Public Act 098-0986
 
SB3222 EnrolledLRB098 15977 RPM 51027 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 Veterans Affairs Act is 
amended by adding Section 37 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 2805/37 new)
    Sec. 37. Illinois Joining Forces Foundation.
    (a) The General Assembly finds that navigating the "sea of 
goodwill" for those who serve in uniform is one of the greatest 
challenges that transitioning veterans face; as a result, they 
risk being unable to access many of the federal, State, and 
non-profit resources available to them.   Recognizing this 
problem, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Department 
of Military Affairs acted to establish the Illinois Joining 
Forces initiative, a public-private network of military and 
veteran-serving organizations that are working together, in 
person and online, to create a no-wrong-door system of support 
for the State's military and veteran communities.  Illinois 
Joining Forces is a nation-leading model, awarded by the U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Association of 
State Directors of Veterans Affairs for its groundbreaking work 
in creating smarter, collaborative community support for those 
in uniform, past and present.  The foundation created by this 
amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly will serve to 
ensure the long-term sustainability of Illinois Joining 
Forces, which is critically important for the support of the 
State's military and veteran communities.
    (b) The Illinois Joining Forces Foundation shall benefit 
service members, veterans, and their families by:
        (1) convening military and veteran support 
    organizations, through Illinois Joining Forces working 
    groups, to build cross-sector relationships and mutual 
    awareness;
        (2) providing policy recommendations through Illinois 
    Joining Forces member working groups to the Illinois 
    Discharged Servicemember Task Force and the Illinois 
    Veterans' Advisory Council;
        (3) facilitating the transfer of information and 
    knowledge among Illinois Joining Forces member 
    organizations;
        (4) maintaining and continuing to build the 
    no-wrong-door online navigation platform;
        (5) educating Illinois Joining Forces members and 
    other community providers regarding military and veteran 
    culture and needs, thus improving the collective capacity 
    of the support system; and
        (6) outreaching directly to service members, veterans, 
    and their families regarding the no-wrong-door system that 
    Illinois Joining Forces provides to them.
    (c) For the purpose of this Section,
"veterans service 
organization" means an organization that meets all of the 
following criteria:
        (1) The organization is formed by and for United States 
    military
    veterans.
        (2) The organization is chartered by the United States 
    Congress and
    incorporated in the State of Illinois.
        (3) The organization has maintained a State 
    headquarters office in
    Illinois for the 10-year period 
    immediately preceding the effective date of this 
    amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly.
        (4) The organization maintains at least one office in 
    this State,
    staffed by a veterans service officer.
        (5) The organization is capable of preparing a power of 
    attorney
    for a veteran and processing claims for veterans 
    services.
        (6) The organization is not funded by the State of 
    Illinois or by
    any county in this State. 
    (d) The General Assembly authorizes the Department of 
Veterans' Affairs, in accordance with Section 10 of the State 
Agency Entity Creation Act, to create the Illinois Joining 
Forces Foundation as a not-for-profit foundation. The 
Department shall file articles of incorporation as required 
under the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986 to 
create the Foundation. The Foundation's Board of Directors 
shall be appointed as follows: one member appointed by the 
Governor; one member appointed by the President of the Senate; 
one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one 
member appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives; one member appointed by the Minority Leader of 
the House of Representatives; and all of the members of the 
Illinois Joining Forces Executive Committee, who shall be 
appointed by the Director of Veterans' Affairs. In addition to 
any veterans service organization otherwise represented on the 
Board of Directors, a veterans service organization may 
designate in writing an ex officio, non-voting participant to 
the Board of Directors.  Any veterans service organization 
appointee under this Section does not count towards a quorum.  
The Director of Veterans' Affairs and a designee chosen by the 
Director of Military Affairs who is a senior management 
official of the Department of Military Affairs with the 
authority to make decisions on behalf of the agency shall serve 
as members of the Foundation's Board of Directors. Board of 
Director appointments shall be for 2-year terms. Vacancies 
shall be filled by the official who made the recommendation for 
the vacated appointment. No member of the Board of Directors 
may receive compensation for his or her services to the 
Foundation. Upon appointment, the Board of Directors, as 
members of a public entity, shall be represented and 
indemnified pursuant to the requirements of the State Employee 
Indemnification Act.  
    (e) The purposes of the Foundation are to: promote, 
support, assist, and sustain Illinois Joining Forces 
operations; solicit and accept grants and private donations and 
disburse them for the stated intent of the Foundation or the 
private donor; solicit and generate public and private funding 
and donations that assist in enhancing the Illinois Joining 
Forces mission, services, programs, and operations; and engage 
generally in other lawful endeavors consistent with the 
foregoing purposes. The foundation shall operate within the 
provisions of the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 
1986.
    (f) As soon as practicable after the Foundation is created, 
the Board of Directors shall meet, organize, and designate, by 
majority vote, a chairperson, a treasurer, a secretary, and any 
additional officers that may be needed to carry out the 
activities of the Foundation and shall adopt bylaws of the 
Foundation. The Department of Veterans' Affairs, in 
consultation with the Department of Military Affairs, may adopt 
other rules deemed necessary to govern Foundation procedures. 
    (g) The Foundation may request and accept gifts, grants, 
donations, or bequests from the federal government or its 
agencies or officers or from any person, firm, or corporation, 
and may expend receipts on activities that it considers 
suitable to the performance of its duties under this Section 
and consistent with any requirement of the grant, gift, 
donation, or bequest. Funds collected by the Foundation shall 
be considered private funds and shall be held in an appropriate 
account outside of the State treasury. Private funds collected 
by the Foundation are not subject to the Public Funds 
Investment Act. The treasurer of the Foundation shall be the 
custodian of all Foundation funds. The treasurer shall be 
required to obtain a fidelity or surety bond on satisfactory 
terms and in sufficient amounts to protect the interests of the 
Foundation, the cost of which shall be reimbursed by the 
Foundation. The Foundation and its officers shall be 
responsible for the approval of the recording of receipts, 
approval of payments, and the proper filing of required 
reports. The Foundation may be assisted in carrying out its 
functions by Department of Military Affairs and Department of 
Veterans' Affairs personnel. The Department of Military 
Affairs and the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall provide 
reasonable assistance to the Foundation to achieve the purposes 
of the Foundation as determined by the respective Directors. 
The Foundation shall cooperate fully with the boards, 
commissions, agencies, departments, and institutions of the 
State. The funds held and made available by the Illinois 
Joining Forces Foundation shall be subject to financial and 
compliance audits in accordance with the Illinois State 
Auditing Act. The Foundation shall not have any power of 
eminent domain. The Foundation shall not construct or make any 
permanent improvements to any real property.
    (h)  The Foundation must provide a written notice to any 
entity providing a gift, grant, donation, or bequest to the 
Foundation that the Foundation is not subject to the provisions 
of the Public Funds Investment Act, which Act places 
limitations on the types of securities in which a public agency 
may invest public funds.


    (i) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the Foundation 
is not eligible for any grant administered or funded by the 
Department of Veterans' Affairs or the Department of Military 
Affairs. 
 

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