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91_HB3972 LRB9112634LDpk 1 AN ACT relating to the rehabilitation and improvement of 2 school facilities. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 6 Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community School Facility 7 Improvement Act. 8 Section 5. Creation of program. The Illinois 9 Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community School Facility 10 Improvement Program (hereinafter called the EZ/EC program) is 11 hereby created, to be administered and implemented by the 12 Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and the 13 University of Illinois' Urban School Improvement Program. 14 Section 10. EZ/EC program objectives. The Department of 15 Commerce and Community Affairs and the Urban School 16 Improvement Program at the University of Illinois shall 17 develop and demonstrate mechanisms under which significant 18 federal and private sector resources and investment are (i) 19 accessed to support administration of the EZ/EC program, and 20 (ii) allocated and made available to support the repair, 21 renovation, and improvement of school buildings and 22 facilities located in Illinois communities that have been 23 designated as Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities 24 under aligned federal laws and regulations which recognize 25 the role that training and education play in supporting 26 community economic development. 27 Section 15. Administration of program. The program 28 shall be administered by the Department of Commerce and 29 Community Affairs and the University of Illinois' Urban -2- LRB9112634LDpk 1 School Improvement Program in conjunction with schools in 2 communities located in Chicago, East St. Louis, and 3 Springfield. The program shall be administered to 4 demonstrate effective methods to employ federal Empowerment 5 Zone/Enterprise Community program incentives to leverage 6 private investment in support of improving school buildings 7 and facilities in Illinois Empowerment Zones and Enterprise 8 Communities. The methods shall include (i) utilization of 9 shared savings long-term contracts, (ii) establishment of 10 EZ/EC program investment cooperatives, and (iii) development 11 of an EZ/EC program School Facility Special Private Activity 12 Bond Program. 13 Section 20. Authority to accept and expend funds. In 14 the exercise of their responsibilities under this Act, the 15 Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and the 16 University of Illinois' Urban School Improvement Program may 17 accept and expend gifts, endowments, and federal funds made 18 available for purposes consistent with the administration and 19 implementation of this Act. 20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 21 becoming a law.