Illinois 2023 2023-2024 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB1701 Engrossed / Bill

Filed 03/30/2023

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1  AN ACT concerning local government.
2  Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3  represented in the General Assembly:
4  Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by changing
5  Section 6z-32 as follows:
6  (30 ILCS 105/6z-32)
7  Sec. 6z-32. Partners for Planning and Conservation.
8  (a) The Partners for Conservation Fund (formerly known as
9  the Conservation 2000 Fund) and the Partners for Conservation
10  Projects Fund (formerly known as the Conservation 2000
11  Projects Fund) are created as special funds in the State
12  Treasury. These funds shall be used to establish a
13  comprehensive program to protect Illinois' natural resources
14  through cooperative partnerships between State government and
15  public and private landowners. Moneys in these Funds may be
16  used, subject to appropriation, by the Department of Natural
17  Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department
18  of Agriculture for purposes relating to natural resource
19  protection, planning, recreation, tourism, climate resilience,
20  and compatible agricultural and economic development
21  activities. Without limiting these general purposes, moneys in
22  these Funds may be used, subject to appropriation, for the
23  following specific purposes:

 

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1  (1) To foster sustainable agriculture practices and
2  control soil erosion, sedimentation, and nutrient loss
3  from farmland, including grants to Soil and Water
4  Conservation Districts for conservation practice
5  cost-share grants and for personnel, educational, and
6  administrative expenses.
7  (2) To establish and protect a system of ecosystems in
8  public and private ownership through conservation
9  easements, incentives to public and private landowners,
10  natural resource restoration and preservation, water
11  quality protection and improvement, land use and watershed
12  planning, technical assistance and grants, and land
13  acquisition provided these mechanisms are all voluntary on
14  the part of the landowner and do not involve the use of
15  eminent domain.
16  (3) To develop a systematic and long-term program to
17  effectively measure and monitor natural resources and
18  ecological conditions through investments in technology
19  and involvement of scientific experts.
20  (4) To initiate strategies to enhance, use, and
21  maintain Illinois' inland lakes through education,
22  technical assistance, research, and financial incentives.
23  (5) To partner with private landowners and with units
24  of State, federal, and local government and with
25  not-for-profit organizations in order to integrate State
26  and federal programs with Illinois' natural resource

 

 

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1  protection and restoration efforts and to meet
2  requirements to obtain federal and other funds for
3  conservation or protection of natural resources.
4  (6) To support implement the State's Nutrient Loss
5  Reduction Strategy, including, but not limited to, funding
6  the resources needed to support the Strategy's Policy
7  Working Group, cover water quality monitoring in support
8  of Strategy implementation, prepare a biennial report on
9  the progress made on the Strategy every 2 years, and
10  provide cost share funding for nutrient capture projects.
11  (7) To provide capacity grants to support soil and
12  water conservation districts, including, but not limited
13  to, developing soil health plans, conducting soil health
14  assessments, peer-to-peer training, convening
15  producer-led dialogues, professional memberships, lab
16  analysis, development and travel stipends for meetings and
17  educational events.
18  (8) To develop guidelines and local soil health
19  assessments for advancing soil health.
20  (9) To implement a crop insurance premium discount
21  program at the State level.
22  (b) The State Comptroller and State Treasurer shall
23  automatically transfer on the last day of each month,
24  beginning on September 30, 1995 and ending on June 30, 2023,
25  from the General Revenue Fund to the Partners for Conservation
26  Fund, an amount equal to 1/10 of the amount set forth below in

 

 

