Rep. Michelle Mussman

Filed: 4/15/2024

10300HB0255ham001LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 255
2 AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 255 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
4 "Section 5. The Department of Natural Resources
5(Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of
6Illinois is amended by changing Section 805-30 as follows:
7 (20 ILCS 805/805-30) (was 20 ILCS 805/63a38)
8 Sec. 805-30. Illinois Veteran Conservation Corps and
9Illinois Youth and Young Adult Conservation Program Corps;
10Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps and Illinois Youth
11Recreation Corps. The Department has the power to administer
12the Illinois Veteran Conservation Corps, Illinois Young Adult
13Conservation Corps, Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps, and the
14Illinois Youth Recreation Corps programs created by the
15Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Program
16Jobs Act and to adopt promulgate rules and regulations for the

10300HB0255ham001- 2 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1administration of the programs.
2(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
3 Section 10. The Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult
4Conservation Jobs Act is amended by changing Sections 1, 2, 4,
55, 6, 7, and 8 as follows:
6 (525 ILCS 50/1) (from Ch. 48, par. 2551)
7 Sec. 1. This Article II shall be known and may be cited as
8the Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult Conservation
9Program Jobs Act.
10(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
11 (525 ILCS 50/2) (from Ch. 48, par. 2552)
12 Sec. 2. Declaration of Intent. The General Assembly finds
13that youth, representing all segments of society, benefit from
14education and employment in the healthful outdoor atmosphere
15of the State's park systems, recreational facilities, and
16other public land and water areas and, through those education
17and employment opportunities, will develop, enhance, and
18maintain the natural resources of the State of Illinois while
19gaining an understanding and appreciation of the State's
20environment and heritage the level of unemployment among
21veterans, the youths of this State, particularly those age 14
22through 18, and young adults, age 18 through 25, is
23unsatisfactory. This situation is not conducive to the

10300HB0255ham001- 3 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1development of veterans and the youth and young adults of
2Illinois as the future of the State. The General Assembly
3further finds that the availability of conservation and
4recreational programs for veterans, youth, and young adults in
5parks and recreational facilities and other lands operated by
6the State, by units of local government, and by local
7not-for-profit entities is severely limited. The General
8Assembly therefore creates this the Illinois Veteran, Youth,
9and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act to establish (a) the
10Illinois Youth and Young Adult Conservation Program Veteran
11Conservation Corps and the Illinois Young Adult Conservation
12Corps to provide year-round employment for veterans and young
13adults of this State for the purpose of conservation,
14rehabilitation, protection and enhancement of the State's
15public land and (b) the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps and
16the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps to provide education and
17potential employment opportunities for the veterans and youth
18and young adults of this State to further the development and
19maintenance of the natural resources by Illinois' youth, and
20in so doing to prepare them for the responsibility of
21maintaining and managing these resources for the purpose of
22administering and operating conservation or recreational
23programs operated by units of local government or local
24not-for-profit entities at conservation and open spaces,
25parks, or recreational facilities or other similar facilities
26or locations.

10300HB0255ham001- 4 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
2 (525 ILCS 50/4) (from Ch. 48, par. 2554)
3 Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of this Act:
4 (a) "Department" means the Department of Natural
5Resources.
6 (b) "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources.
7 (c) "Local sponsor" means any unit of local government or
8not-for-profit entity that can make available for a summer
9conservation or recreation program park lands, conservation or
10recreational lands or facilities, equipment, materials,
11administration, supervisory personnel, etc.
12 (d) "Managing supervisor" means an enrollee in the
13Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps or the Illinois Youth
14Recreation Corps who is selected by the local sponsor to
15supervise the activities of the veterans or youth employee
16enrollees working on the conservation or recreation project. A
17managing supervisor in the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps may
18be 19 years of age or older.
19 (e) "Veteran" means an Illinois resident who has served or
20is currently serving as a member of the United States Armed
21Forces, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of
22a Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces.
23(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
24 (525 ILCS 50/5) (from Ch. 48, par. 2555)

10300HB0255ham001- 5 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1 Sec. 5. Cooperation. The Department of Natural Resources
2shall have the full cooperation of the Illinois State Board of
3Education Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of
4Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Illinois State Job
5Coordinating Council created by the Federal Job Training
6Partnership Act (Public Law 97-300), and the Department of
7Employment Security to carry out the purposes of this Act.
8(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
9 (525 ILCS 50/6) (from Ch. 48, par. 2556)
10 Sec. 6. Funding. Funding for the Illinois Veteran, Youth,
11and Young Adult Conservation Program ("Program") Jobs Act
12shall be from any State or federal funds or grants or other
13funding so received by the Department and any matching funds
14required by the Department from local sponsors that choose to
15participate in the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps or the
16Illinois Youth Recreation Corps programs.
17(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
18 (525 ILCS 50/7) (from Ch. 48, par. 2557)
19 Sec. 7. Illinois Youth and Young Adult Conservation
20Program Corps. With respect to the Illinois Young Adult
21Conservation Corps program:
22 (a) Enrollment. The Illinois Youth and Young Adult
23Conservation Program Corps shall be limited to citizens of
24this State who at the time of enrollment and participation are

