activity that

17 impairs or is inconsistent with an existing collective

18 bargaining agreement or with the collective bargaining rights

19 of employees. Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps employees

20 shall not be assigned work within the scope of bargaining unit

21 work without the written consent of the exclusive bargaining

22 representative.

23 (d) The enrollment period for any successful applicant of

24 the program shall not be longer than 12 months. Once enrolled

25 in the program, each enrollee shall receive a reasonable wage

26 as set by the Department and shall work hours as required by

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1 the conservation or recreation program as determined by the

2 Department, except that an enrollee working as a managing

3 supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an enrollee working

4 in any other capacity on the conservation or recreation

5 program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local sponsor and

6 not contractual hires for the purpose of employment taxes,

7 except that enrollees shall not be classified as employees of

8 this State or the local sponsor for purposes of contributions

9 to the State Employees' Retirement System of Illinois or any

10 other public employee retirement system.

11 (525 ILCS 50/9)

12 Sec. 9. Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps. With respect to

13 the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps:

14 (a) Purpose. The Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps is

15 established for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors

16 to provide wages to veterans of any age operating and

17 instructing in conservation or recreational programs. Such

18 programs shall provide conservation or recreational

19 opportunities and shall include, but are not limited to, the

20 coordination and teaching of natural resource conservation and

21 management, physical activities, or learning activities

22 directly related to natural resource conservation management

23 or recreation. Such programs may charge user fees, but such

24 fees shall be designed to promote as much community involvement

25 as possible, as determined by the Department.

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1 (b) Application. Local sponsors who can provide necessary

2 facilities, materials, and management for ~~summer~~ conservation

3 or recreational activities within the community and who desire

4 a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing

5 supervisors as necessary and eligible veterans for such

6 conservation or recreational programs may make application to

7 the Department. Applications shall be evaluated on the basis of

8 program content, location, need, local commitment of

9 resources, and consistency with the purposes of this Act.

10 (c) Enrollment. The Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps

11 shall be limited to citizens of this State who at the time of

12 enrollment are veterans of any age and are unemployed and who

13 have skills that can be utilized in the ~~summer~~ conservation or

14 recreational program. Preference may be given to veterans with

15 a disability.

16 The ratio of veterans employee enrollees to a managing

17 supervisor must not be less than 10 to 1 for any local sponsor

18 with a total number of veterans employee enrollees of 10 or

19 more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of veteran

20 employee enrollees of less than 10 must be limited to one

21 managing supervisor. Veterans who are unemployed shall be given

22 preference for employment as managing supervisors.

23 The local sponsors shall make public notification of the

24 availability of jobs for eligible veterans in the Illinois

25 Veteran Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers, electronic

26 media, educational facilities, units of local government, and

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1 Department of Employment Security offices. Application for

2 employment shall be made directly to the local sponsor.

3 The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to

4 the administration of the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps.

5 (d) Terms of employment. The enrollment period for any

6 successful applicant of the program shall not be longer than 12

7 ~~6~~ total months. Once enrolled in the program, each enrollee

8 shall receive a reasonable wage as set by the Department and

9 shall work hours as required by the conservation or recreation

10 program but not in excess of a maximum number of hours as

11 determined by the Department, except that an enrollee working

12 as a managing supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an

13 enrollee working in any other capacity on the conservation or

14 recreation program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local

15 sponsor and not contractual hires for the purpose of employment

16 taxes, except that enrollees shall not be classified as

17 employees of the State or the local sponsor for purposes of

18 contributions to the State Employees' Retirement System of

19 Illinois or any other public employee retirement system.

20 (Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)

21 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon

22 becoming law.