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1  fiscal year 1996 and an amount equal to 1/12 of the amount set
2  forth below in each of the other specified fiscal years:
3Fiscal Year  Amount    41996 $ 3,500,000    51997 $ 9,000,000    61998 $10,000,000    71999 $11,000,000    82000 $12,500,000    92001 through 2004 $14,000,000 102005 $7,000,000112006 $11,000,000 122007 $0 132008 through 2011 $14,000,000 142012 $12,200,000 152013 through 2017 $14,000,000162018 $1,500,000 172019 $14,000,000 182020 $7,500,000 192021 through 2023 $14,000,000 3  Fiscal Year Amount 4  1996 $ 3,500,000 5  1997 $ 9,000,000 6  1998 $10,000,000 7  1999 $11,000,000 8  2000 $12,500,000 9  2001 through 2004 $14,000,000 10  2005 $7,000,000 11  2006 $11,000,000 12  2007 $0 13  2008 through 2011 $14,000,000 14  2012 $12,200,000 15  2013 through 2017 $14,000,000 16  2018 $1,500,000 17  2019 $14,000,000 18  2020 $7,500,000 19  2021 through 2023 $14,000,000
3  Fiscal Year Amount
4  1996 $ 3,500,000
5  1997 $ 9,000,000
6  1998 $10,000,000
7  1999 $11,000,000
8  2000 $12,500,000
9  2001 through 2004 $14,000,000
10  2005 $7,000,000
11  2006 $11,000,000
12  2007 $0
13  2008 through 2011 $14,000,000
14  2012 $12,200,000
15  2013 through 2017 $14,000,000
16  2018 $1,500,000
17  2019 $14,000,000
18  2020 $7,500,000
19  2021 through 2023 $14,000,000
20  (c) The State Comptroller and State Treasurer shall
21  automatically transfer on the last day of each month beginning
22  on July 31, 2021 and ending June 30, 2022, from the
23  Environmental Protection Permit and Inspection Fund to the
24  Partners for Conservation Fund, an amount equal to 1/12 of
25  $4,135,000.
26  (c-1) The State Comptroller and State Treasurer shall

 

 

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3  Fiscal Year Amount
4  1996 $ 3,500,000
5  1997 $ 9,000,000
6  1998 $10,000,000
7  1999 $11,000,000
8  2000 $12,500,000
9  2001 through 2004 $14,000,000
10  2005 $7,000,000
11  2006 $11,000,000
12  2007 $0
13  2008 through 2011 $14,000,000
14  2012 $12,200,000
15  2013 through 2017 $14,000,000
16  2018 $1,500,000
17  2019 $14,000,000
18  2020 $7,500,000
19  2021 through 2023 $14,000,000


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1  automatically transfer on the last day of each month beginning
2  on July 31, 2022 and ending June 30, 2023, from the
3  Environmental Protection Permit and Inspection Fund to the
4  Partners for Conservation Fund, an amount equal to 1/12 of
5  $5,900,000.
6  (d) There shall be deposited into the Partners for
7  Conservation Projects Fund such bond proceeds and other moneys
8  as may, from time to time, be provided by law.
9  (Source: P.A. 101-10, eff. 6-5-19; 102-16, eff. 6-17-21;
10  102-699, eff. 4-19-22.)
11  Section 10. The Grant Accountability and Transparency Act
12  is amended by changing Section 45 as follows:
13  (30 ILCS 708/45)
14  Sec. 45. Applicability.
15  (a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, the
16  requirements established under this Act apply to State
17  grant-making agencies that make State and federal pass-through
18  awards to non-federal entities. These requirements apply to
19  all costs related to State and federal pass-through awards.
20  The requirements established under this Act do not apply to
21  private awards, to allocations of State revenues paid over by
22  the Comptroller to units of local government and other taxing
23  districts pursuant to the State Revenue Sharing Act from the
24  Local Government Distributive Fund or the Personal Property

 

 

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1  Tax Replacement Fund, to allotments of State motor fuel tax
2  revenues distributed by the Department of Transportation to
3  units of local government pursuant to the Motor Fuel Tax Law
4  from the Motor Fuel Tax Fund or the Transportation Renewal
5  Fund, or to awards, including capital appropriated funds, made
6  by the Department of Transportation to units of local
7  government for the purposes of transportation projects
8  utilizing State funds, federal funds, or both State and
9  federal funds. This Act shall recognize that federal and
10  federal pass-through awards from the Department of
11  Transportation to units of local government are governed by
12  and must comply with federal guidelines under 2 CFR Part 200.
13  The changes made by this amendatory Act of the 102nd
14  General Assembly apply to pending actions as well as actions
15  commenced on or after the effective date of this amendatory
16  Act of the 102nd General Assembly.
17  (a-5) Nothing in this Act shall prohibit the use of State
18  funds for purposes of federal match or maintenance of effort.
19  (b) The terms and conditions of State, federal, and
20  pass-through awards apply to subawards and subrecipients
21  unless a particular Section of this Act or the terms and
22  conditions of the State or federal award specifically indicate
23  otherwise. Non-federal entities shall comply with requirements
24  of this Act regardless of whether the non-federal entity is a
25  recipient or subrecipient of a State or federal pass-through
26  award. Pass-through entities shall comply with the