10300HB0255ham001- 6 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
115 18 through 25 years of age inclusive and who are unemployed.
2 The Department shall make public notification of the
3availability of jobs for young adults in the Illinois Young
4Adult Conservation Corps by the means of newspapers,
5electronic media, educational facilities, units of local
6government and the Department of Employment Security offices.
7 The Department may adopt shall promulgate reasonable rules
8pertaining to application for jobs with the Illinois Youth and
9Young Adult Conservation Program Corps.
10 Any applicant who knowingly and purposely provides
11wrongful information regarding age, employment or educational
12records shall be deemed ineligible to participate in the
13program. Any applicant who successfully gains employment in
14the program and is later proven to have falsified his or her
15application shall be dismissed immediately from the program.
16 (b) When applicable, participants Terms of Employment.
17Once enrolled in the Illinois Young Adult Conservation Corps,
18each enrollee shall receive at least the standard minimum wage
19as set by the State of Illinois and shall work normal working
20hours as determined by the Department. The participants
21enrollees shall not be classified as employees of the State
22for purposes of contributions to the State Employees'
23Retirement System of Illinois or any other public employment
24retirement system of the State.
25 (c) Permissible Activities. The Director shall designate
26suitable projects and curriculum in which participants in

10300HB0255ham001- 7 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1enrollees of the program shall participate. No project
2designated for enrollee participation shall result in the
3displacement of individuals currently employed or positions
4currently existing, either directly or under contract with any
5private contractor, by the Department through the reduction of
6overtime or nonovertime hours, wages or employment benefits.
7 Projects and curriculum so designated by the Director
8shall be for the purpose of: (1) development, enhancement, and
9maintenance of the natural resources of the State of Illinois;
10(2) environmental stewardship and civic responsibility; and
11(3) enhancement of enhancing public lands owned or leased by
12the Department or developing and enhancing projects or
13initiatives undertaken in whole or part by the Department.
14Such projects and curriculum shall include improving the
15habitat of fauna and flora; improving utilization of
16conservation or recreation facilities and lands by the public;
17improving water quality; and any other project deemed by the
18Department to improve the environmental, economic and
19recreational quality of the State's natural resources State
20owned or leased lands.
21 All projects designated for activity by the Director shall
22be within a reasonable commuting time for each participant
23enrollee. To the extent possible, the Director shall designate
24areas where a pool of participants enrollees may work. In no
25circumstance shall participants enrollees be required to spend
26more than 1 1/2 hours of commuting time to a project or a

10300HB0255ham001- 8 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1designated area; provided, a participant an enrollee may agree
2to spend more than 1 1/2 hours of commuting time to a project
3or a designated area.
4(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
5 (525 ILCS 50/8) (from Ch. 48, par. 2558)
6 Sec. 8. Contracts Illinois Youth Recreation Corps. The
7Department may enter into contracts, intergovernmental
8agreements, grants, cooperative agreements, memoranda of
9understanding, or other instruments as necessary to implement
10the Youth and Young Adult Conservation Program. The Illinois
11Procurement Code shall not apply to contracts entered into for
12the purpose of fulfilling the purposes of this Act with
13not-for-profit organizations that have a documented commitment
14to addressing the barriers to employment and education for
15minority youth and young adults, as determined by the
16Department. With respect to the Illinois Youth Recreation
17Corps:
18 (a) Purpose. The Illinois Youth Recreation Corps is
19established for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors
20to provide wages to youth operating and instructing in
21conservation or recreational programs. Such programs shall
22provide conservation or recreational opportunities and shall
23include, but are not limited to, the coordination and teaching
24of natural resource conservation and management, physical
25activities, or learning activities directly related to natural

10300HB0255ham001- 9 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1resource conservation management or recreation. Such programs
2may charge user fees, but such fees shall be designed to
3promote as much community involvement as possible, as
4determined by the Department.
5 (b) Application. Local sponsors who can provide necessary
6facilities, materials and management for summer conservation
7or recreational activities within the community and who desire
8a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing
9supervisors as necessary and eligible youth for such
10conservation or recreational programs may make application to
11the Department of Natural Resources. Applications shall be
12evaluated on the basis of program content, location, need,
13local commitment of resources, and consistency with the
14purposes of this Act.
15 (c) Enrollment. The Illinois Youth Recreation Corps shall
16be limited to citizens of this State who at the time of
17enrollment are 14 through 18 years of age inclusive and who
18have skills that can be utilized in the summer conservation or
19recreational program. The ratio of youth employee enrollees to
20a managing supervisor must not be less than 10 to 1 for any
21local sponsor with a total number of youth employee enrollees
22of 10 or more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of
23youth employee enrollees of less than 10 must be limited to one
24managing supervisor.
25 The local sponsors shall make public notification of the
26availability of jobs for eligible youth in the Illinois Youth

10300HB0255ham001- 10 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a
1Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers, electronic media,
2educational facilities, units of local government and
3Department of Employment Security offices. Application for
4employment shall be made directly to the local sponsor.
5 The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to
6the administration of the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps.
7 (d) Terms of Employment. The enrollment period for any
8successful applicant of the program shall not be longer than
960 working days during the months of June, July and August.
10Once enrolled in the program, each enrollee shall receive a
11reasonable wage as set by the Department and shall work hours
12as required by the conservation or recreation program but not
13in excess of a maximum number of hours as determined by the
14Department, except that an enrollee working as a managing
15supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an enrollee
16working in any other capacity on the conservation or
17recreation program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local
18sponsor and not contractual hires for the purpose of
19employment taxes, except that enrollees shall not be
20classified as employees of the State or the local sponsor for
21purposes of contributions to the State Employees' Retirement
22System of Illinois or any other public employee retirement
23system.
24(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
25 (525 ILCS 50/7.5 rep.)

10300HB0255ham001- 11 -LRB103 03779 BDA 71833 a