Public Act 093-0883
 		





HB4769 Enrolled
LRB093 18492 RAS 44208 b






    AN ACT concerning food animals. 

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
represented in the General Assembly: 


 
    Section 1. Short title.   This Act may be cited as the David 
A. Wirsing Food Animal Institute
Act.



 
    Section 5. Definitions.   As used in this Act:


    "Board" means the governing board of the David A. Wirsing 
Food Animal Institute.


    "Institute" means the David A. Wirsing Food Animal 
Institute.


    "Food animal" includes, but is not limited to, beef cattle, 
swine, sheep,
dairy cattle, turkeys, chickens, and aquaculture 
products.


    "Allied agribusiness" means any related agribusiness, such 
as the feed
industry, financial
institutions, the food animal 
or food animal processing industry, farm
equipment or
implement

dealers or manufacturers, crop production, pharmaceuticals, or 
nutraceuticals.


    "Non-agribusiness" means conservation groups, dieticians, 
food processors,
consumers,
and animal health and well-being 
groups.



 
    Section 10. Institute established; purpose.   The David A. 
Wirsing Food Animal Institute is
established to
review and 
encourage research through peer review, to publish and 
disseminate
unbiased
information about all aspects of the food 
animal industry, anticipating issues
with a vision for the 
future of Illinois agriculture, and to maintain
comprehensive

information systems for the improvement and enhancement of all 
aspects of the
food
animal industry, all for the benefit of the 
public, the General Assembly, the
Governor's
Office,
and other 
State and local government agencies.
The Institute must fulfill 
its purposes with unbiased integrity.



 
    Section 15. Governing board.   The Institute is governed by 
a board of 15
voting members who are appointed by the Governor 
and who must ensure unbiased
information.
Five of the 
Governor's appointees
must represent food animal production.  
Five of the Governor's
appointees must
represent allied 
agribusiness aspects of the food animal industry.  Five of the

Governor's appointees must represent other, non-agribusiness 
aspects of the
food animal industry.


    The board must also include, as non-voting members, the 
dean or department
chairperson or his or her designated 
representative of the following
institutions:
the University 
of Illinois College of ACES, the
University of Illinois College 
of Veterinary Medicine,
the Southern Illinois University 
College of Agriculture,
the Western Illinois University 
Agriculture Department, and the Illinois State
University 
Agriculture Department.



 
    Section 20. Appointment; terms.   Initial appointees to the 
board serve the
following terms as designated by the Governor:  
5 for a term of one year; 5 for
a term of 2 years; and 5 for a 
term of 3 years.  Subsequent appointees serve
terms of 3 years.  
A vacancy is filled by appointment for the remainder of the

unexpired term.  Members may be reappointed to the board.  If the 
Governor
fails to appoint a member or to fill a vacancy within 
90 days after a member's
term expires or a vacancy occurs, the 
remaining board members must make the
appointment by majority 
vote.
A member appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the 
remainder of the
unexpired term or until a
successor is 
qualified.



 
    Section 25. Operation of the board.


    (a) Upon appointment of the board's initial members, the 
Director of
Agriculture shall convene the first meeting of the 
board for the purpose of
selecting a
chairperson and 
considering other matters of business of the Institute.
The 
board annually thereafter, in January
or the first meeting of 
each year,
must select a
chairperson from among its number.  A 
chairperson may be re-elected but may
not serve more than 3 
consecutive years.  The board meets at the call of the
chair.  A 
quorum is necessary for action by the board; 8 voting members 
of the
board
constitute a quorum,
unless a vacancy exists among 
the board's voting members. If a vacancy exists,
then a quorum

of the board
consists of a simple majority of the voting 
members.
Members of the board may receive no compensation but

must
be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the actual 
performance of their duties.


    (b) The board:


        (1) may have and use a common seal and alter the seal 
    at its
discretion;


        (2) may adopt all necessary resolutions, protocols, 
    and by-laws;


        (3) may enter into agreements with State agencies;    
        (4) may enter into agreements with and accept funds 
    from federal
agencies, trade associations, industry 
    organizations, universities and their
sub-units, 
    foundations, and other not-for-profit and private 
    industries to
carry out the purposes of the Institute;


        (5) may establish reserve funds and accounts that may 
    be necessary or
desirable to accomplish the purposes of the 
    Institute; and


        (6) has and may exercise all powers and is subject to 
    all duties
commonly
incident to boards of directors.



 
    Section 30. Expenses. The
board
has the authority to pay 
administrative expenses including salary,
wages, and
fringe

benefits; operation and maintenance expenses, travel, supply, 
and printing
expenses,
rental
and rental related expenses, and 
costs of capital purchases and improvements;
contract and

contractual
expenses; and other expenses deemed appropriate by 
the board. The board is
authorized
to establish a fee structure 
and charge fees for publications and duplicating
expenses.

Revenue from those fees must be deposited into the Food Animal 
Institute Fund.
No charges or fees may be authorized or charged 
to members of the
General
Assembly or the Governor's Office.



 
    Section 35. Report.   The Institute must report annually on 
January 1 to the
Governor, the
Clerk of the
House of 
Representatives, and the Secretary of the Senate upon the 
Institute's
activities
in
the preceding 12 months. The report 
is a public record open for
inspection at the
office of the 
Institute and, among other matters, must include an assessment

of the
current
state of the food animal industry in Illinois 
and recommendations for
new
initiatives and efforts to further 
enhance and best position the food animal
industry in
Illinois.



 
    Section 40. Food Animal Institute Fund.  The Food Animal 
Institute Fund is
created as a
special fund
in the State 
treasury. Grants, fees, and other moneys
obtained
by the
David 
A. Wirsing Food
Animal Institute from governmental entities, 
private sources, foundations,
trade
associations, industry 
organizations, and not-for-profit organizations for
use in

furthering the purposes of the Institute may be deposited into 
the Fund. Moneys
in the
Fund may be used by the Institute for 
undertaking
projects, programs, and other
activities
and for 
the operating and other expenses of the Institute as it 
fulfills its
duties and
responsibilities.



 
    Section 45. Use of funds.  The Institute
shall: (i) collect 
and
disseminate research data, results, or conclusions and 
disseminate it to the
public, the General
Assembly,
State 
agencies, and others who request it; (ii) provide unbiased 
analysis of
research findings, including economic impacts on 
the State and the food animal
industry; (iii) provide, if 
needed, for peer review of research and research
proposals for 
scientific merit, objectives, methods, and procedures; (iv)

coordinate its activities with
public research and education 
programs; and (v) initiate other activities that
are reasonable 
and necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the Institute

under this Act.



 
    Section 95. The State Finance Act is amended by adding 
Section
5.625 as follows:


 
    (30 ILCS 105/5.625 new)


    Sec. 5.625. The Food Animal Institute Fund.

 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.