 

 

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1  requirements set forth under the rules adopted under
2  subsection (a) of Section 20 of this Act, but not to any
3  requirements in this Act directed towards State or federal
4  awarding agencies, unless the requirements of the State or
5  federal awards indicate otherwise.
6  When a non-federal entity is awarded a cost-reimbursement
7  contract, only 2 CFR 200.330 through 200.332 are incorporated
8  by reference into the contract. However, when the Cost
9  Accounting Standards are applicable to the contract, they take
10  precedence over the requirements of this Act unless they are
11  in conflict with Subpart F of 2 CFR 200. In addition, costs
12  that are made unallowable under 10 U.S.C. 2324(e) and 41
13  U.S.C. 4304(a), as described in the Federal Acquisition
14  Regulations, subpart 31.2 and subpart 31.603, are always
15  unallowable. For requirements other than those covered in
16  Subpart D of 2 CFR 200.330 through 200.332, the terms of the
17  contract and the Federal Acquisition Regulations apply.
18  With the exception of Subpart F of 2 CFR 200, which is
19  required by the Single Audit Act, in any circumstances where
20  the provisions of federal statutes or regulations differ from
21  the provisions of this Act, the provision of the federal
22  statutes or regulations govern. This includes, for agreements
23  with Indian tribes, the provisions of the Indian
24  Self-Determination and Education and Assistance Act, as
25  amended, 25 U.S.C. 450-458ddd-2.
26  (c) State grant-making agencies may apply subparts A

 

 

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1  through E of 2 CFR 200 to for-profit entities, foreign public
2  entities, or foreign organizations, except where the awarding
3  agency determines that the application of these subparts would
4  be inconsistent with the international obligations of the
5  United States or the statute or regulations of a foreign
6  government.
7  (d) 2 CFR 200.101 specifies how 2 CFR 200 is applicable to
8  different types of awards. The same applicability applies to
9  this Act.
10  (e) (Blank).
11  (f) For public institutions of higher education, the
12  provisions of this Act apply only to awards funded by federal
13  pass-through awards from a State agency to public institutions
14  of higher education. This Act shall recognize provisions in 2
15  CFR 200 as applicable to public institutions of higher
16  education, including Appendix III of Part 200 and the cost
17  principles under Subpart E.
18  (g) Each grant-making agency shall enhance its processes
19  to monitor and address noncompliance with reporting
20  requirements and with program performance standards. Where
21  applicable, the process may include a corrective action plan.
22  The monitoring process shall include a plan for tracking and
23  documenting performance-based contracting decisions.
24  (h) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary,
25  grants awarded from federal funds received from the federal
26  Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund in accordance with

 

 

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1  Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 are
2  subject to the provisions of this Act, but only to the extent
3  required by Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of
4  2021 and other applicable federal law or regulation.
5  (i) This Act does not apply to the Department of
6  Agriculture's Soil and Water Conservation District Grants
7  Program.
8  (Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-16, eff. 6-17-21;
9  102-626, eff. 8-27-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-1092, eff.
10  6-10-22.)
11  Section 15. The Soil and Water Conservation Districts Act
12  is amended by adding Sections 3.24, 3.25, 3.26, 3.27, 22.03a,
13  22.03b, 22.03c, and 22.03d as follows:
14  (70 ILCS 405/3.24 new)
15  Sec. 3.24. "Healthy soils practices" means systems of
16  agricultural, forestry, and land management practices that:
17  (1) improve the health of soils, including, but not
18  limited to, consideration of depth of topsoil horizons,
19  water infiltration rate, water-holding capacity, organic
20  matter content, biologically accessible nutrient content,
21  bulk density, biological activity, and biological and
22  microbiological diversity;
23  (2) follow the principles of: minimizing soil
24  disturbance and external inputs; keeping soil covered;

 

 

