104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1967 Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, in Fiscal Year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department shall advance grant funds to certified tourism and convention bureaus that received grant funding in the prior fiscal year. Provides that the advanced amount shall be equal to 50% of the total grant awarded to each bureau in the prior fiscal year. Effective immediately. LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1967 Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a 5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new 20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, in Fiscal Year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department shall advance grant funds to certified tourism and convention bureaus that received grant funding in the prior fiscal year. Provides that the advanced amount shall be equal to 50% of the total grant awarded to each bureau in the prior fiscal year. Effective immediately. LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b A BILL FOR
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1967 Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a 5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new 20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a
5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new
20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a
Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, in Fiscal Year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department shall advance grant funds to certified tourism and convention bureaus that received grant funding in the prior fiscal year. Provides that the advanced amount shall be equal to 50% of the total grant awarded to each bureau in the prior fiscal year. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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SB1967 LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b
1 AN ACT concerning State government.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act is
5 amended by adding Section 5-45.65 as follows:
6 (5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new)
7 Sec. 5-45.65. Emergency rulemaking. To provide for the
8 expeditious and timely implementation of this amendatory Act
9 of the 104th General Assembly, emergency rules implementing
10 this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly may be
11 adopted in accordance with Section 5-45 by the Department of
12 Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The adoption of emergency
13 rules authorized by Section 5-45 and this Section is deemed to
14 be necessary for the public interest, safety, and welfare.
15 This Section is repealed one year after the effective date
16 of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly.
17 Section 10. The Department of Commerce and Economic
18 Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois
19 is amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows:
20 (20 ILCS 605/605-705) (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a)
21 Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 SB1967 Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a 5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new 20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a
5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new
20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a
Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, in Fiscal Year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department shall advance grant funds to certified tourism and convention bureaus that received grant funding in the prior fiscal year. Provides that the advanced amount shall be equal to 50% of the total grant awarded to each bureau in the prior fiscal year. Effective immediately.
LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b
LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b
A BILL FOR
5 ILCS 100/5-45.65 new
20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a
LRB104 08263 HLH 18313 b
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1 bureaus.
2 (a) To establish a grant program for local tourism and
3 convention bureaus. The Department will develop and implement
4 a program for the use of funds, as authorized under this Act,
5 by local tourism and convention bureaus. For the purposes of
6 this Act, bureaus eligible to receive funds are those local
7 tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either units of
8 local government or incorporated as not-for-profit
9 organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2
10 years before July 1, 2001; (iii) operating with a paid,
11 full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in
12 the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with one or
13 more municipalities or counties that support the bureau with
14 local hotel-motel taxes. After July 1, 2001, bureaus
15 requesting certification in order to receive funds for the
16 first time must be local tourism and convention bureaus that
17 are (i) either units of local government or incorporated as
18 not-for-profit organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a
19 minimum of 2 years before the request for certification; (iii)
20 operating with a paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is
21 to promote tourism in the designated service area; and (iv)
22 affiliated with multiple municipalities or counties that
23 support the bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau
24 receiving funds under this Act will be certified by the
25 Department as the designated recipient to serve an area of the
26 State. Notwithstanding the criteria set forth in this
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1 subsection (a), or any rule adopted under this subsection (a),
2 the Director of the Department may provide for the award of
3 grant funds to one or more entities if in the Department's
4 judgment that action is necessary in order to prevent a loss of
5 funding critical to promoting tourism in a designated
6 geographic area of the State.
7 (b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention
8 bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund
9 for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the
10 Department for expenditure under this Section prior to July 1,
11 2011, one-third of those monies shall be used for grants to
12 convention and tourism bureaus in cities with a population
13 greater than 500,000. The remaining two-thirds of the annual
14 appropriation prior to July 1, 2011 shall be used for grants to
15 convention and tourism bureaus in the remainder of the State,
16 in accordance with a formula based upon the population served.
17 Of the amounts appropriated annually to the Department for
18 expenditure under this Section beginning July 1, 2011, 18% of
19 such moneys shall be used for grants to convention and tourism
20 bureaus in cities with a population greater than 500,000. Of
21 the amounts appropriated annually to the Department for
22 expenditure under this Section beginning July 1, 2011, 82% of
23 such moneys shall be used for grants to convention bureaus in
24 the remainder of the State, in accordance with a formula based
25 upon the population served. The Department may reserve up to
26 3% of total local tourism funds available for costs of
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1 administering the program to conduct audits of grants, to
2 provide incentive funds to those bureaus that will conduct
3 promotional activities designed to further the Department's
4 statewide advertising campaign, to fund special statewide
5 promotional activities, and to fund promotional activities
6 that support an increased use of the State's parks or historic
7 sites. The Department shall require that any convention and
8 tourism bureau receiving a grant under this Section that
9 requires matching funds shall provide matching funds equal to
10 no less than 50% of the grant amount, except that: (1) in
11 Fiscal Years 2021 through 2024 only, the Department shall
12 require that any convention and tourism bureau receiving a
13 grant under this Section that requires matching funds shall
14 provide matching funds equal to no less than 25% of the grant
15 amount; (2) in Fiscal Year 2025, the Department shall require
16 that any convention and tourism bureau receiving a grant under
17 this Section that requires matching funds shall provide
18 matching funds equal to no less than 30% of the grant amount;
19 and (3) in Fiscal Year 2026, the Department shall require that
20 any convention and tourism bureau receiving a grant under this
21 Section that requires matching funds shall provide matching
22 funds equal to no less than 40% of the grant amount. During
23 fiscal year 2013, the Department shall reserve $2,000,000 of
24 the available local tourism funds for appropriation to the
25 Historic Preservation Agency for the operation of the Abraham
26 Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and State historic
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1 sites.
2 To provide for the expeditious and timely implementation
3 of the changes made by Public Act 101-636, emergency rules to
4 implement the changes made by Public Act 101-636 may be
5 adopted by the Department subject to the provisions of Section
6 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.
7 (c) In Fiscal Year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter,
8 subject to sufficient appropriation by the General Assembly,
9 the Department shall advance grant funds to certified bureaus
10 that received grant funding in the prior fiscal year. Such
11 advanced amount shall be equal to 50% of the total grant
12 awarded to the bureau in the prior fiscal year. The Department
13 shall submit vouchers for payment of the advanced amounts for
14 each eligible bureau to the Comptroller on or before July 31 of
15 each fiscal year. To provide for the expeditious and timely
16 implementation of the changes made by this amendatory Act of
17 the 104th General Assembly, emergency rules to implement these
18 changes may be adopted by the Department subject to the
19 provisions of Section 5-45 of the Illinois Administrative
20 Procedure Act.
21 (Source: P.A. 102-16, eff. 6-17-21; 102-699, eff. 4-19-22;
22 103-8, eff. 6-7-23; 103-588, eff. 6-5-24.)
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