(20 ILCS 862/15)
Sec. 15. Off-Highway vehicle trails grants; Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund.
(a) The Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund is created as a special fund in the
State treasury.
Money from federal, State, and private sources may be
deposited into the Fund.
Fines assessed by the Department of Natural Resources for citations issued to
off-highway vehicle operators shall be deposited into the
Fund. All interest accrued on the Fund shall be deposited into the Fund.
(b) All money in the Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the
Department for the following
purposes:
(1) Grants for construction of off-highway vehicle |
| recreational trails on county, municipal, other units of local government, or private lands where a recreational need for the construction is shown.
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(2) Grants for maintenance and construction of
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| off-highway vehicle recreational trails on federal lands, where permitted by law.
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(3) Grants for development of off-highway vehicle
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| trail-side facilities in accordance with criteria approved by the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee.
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(4) Grants for acquisition of property from willing
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| sellers for off-highway vehicle recreational trails when the objective of a trail cannot be accomplished by other means.
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(5) Grants for development of urban off-highway
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| vehicle trail linkages near homes and workplaces.
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(6) Grants for maintenance of existing off-highway
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| vehicle recreational trails, including the grooming and maintenance of trails across snow.
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(7) Grants for restoration of areas damaged by usage
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| of off-highway vehicle recreational trails and back country terrain.
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(8) Grants for provision of features that facilitate
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| the access and use of off-highway vehicle trails by persons with disabilities.
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(9) Grants for acquisition of easements for
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| off-highway vehicle trails or for trail corridors.
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(10) Grants for a rider education and safety program.
(11) Administration, enforcement, planning, and
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| implementation of this Act and all Sections of the Illinois Vehicle Code which regulate the operation of off-highway vehicles as defined in this Act.
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(c) The Department may not use the money from the Fund for the
following purposes:
(1) Condemnation of any kind of interest in property.
(2) Construction of any recreational trail on
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| National Forest System land for motorized uses unless those lands have been allocated for uses other than wilderness by an approved forest land and resource management plan or have been released to uses other than wilderness by an Act of Congress, and the construction is otherwise consistent with the management direction in the approved land and resource management plan.
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(3) Construction of motorized recreational trails on
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| Department owned or managed land.
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(d) The Department shall establish a program to administer grants from the
Fund to units of local government, not-for-profit organizations, and
other groups to operate, maintain, and acquire land for off-highway vehicle
parks that are open and accessible to the public.
(e) The monies deposited into the Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Fund under this Section shall not be subject to administrative charges or chargebacks unless otherwise authorized by this Act.
(Source: P.A. 100-798, eff. 1-1-19 .)
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