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1  maximizing biodiversity; diversifying crop rotations;
2  maximizing presence of living roots; integrating animals
3  and insects into land management, including grazing
4  animals, birds, beneficial insects, or keystone species,
5  such as earthworms; and incorporating the context of local
6  conditions in decision-making, including, for example,
7  soil type, topography, and time of year; and
8  (3) include practices such as tillage or no-till,
9  cover-cropping, perennialization of highly erodible land,
10  precision nitrogen and phosphorus application, managed
11  grazing, integrated crop-livestock systems, silvopasture,
12  agroforestry, perennial crops, integrated pest management,
13  nutrient best management practices, invasive species
14  removal and the planting of native species and those
15  practices recommended by the United States Department of
16  Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service -
17  Field Office Technical Guide.
18  (70 ILCS 405/3.25 new)
19  Sec. 3.25. "Soil health assessment" means soil health
20  indicator measures, including, but not limited to, soil
21  organic matter, soil structure, infiltration and bulk density,
22  water-holding capacity, microbial biomass, and soil
23  respiration.
24  (70 ILCS 405/3.26 new)

 

 

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1  Sec. 3.26. "Initiative" means the Illinois Healthy Soils
2  Initiative.
3  (70 ILCS 405/3.27 new)
4  Sec. 3.27. "Healthy soil" means the continuing capacity of
5  a soil to function as a vital, living biological system that
6  sustains plants, animals, and humans, increases soil organic
7  matter, improves soil structure and water-holding and
8  nutrient-holding capacity and nutrient cycling, enhances water
9  infiltration and filtration capability, promotes water
10  quality, and results in net long-term ecological benefits.
11  "Healthy soil" includes soil that hosts a diversity of
12  beneficial organisms, grow vigorous crops, enhance
13  agricultural resilience, including the ability of crops and
14  livestock to tolerate and recover from drought, temperature
15  extremes, extreme precipitation events, pests, diseases, and
16  other stresses, break down harmful chemicals, and help convert
17  organic residues into stable soil organic matter and retaining
18  nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus.
19  (70 ILCS 405/22.03a new)
20  Sec. 22.03a. Illinois Healthy Soils Initiative.
21  (a) The Illinois Healthy Soils Initiative is created. It
22  is the purpose of the Initiative to improve the health of soils
23  through efforts that improve soil and water quality, increase
24  the resilience of ecosystems to extreme weather events,

 

 

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1  protect and improve agricultural productivity, and support
2  aquatic and wildlife habitat.
3  The Initiative shall be administered by the Director of
4  Agriculture with consultation from soil and water conservation
5  districts, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the
6  Department of Natural Resources, and the University of
7  Illinois Extension Program. The Department shall create
8  guidelines and guidance to assist soil and water conservation
9  districts in developing soil health assessments in order to
10  identify desired capacity and funding levels and establish
11  regular, measurable, cost-effective, and technically
12  achievable goals to advance voluntary and incentive-based
13  strategies that improve healthy soils. These assessments shall
14  be used to identify opportunities to access financial and
15  technical assistance from local, State, and federal sources to
16  guide resources to their best potential use.
17  The Initiative shall complement and improve coordination
18  of existing resources and processes and shall not replace
19  existing, local, State, or federal funding or technical
20  assistance programs. The Department shall report on progress
21  of the Initiative annually.
22  The Initiative shall promote voluntary and incentive-based
23  soil health efforts. No part of this Section shall be used to
24  impose mandates or require practice adoption.
25  (70 ILCS 405/22.03b new)

 

 

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1  Sec. 22.03b. Guidelines for soil health assessments. The
2  Department shall adopt and revise guidelines to assist soil
3  and water conservation districts in determining local goals
4  and needs for implementing soil health assessments.
5  In developing its guidelines to assist soil and water
6  conservation districts in determining local goals and needs
7  for soil health assessments, the Department shall consider:
8  (1) county and State levels of conservation practice
9  adoption. Guidance should also be provided to districts to
10  meet USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service determined
11  conservation practice standards or Illinois Urban Manual
12  Practice Standards;
13  (2) information regarding beginning, socially
14  disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, as well
15  as disadvantaged communities;
16  (3) availability of State, federal, and private
17  financial and technical assistance programs to soil and
18  water conservation districts, local governments, and
19  conservation partners; and
20  (4) opportunities for evaluating results-based
21  practices utilizing tools, such as the U.S. Department of
22  Agriculture's revised universal soil loss equation, that
23  model environmental outcomes at the field, county,
24  watershed, or State level.
25  The information collected through the development of the
26  guidelines shall be compiled and provided to the soil and

