Bill Text: IL HJR0011 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates the Levee and Floodplain Review Task Force to conduct a comprehensive review of State and federal laws and regulations establishing the oversight and management of river levels and regulation of levee construction and develop recommendations to create and implement a plan for the long-term management of the State's floodplains that balances the needs of agriculture, industry, public safety, the environment, and the overall economy of Illinois regarding levees and floodplains.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-07-02 - House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HJR0011 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HJR0011-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois seeks to support development | ||||||
| 3 | that enhances public safety, agriculture, industry, | ||||||
| 4 | environmental health, and the overall economy of Illinois; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Levees are built with the intention of protecting | ||||||
| 6 | against reoccurring flood damage; however, in some cases they | ||||||
| 7 | can contribute to increased flood risks elsewhere; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, The State should ensure that levees are designed | ||||||
| 9 | and built in a more coordinated, systemic fashion; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The State currently has regulations that help | ||||||
| 11 | ensure that levees are designed and built so as to not | ||||||
| 12 | exacerbate the potential for flooding elsewhere; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Levees in Illinois and its neighboring states do | ||||||
| 14 | not have uniform heights, and no comprehensive policies provide | ||||||
| 15 | a means to balance the impact of floodwater elevation | ||||||
| 16 | fluctuations; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, Comprehensive processes should be lawful and | ||||||
| 18 | responsible so that economic growth can be feasibly | ||||||
| 19 | accomplished while preserving the goal of this State to protect | ||||||
| 20 | the people of Illinois from unmitigated flood damages; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois seeks to eliminate the need | ||||||
| 2 | for costly flood fighting that often occurs during extreme | ||||||
| 3 | flood events creating greater flood risk; creating a plan for | ||||||
| 4 | water storage during flooding events to minimize damage and | ||||||
| 5 | cost recognizes the scientific evidence showing that major rain | ||||||
| 6 | events that contribute to flooding are happening more | ||||||
| 7 | frequently; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, A streamlined process of state levee permitting | ||||||
| 9 | needs to encourage and facilitate flood risk management and | ||||||
| 10 | navigation improvements; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, State regulatory processes should consider the | ||||||
| 12 | regulatory processes of federal agencies; therefore, be it
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| 13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 14 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 15 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Levee and | ||||||
| 16 | Floodplain Review Task Force, whose purpose is the following: | ||||||
| 17 | 1) Conduct a comprehensive review of State and federal | ||||||
| 18 | laws and regulations establishing the oversight and | ||||||
| 19 | management of levees, floodwalls, and planned water | ||||||
| 20 | storage areas in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri; and | ||||||
| 21 | 2) Develop recommendations to create and implement a | ||||||
| 22 | plan for the long-term management of the State's levees, | ||||||
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| 1 | floodwalls, floodplains, and water storage areas that | ||||||
| 2 | balances the needs of agriculture, industry, public | ||||||
| 3 | safety, communities, the environment, and the overall | ||||||
| 4 | economy of Illinois; and be it further
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| 5 | RESOLVED, That the Levee and Floodplain Review Task Force | ||||||
| 6 | be comprised of 22 members in the following manner: | ||||||
| 7 | 1) One member appointed by the Senate President, who | ||||||
| 8 | shall be designated as co-chairperson of the Task Force; | ||||||
| 9 | 2) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the | ||||||
| 10 | Senate; | ||||||
| 11 | 3) One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of | ||||||
| 12 | Representatives, who shall be designated as co-chairperson | ||||||
| 13 | of the Task Force; | ||||||
| 14 | 4) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the | ||||||
| 15 | House of Representatives; | ||||||
| 16 | 5) The Director of Natural Resources or his or her | ||||||
| 17 | designee; | ||||||
| 18 | 6) The Director of the Illinois Emergency Management | ||||||
| 19 | Agency or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 20 | 7) The Secretary of Transportation or his or her | ||||||
| 21 | designee; | ||||||
| 22 | 8) The Director of Agriculture or his or her designee; | ||||||
| 23 | and | ||||||
| 24 | 9) 14 members appointed by the Director of Natural | ||||||
| 25 | Resources in the following manner: | ||||||
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| 1 | a. One member representing an association that | ||||||
| 2 | represents floodplain managers in the State; | ||||||
| 3 | b. One member representing a national advocacy | ||||||
| 4 | group working on Mississippi River issues; | ||||||
| 5 | c. One member representing an environmental | ||||||
| 6 | advocacy organization headquartered in Champaign; | ||||||
| 7 | d. One member representing a statewide | ||||||
| 8 | environmental group encompassing over 80 additional | ||||||
| 9 | environmental groups; | ||||||
| 10 | e. One member representing an environmental | ||||||
| 11 | organization with grassroots advocates across the | ||||||
| 12 | State; | ||||||
| 13 | f. One member representing Illinois municipalities | ||||||
| 14 | bordering the Mississippi River; | ||||||
| 15 | g. One member representing Illinois municipalities | ||||||
| 16 | bordering the Illinois River; | ||||||
| 17 | h. One member representing the State's largest | ||||||
| 18 | agricultural association; | ||||||
| 19 | i. One member representing a group that advocates | ||||||
| 20 | on behalf of the Upper Mississippi, Illinois, and | ||||||
| 21 | Missouri rivers; | ||||||
| 22 | j. One member representing levee districts in | ||||||
| 23 | Illinois downstream of East St. Louis; | ||||||
| 24 | k. One member representing levee districts in | ||||||
| 25 | Illinois bordering the Mississippi River between St. | ||||||
| 26 | Louis and Lock & Dam 19; | ||||||
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| 1 | l. One member representing levee districts | ||||||
| 2 | bordering the Mississippi River north of Lock & Dam 19; | ||||||
| 3 | m. One member representing levee districts | ||||||
| 4 | bordering the Illinois River; and | ||||||
| 5 | n. One member representing a group that advocates | ||||||
| 6 | on behalf of the Upper Mississippi River Basin; and be it | ||||||
| 7 | further
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| 8 | RESOLVED, That the Levee and Floodplain Review Task Force | ||||||
| 9 | shall conduct its meetings in a public manner and complete its | ||||||
| 10 | report by August 31, 2019; and be it further
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| 11 | RESOLVED, That we urge Il. Admin Code Title 17, Chapter 1, | ||||||
| 12 | Subchapter h, Part 3700, Administrative Rule Changes developed | ||||||
| 13 | by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources be delayed from | ||||||
| 14 | the Joint Committee on Administrative Rule (JCAR) rulemaking | ||||||
| 15 | process until August 31, 2019; and be it further
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| 16 | RESOLVED, That the Department of Natural Resources shall | ||||||
| 17 | serve as facilitator for the Task Force; and be it further
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| 18 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 19 | delivered to the General Assembly and Director of Natural | ||||||
| 20 | Resources.
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