HB3541 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 11392 HLH 21480 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB3541

Introduced 2/18/2025, by Rep. Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 730/5-40

Amends the Energy Transition Act. Provides that the Climate Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program shall recruit, prescreen, and provide pre-apprenticeship training relevant to clean energy apprenticeships in the construction and building trades and that the Program shall meet certain requirements regarding applicant placements (rather than requiring each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund to perform certain actions).

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 5. The Energy Transition Act is amended by changing Section 5-40 as follows:

(20 ILCS 730/5-40)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

Sec. 5-40. Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program.

(a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall develop, and through Regional Administrators administer, the Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program. The goal of the Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program is to create a network of hubs throughout the State that will recruit, prescreen, and provide preapprenticeship skills training, for which participants may attend free of charge and receive a stipend, to create a qualified, diverse pipeline of workers who are prepared for careers in the construction and building trades and clean energy jobs opportunities therein. Upon completion of the Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program, the candidates will be connected to and prepared to successfully complete an apprenticeship program.

(b) Each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall provide an annual report to the Illinois Works Review Panel by April 1 of each calendar year. The annual report shall include the following information:

(1) a description of the Climate Works Hub's recruitment, screening, and training efforts, including a description of training related to construction and building trades opportunities in clean energy jobs;

(2) the number of individuals who apply to, participate in, and complete the Climate Works Hub's program, broken down by race, gender, age, and veteran status;

(3) the number of the individuals referenced in paragraph (2) of this subsection who are initially accepted and placed into apprenticeship programs in the construction and building trades; and

(4) the number of individuals referenced in paragraph (2) of this subsection who remain in apprenticeship programs in the construction and building trades or have become journeymen one calendar year after their placement, as referenced in paragraph (3) of this subsection.

(c) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall provide funding to 3 Climate Works Hubs throughout the State, including one to the Illinois Department of Transportation Region 1, one to the Illinois Department of Transportation Regions 2 and 3, and one to the Illinois Department of Transportation Regions 4 and 5. An eligible organization may serve as the designated Climate Works Hub for all 5 regions. Climate Works Hubs shall be awarded grants in multi-year increments not to exceed 36 months. Each grant shall come with a one year initial term, with the Department renewing each year for 2 additional years unless the grantee either declines to continue or fails to meet reasonable performance measures that consider apprenticeship programs timeframes. The Department may take into account experience and performance as a previous grantee of the Climate Works Hub as part of the selection criteria for subsequent years.

(d) The Climate Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program shall recruit, prescreen, and provide pre-apprenticeship training relevant to clean energy apprenticeships in the construction and building trades and shall meet all of the following:

(1) The Program shall dedicate at least one-third of Program placements to applicants who reside in a geographic area that is (i) an R3 Area, as defined in Section 10-40 of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, (ii) an environmental justice community, as defined in the Illinois Power Agency Act, and (iii) impacted by economic and environmental challenges, excluding any racial or ethnic indicators used by the Agency unless and until the constitutional basis for the inclusion of the factors in determining Program admissions is established. Among applicants that satisfy these criteria, preference shall be given to applicants who face barriers to employment, including low educational attainment, prior involvement with the criminal justice system, and language barriers, and applicants that are graduates of or currently enrolled in the foster care system.

(2) The Program shall dedicate at least two-thirds of Program placements to applicants that satisfy the criteria in paragraph (1) or who reside in a geographic area that is (i) an R3 Area, as defined in Section 10-40 of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, or an environmental justice community, as defined in the Illinois Power Agency Act, and (ii) that is impacted by economic and environmental challenges, excluding any racial or ethnic indicators used by the Agency unless and until the constitutional basis for the inclusion of the factors in determining Program admissions is established. Among applicants that satisfy these criteria, preference shall be given to applicants who face barriers to employment, including low educational attainment, prior involvement with the criminal legal system, and language barriers, and applicants that are graduates of or currently enrolled in the foster care system; and

(3) The Program shall prioritize the remaining Program placements for the following:

(i) applicants who are displaced energy workers, as defined in the Energy Community Reinvestment Act;

(ii) persons who face barriers to employment, including low educational attainment, prior involvement with the criminal justice system, and language barriers; and

(iii) applicants who are graduates of or currently enrolled in the foster care system, regardless of the applicant's area of residence. Each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall:

(1) recruit, prescreen, and provide preapprenticeship training to equity investment eligible persons;

(2) provide training information related to opportunities and certifications relevant to clean energy jobs in the construction and building trades; and

(3) provide preapprentices with stipends they receive that may vary depending on the occupation the individual is training for.

(d-5) Priority shall be given to Climate Works Hubs that have an agreement with North American Building Trades Unions (NABTU) to utilize the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum or successor curriculums.

(e) Funding for the Program is subject to appropriation from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund.

(f) The Department shall adopt any rules deemed necessary to implement this Section.

(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21; 102-1031, eff. 5-27-22; 102-1123, eff. 1-27-23.)