Bill Text: IL HB5088 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, on and after July 1, 2024, a local tourism and convention bureau may not be certified to receive local tourism funds if all or part of the geographic area served by the local tourism and convention bureau is represented by another tourism and convention bureau that is certified by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-05 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB5088 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB5088-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB5088 Introduced , by Rep. Fred Crespo SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 605/605-705 was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a
Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, on and after July 1, 2024, a local tourism and convention bureau may not be certified to receive local tourism funds if all or part of the geographic area served by the local tourism and convention bureau is represented by another tourism and convention bureau that is certified by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois
is amended by changing Section 605-705 as follows:
(20 ILCS 605/605-705) (was 20 ILCS 605/46.6a)
Sec. 605-705. Grants to local tourism and convention
bureaus.
(a) To establish a grant program for local tourism and
convention bureaus. The Department will develop and implement
a program for the use of funds, as authorized under this Act,
by local tourism and convention bureaus. Each bureau receiving
funds under this Act will be certified by the Department as the
designated recipient to serve an area of the State. For the
purposes of this Act, bureaus eligible to receive funds are
those local tourism and convention bureaus that are (i) either
units of local government or incorporated as not-for-profit
organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a minimum of 2
years before July 1, 2001; (iii) operating with a paid,
full-time staff whose sole purpose is to promote tourism in
the designated service area; and (iv) affiliated with one or
more municipalities or counties that support the bureau with

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local hotel-motel taxes. After July 1, 2001, bureaus
requesting certification in order to receive funds for the
first time must be local tourism and convention bureaus that
are (i) either units of local government or incorporated as
not-for-profit organizations; (ii) in legal existence for a
minimum of 2 years before the request for certification; (iii)
operating with a paid, full-time staff whose sole purpose is
to promote tourism in the designated service area; and (iv)
affiliated with multiple municipalities or counties that
support the bureau with local hotel-motel taxes. In addition,
on and after July 1, 2024, a local tourism and convention
bureau may not be certified to receive funds under this Act if
all or part of the geographic area served by the local tourism
and convention bureau is represented by another tourism and
convention bureau that is certified by the Department under
this Section. Each bureau receiving funds under this Act will
be certified by the Department as the designated recipient to
serve an area of the State. Notwithstanding the criteria set
forth in this subsection (a), or any rule adopted under this
subsection (a), the Director of the Department may provide for
the award of grant funds to one or more entities if in the
Department's judgment that action is necessary in order to
prevent a loss of funding critical to promoting tourism in a
designated geographic area of the State.
(b) To distribute grants to local tourism and convention
bureaus from appropriations made from the Local Tourism Fund

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for that purpose. Of the amounts appropriated annually to the
Department for expenditure under this Section prior to July 1,
2011, one-third of those monies shall be used for grants to
convention and tourism bureaus in cities with a population
greater than 500,000. The remaining two-thirds of the annual
appropriation prior to July 1, 2011 shall be used for grants to
convention and tourism bureaus in the remainder of the State,
in accordance with a formula based upon the population served.
Of the amounts appropriated annually to the Department for
expenditure under this Section beginning July 1, 2011, 18% of
such moneys shall be used for grants to convention and tourism
bureaus in cities with a population greater than 500,000. Of
the amounts appropriated annually to the Department for
expenditure under this Section beginning July 1, 2011, 82% of
such moneys shall be used for grants to convention bureaus in
the remainder of the State, in accordance with a formula based
upon the population served. The Department may reserve up to
3% of total local tourism funds available for costs of
administering the program to conduct audits of grants, to
provide incentive funds to those bureaus that will conduct
promotional activities designed to further the Department's
statewide advertising campaign, to fund special statewide
promotional activities, and to fund promotional activities
that support an increased use of the State's parks or historic
sites. The Department shall require that any convention and
tourism bureau receiving a grant under this Section that

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requires matching funds shall provide matching funds equal to
no less than 50% of the grant amount except that in Fiscal
Years 2021 through 2024 only, the Department shall require
that any convention and tourism bureau receiving a grant under
this Section that requires matching funds shall provide
matching funds equal to no less than 25% of the grant amount.
During fiscal year 2013, the Department shall reserve
$2,000,000 of the available local tourism funds for
appropriation to the Historic Preservation Agency for the
operation of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and
Museum and State historic sites.
To provide for the expeditious and timely implementation
of the changes made by Public Act 101-636, emergency rules to
implement the changes made by Public Act 101-636 may be
adopted by the Department subject to the provisions of Section
5-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.
(Source: P.A. 102-16, eff. 6-17-21; 102-699, eff. 4-19-22;
103-8, eff. 6-7-23.)