 

 

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1  water conservation districts to inform the development of
2  local soil health assessments.
3  Initial guidelines shall be completed and provided to soil
4  and water conservation districts annually and shall include
5  the grant agreement for the Soil and Water Conservation
6  District Grants Program as well as outlining the funding
7  resource support contained within the grant agreement to
8  better inform the development of local soil health
9  assessments.
10  (70 ILCS 405/22.03c new)
11  Sec. 22.03c. Local soil health assessments. Upon the
12  adoption of guidelines described in Section 22.03b, each soil
13  and water conservation district shall develop annually its own
14  soil health assessment to guide voluntary and incentive-based
15  strategies to improve soil health. The soil health assessment
16  shall be technically feasible and economically reasonable.
17  The Department shall provide a template to the districts
18  for the local soil health assessment, including the required
19  information listed in this Section as well as information
20  regarding available data and support materials collected as
21  the guidance information listed in Section 25.
22  Each district is encouraged to collaborate with other
23  local governmental entities and local stakeholders in
24  developing and implementing its soil health assessment. Each
25  district shall use the guidelines provided by the Department

 

 

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1  in developing its soil health assessment.
2  Upon the request of a district, the Department may assist
3  in the preparation of the district's soil health assessment.
4  Districts may also work collaboratively to establish joint
5  plans to leverage existing capacity and resources most
6  effectively.
7  To carry out its assessment, a district shall identify
8  soil health practices. The soil health assessment must
9  consider opportunities to access, leverage, and use State and
10  federal resources within a specific soil and water
11  conservation district service area.
12  Soil and water conservation districts may also convene
13  producer-led dialogues to identify special initiatives or
14  pilot projects to leverage additional resources and implement
15  soil health practices at scale across multiple operations and
16  land ownerships.
17  In developing a soil health assessment, the soil and water
18  conservation district shall:
19  (1) evaluate existing assets, such as current
20  practices, current cropping systems, crop processing and
21  market infrastructure, riparian buffers, wetlands, public
22  lands, funding, education, research and peer-to-peer
23  training opportunities, and existing partnerships;
24  (2) consider the eligible funding categories available
25  through the Partners for Conservation Fund and the
26  district's ability to advance healthy soils practices

 

 

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1  consistent with Natural Resource Conservation Service soil
2  health principles within a soil and water conservation
3  district service area;
4  (3) determine vulnerabilities, such as runoff risk,
5  riparian function, stormwater, floodplains and stream
6  impairments, and observed and predicted impacts from
7  climate change, especially to socially disadvantaged
8  farmers, ranchers, and communities;
9  (4) identify opportunities to conduct outreach to
10  agricultural producers and landowners and to develop
11  individual soil health plans;
12  (5) establish goals for achieving measurable outcomes
13  for soil health and farmer viability through voluntary and
14  incentive-based activities. This includes identifying
15  opportunities to support beginning, socially
16  disadvantaged, and veteran farmers as well as small and
17  mid-scale farmers;
18  (6) estimate 2-year funding levels needed from State,
19  federal and private sources in order to achieve goals; and
20  (7) identify opportunities to develop partnerships and
21  leverage resources from local governments, utilities, and
22  State and federal agencies.
23  The Department shall identify shared goals and priorities
24  between districts and shall assist in developing partnerships
25  and shared funding approaches to maximize capacity and
26  resources. Initial soil health assessments shall be submitted

 

 

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1  to the Department by September 1, 2024.
2  (70 ILCS 405/22.03d new)
3  Sec. 22.03d. Compliance and standards; cost sharing. To be
4  eligible to receive State cost-share support after September
5  1, 2024, soil and water conservation districts shall have an
6  updated soil health assessment.
7  The Department shall update its rules and procedures for
8  cost-share funding to be inclusive of all relevant soil health
9  practices promoting the rapid adoption of cost-effective and
10  technically feasible projects. Updates to the rules and
11  procedures for State cost-share programs shall also address
12  barriers to access experienced by beginning, socially
13  disadvantaged, and veteran farmers.
14  The Department may require results-based practices or the
15  assessments of the environmental outcomes of projects, at the
16  field or county level, as a condition of cost-share funding.
17  Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
18  becoming law.

 

 

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