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92_SB1613 LRB9214311BDmg 1 AN ACT concerning tourism. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Community 5 Affairs Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is 6 amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows: 7 (20 ILCS 605/605-705) (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a) 8 Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention 9 bureaus. 10 (a) To establish a grant program for local tourism and 11 convention bureaus. The Department of Commerce and Community 12 Affairs will develop and implement a program for the use of 13 funds, as authorized under this Act, by local tourism and 14 convention bureaus. For the purposes of this Act, bureaus 15 eligible to receive funds are those local tourism and 16 convention bureaus that are (i) either units of local 17 government or incorporated as not-for-profit organizations; 18 (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 years before July 19 1, 2001; (iii) operating with a paid, full-time staff whose 20 sole purpose is to promote tourism in the designated service 21 area; and (iv) affiliated with one or more municipalities or 22 counties that support the bureau with local hotel-motel 23 taxes. After July 1, 2001, bureaus requesting certification 24 in order to receive funds for the first time must be local 25 tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either units of 26 local government or incorporated as not-for-profit 27 organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2 28 years before the request for certification; (iii) operating 29 with a paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote 30 tourism in the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated 31 with multiple municipalities or counties that support the -2- LRB9214311BDmg 1 bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. Each bureau receiving 2 funds under this Act will be certified by the Department as 3 the designated recipient to serve an area of the State. 4 (b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention 5 bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund 6 for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to 7 the Department for expenditure under this Section, one-third 8 of those monies shall be used for grants to convention and 9 tourism bureaus in cities with a population greater than 10 500,000. The remaining two-thirds of the annual 11 appropriation shall be used for grants to convention and 12 tourism bureaus in the remainder of the State, in accordance 13 with a formula based upon the population served. The 14 Department may reserve up to 10% of the total appropriated to 15 conduct audits of grants, to provide incentive funds to those 16 bureaus that will conduct promotional activities designed to 17 further the Department's statewide advertising campaign, to 18 fund special statewide promotional activities, and to fund 19 promotional activities that support an increased use of the 20 State's parks or historic sites. 21 (Source: P.A. 91-239, eff. 1-1-00; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 22 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 92-38, eff. 6-28-01.)