Bill Text: IL HB5599 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Economic Opportunity Act. Provides that a Community Action Board shall consist of no less than 9 members (rather than 15 members) and no more than 51 members. Makes other changes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-19 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB5599 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB5599-Engrossed.html

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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 Illinois Economic Opportunity Act is
amended by changing Section 3 as follows:
(20 ILCS 625/3) (from Ch. 127, par. 2603)
Sec. 3. (a) A community action agency is a political
subdivision of the State, a combination of political
subdivisions, a public agency, or a private nonprofit agency
which has the authority under any applicable charter or laws
to receive funds pursuant to Section 2 to support community
action programs of the type described in Section 4 and is
designated as a community action agency.
(b) Each community action agency shall administer its
community action programs through a Community Action Board
consisting of no less than 9 members and no more than 15 to 51
members chosen as follows:
(1) One-third of the members of the Board shall be
elected public officials, currently holding office, or
representatives designated by these officials. These
members shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of
the chief elected official of the political subdivision
served by the community action agency.

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(2) At least one-third of the members shall be persons
chosen in accordance with democratic selection procedures
adequate to assure that they are representative of
low-income individuals and families the poor from within
the area served.
(3) The other members shall be officials or members of
business, industry, labor, religious, welfare, education
or other major groups or interests in the community. Each
member of the Board selected to represent a specific
geographic area within a community shall reside in that
area.
(4) The community action agency through its bylaws
shall determine the board tenure of the members selected
under subparagraphs (2) or (3).
(c) Each community action agency shall consult
neighborhood-based organizations composed of residents of the
area and members of the groups served by that agency for
assistance in the planning, conduct and evaluation of
community action programs.
(d) A community action agency shall
(1) plan and carry out community action programs;
(2) address the needs of low-income residents, gather
information as to the problems and causes of poverty in
the community and, where necessary, establish priorities
among projects and activities on the basis of which
projects provide the best and most efficient use of

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resources;
(3) encourage organizations engaged in activities
related to community action programs to plan for, secure
and administer financial assistance available either under
Section 2 or from other sources on a common or cooperative
basis, provide planning and technical assistance to those
organizations, and cooperate with such organizations in
undertaking actions to improve upon existing efforts to
reduce poverty;
(4) initiate and sponsor projects which are responsive
to needs of the poor not otherwise being met, with
particular emphasis on providing central or common
services that can be drawn upon by a variety of related
programs, and which offer new approaches or new types of
services that can be incorporated into other programs; and
(5) join with and encourage business, labor and other
private groups and organizations to undertake, together
with public officials and agencies, activities supporting
community action programs which will result in the
additional use of private resources and capabilities in an
effort to develop new employment opportunities and
stimulate investment that will have a measurable impact on
reducing poverty among the residents of areas of
concentrated poverty, and provide methods by which
residents of those areas can work with private groups,
firms, and institutions in seeking solutions to problems

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