Public Act 101-0576
 
SB2146 EnrolledLRB101 10041 CPF 55143 b


  
    AN ACT concerning State government.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  


 
 
    Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic 
Opportunity Law of the
Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is 
amended  by adding Section 913 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 605/913 new)
    Sec. 913. Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program.
    (a) The General Assembly finds the following: 
        (1) The fresh surface water and groundwater supply in 
    Illinois and Lake Michigan constitute vital natural 
    resources that require careful stewardship and protection 
    for future generations. Access to safe and clean drinking 
    water is the right of all Illinois residents.
        (2) To adequately protect these resources and provide 
    safe and clean drinking water, substantial investment is 
    needed to replace lead components in drinking water 
    infrastructure, improve wastewater treatment, flood 
    control, and stormwater management, control aquatic 
    invasive species, implement green infrastructure 
    solutions, and implement other infrastructure solutions to 
    protect water quality.
        (3) Implementing these clean water solutions will 
    require a skilled and trained workforce, and new 
    investments will demand additional workers with 
    specialized skills.
        (4) Water infrastructure jobs have been shown to 
    provide living wages and contribute to Illinois' economy.
        (5) Significant populations of Illinois residents, 
    including, but not limited to, residents of environmental 
    justice communities, economically and socially 
    disadvantaged communities, those returning from the 
    criminal justice system, foster care alumni, and in 
    particular women and transgender persons, are in need of 
    access to skilled living wage jobs like those in the water 
    infrastructure sector.
        (6) Many of these residents are more likely to live in 
    communities with aging and inadequate clean water 
    infrastructure and suffer from threats to surface and 
    drinking water quality.
        (7) The State can provide significant economic 
    opportunities to these residents and achieve greater 
    environmental and public health by investing in clean water 
    infrastructure.
        (8) New training, recruitment, support, and placement 
    efforts are needed to connect these residents with career 
    opportunities in water infrastructure.
        (9) The State must invest in both clean water 
    infrastructure and workforce development efforts in order 
    to achieve these goals. 
    (b) From appropriations made from the Build Illinois Bond 
Fund, Capital Development Fund, or General Revenue Fund or 
other funds as identified by the Department, the Department 
shall create a Clean Water Workforce Pipeline Program to 
provide grants and other financial assistance to prepare and 
support individuals for careers in water infrastructure. All 
funding provided by the Program under this Section shall be 
designed to encourage and facilitate employment in projects 
funded through State capital investment and provide 
participants a skill set to allow them to work professionally 
in fields related to water infrastructure. 
    Grants and other financial assistance may be made available 
on a competitive annual basis to organizations that demonstrate 
a capacity to recruit, support, train, and place individuals in 
water infrastructure careers, including, but not limited to, 
community organizations, educational institutions, workforce 
investment boards, community action agencies, and multi-craft 
labor organizations for new efforts specifically focused on 
engaging residents of environmental justice communities, 
economically and socially disadvantaged communities, those 
returning from the criminal justice system, foster care alumni, 
and in particular women and transgender persons in these 
populations. 
    Grants and other financial assistance shall be awarded on a 
competitive and annual basis for the following activities: 
        (1) identification of individuals for job training in 
    the water sector;
        (2) counseling, preparation, skills training, and 
    other support to increase a candidate's likelihood of 
    success in a job training program and career;
        (3) financial support for individuals in a water sector 
    job skills training program, support services, and 
    transportation assistance tied to training under this 
    Section;
        (4) job placement services for individuals during and 
    after completion of water sector job skills training 
    programs; and
        (5) financial, administrative, and management 
    assistance for organizations engaged in these activities. 
    (c) It shall be an annual goal of the Program to train and 
place at least 300, or 25% of the number of annual jobs created 
by State financed water infrastructure projects, whichever is 
greater, of the following persons in water sector-related 
apprenticeships annually: residents of environmental justice 
communities; residents of economically and socially 
disadvantaged communities; those returning from the criminal 
justice system; foster care alumni; and, in particular, women 
and transgender persons. In awarding and administering grants 
under this Program, the Department shall strive to provide 
assistance equitably throughout the State.
    In order to encourage the employment of individuals trained 
through the Program onto projects receiving State financial 
assistance, the Department shall coordinate with the Illinois 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Finance 
Authority, and other State agencies that provide financial 
support for water infrastructure projects. These agencies 
shall take steps to support attaining the training and 
placement goals set forth in this subsection, using a list of 
projects that receive State financial support.  These agencies 
may propose and adopt rules to facilitate the attainment of 
this goal.
    Using funds appropriated for the purposes of this Section, 
the Department may select through a competitive bidding process 
a Program Administrator to oversee the allocation of funds and 
select organizations that receive funding.
    Recipients of grants under the Program shall report 
annually to the Department on the success of their efforts and 
their contribution to reaching the goals of the Program 
provided in this subsection.  The Department shall compile this 
information and annually report to the General Assembly on the 
Program, including, but not limited to, the following 
information:
        (1) progress toward the goals stated in this 
    subsection;
        (2) any increase in the percentage of water industry 
    jobs in targeted populations;
        (3) any increase in the rate of acceptance, completion, 
    or retention of water training programs among targeted 
    populations;
        (4) any increase in the rate of employment, including 
    hours and annual income, measured against pre-Program 
    participant income; and
        (5) any recommendations for future changes to optimize 
    the success of the Program. 
    (d) Within 90 days after the effective date of this 
amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Department 
shall propose a draft plan to implement this Section for public 
comment. The Department shall allow a minimum of 60 days for 
public comment on the plan, including one or more public 
hearings, if requested.  The Department shall finalize the plan 
within 180 days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 
the 101st General Assembly. 
    The Department may propose and adopt any rules necessary 
for the implementation of the Program and to ensure compliance 
with this Section. 
    (e) The Water Workforce Development Fund is created as a 
special fund in the State treasury. The Fund shall receive 
moneys appropriated for the purpose of this Section from the 
Build Illinois Bond Fund, the Capital Development Fund, the 
General Revenue Fund and any other funds. Moneys in the Fund 
shall only be used to fund the Program and to assist and enable 
implementation of clean water infrastructure capital 
investments. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the 
Water Workforce Development Fund is not subject to sweeps, 
administrative charge-backs, or any other fiscal or budgetary 
maneuver that would in any way transfer any amounts from the 
Water Workforce Development Fund into any other fund of the 
State. 
    (f) For purpose of this Section:
    "Environmental justice community" has the meaning provided 
in subsection (b) of Section 1-50 of the Illinois Power Agency 
Act.
    "Multi-craft labor organization" means a joint 
labor-management apprenticeship program registered with and 
approved by the United States Department of Labor's Office of 
Apprenticeship or a labor organization that has an accredited 
training program through the Higher Learning Commission or the 
Illinois Community College Board.
    "Organization" means a corporation, company, partnership, 
association, society, order, labor organization, or individual 
or aggregation of individuals. 
  
 
    Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding 
Section 5.891 as follows:
 
    (30 ILCS 105/5.891 new)
    Sec. 5.891. The Water Workforce Development Fund.