Bill Text: IL HB5433 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed


Bill Title: Creates the Prairie Lawns Act. Establishes the Prairie Lawns Program, which requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide assistance for installing pollinator-friendly native plants in residential lawns to protect and support native species of pollinators. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules for the Program. Provides for individual support grants to reimburse Illinois residents for up to $400, subject to appropriation and other requirements. Provides for demonstration neighborhood grants to units of local government and nonprofit organizations through a request for proposal process, subject to appropriation and other requirements. Provides that homeowners’ associations and common interest communities may not prohibit the planting of pollinator habitats. Defines terms.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-17 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [HB5433 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB5433-Engrossed.html

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1 AN ACT concerning conservation.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Prairie Lawns Act.
6 Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7 "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources.
8 "Pollinator habitat" means any lawn, planted area of a
9lawn, or planter box or pot where there grows native flowers,
10native vegetation, or pollinator-friendly plants.
11 Section 10. Prairie Lawns Program created.
12 (a) The Department shall establish and administer the
13Prairie Lawns Program to provide assistance for installing
14pollinator-friendly native plants in residential lawns in
15order to protect and support native species of bees,
16butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and other pollinators.
17 (b) To promote the Prairie Lawns Program, the Department
18shall:
19 (1) conduct outreach and publicity for the Program by,
20 among other things:
21 (A) establishing and administering a public
22 awareness campaign to raise awareness about creating

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1 pollinator habitats; and
2 (B) creating and providing a Prairie Lawns yard
3 sign for grant recipients and making the sign
4 available for download on the Department's website;
5 (2) provide educational assistance for installing
6 pollinator-friendly native plants in residential lawns by,
7 among other things:
8 (A) making educational materials available on the
9 Department website; and
10 (B) offering units of local government and
11 nonprofit organizations assistance with related
12 education and outreach efforts;
13 (3) cooperate with units of local government and
14 nonprofit organizations in creating demonstration
15 neighborhoods, which are community projects intended to
16 enhance pollinator habitats and raise awareness about
17 pollinators.
18 A unit of local government or a nonprofit organization
19 overseeing a demonstration neighborhood shall work with
20 local residents to install pocket gardens, trees, bushes,
21 shrubs, meadows, and lawns that are beneficial to
22 pollinators in residential lawns.
23 Section 15. Individual support grants.
24 (a) The Department shall adopt rules and develop criteria
25to award through the Prairie Lawns Program individual support

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1grants that will allow eligible Illinois residents to be
2reimbursed for up to $400 in costs associated with
3establishing a pollinator habitat in their yards.
4 (b) Individual support grant recipients must provide at
5least a 25% match for their total reimbursement request. This
6match can be in the form of purchasing materials, hiring
7contractors, or as in-kind time spent planting or maintaining
8plants.
9 (c) An individual support grant applicant shall submit a
10map of the applicant's completed project in the application
11for reimbursement.
12 (d) This Section is subject to appropriation.
13 Section 20. Demonstration neighborhood grants.
14 (a) The Department shall adopt rules and develop criteria
15to award demonstration neighborhood grants to units of local
16government and nonprofit organizations to create demonstration
17neighborhoods as described in paragraph (3) of subsection (b)
18of Section 10 of this Act.
19 (b) Units of local government and nonprofit organizations
20shall be invited to apply for individual support grants under
21this Act through a request for proposal process.
22 (c) This Section is subject to appropriation.
23 Section 25. No prohibition on pollinator habitats. Common
24interest communities, as defined in Section 1-5 of the Common

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1Interest Community Association Act, shall not prohibit any
2resident or owner from planting a pollinator habitat within
3the boundaries of the resident's or owner's property or lot.
4Residents and owners shall not plant a pollinator habitat in
5or on a common area, property owned by the common interest
6community, or the property or lot owned by another owner
7without the prior written consent of the common interest
8community or other owner. Common interest communities shall
9not enact or enforce rules and regulations that impair the
10proper maintenance and care of pollinator habitats.
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