Bill Text: IL SB1808 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act. Creates the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors to provide wages to young adults operating and instructing in conservation or recreational programs. Provides that local sponsors who can provide necessary facilities, materials, and management for conservation or recreational activities within the community may apply to the Department of Natural Resources for a grant under the Act for the purpose of hiring managing supervisors and eligible young adults for conservation or recreational programs. Provides that the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps shall be limited to citizens of this State who, at the time of enrollment, are unemployed, are 18 through 25 years of age, and who have skills that can be used in the conservation or recreational program. Provides that the Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to the administration of the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2015-05-22 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [SB1808 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-SB1808-Engrossed.html

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AN ACT concerning conservation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult
Conservation Jobs Act is amended by changing Sections 2, 4, 6,
and 9 and by adding Section 8.5 as follows:
(525 ILCS 50/2) (from Ch. 48, par. 2552)
Sec. 2. Declaration of Intent. The General Assembly finds
that the level of unemployment among veterans, the youths of
this State, particularly those age 14 through 18, and young
adults, age 18 through 25, is unsatisfactory. This situation is
not conducive to the development of veterans and the youth and
young adults of Illinois as the future of the State. The
General Assembly further finds that the availability of
conservation and recreational programs for veterans, youth,
and young adults in parks and recreational facilities and other
lands operated by the State, by units of local government, and
by local not-for-profit entities is severely limited. The
General Assembly therefore creates the Illinois Veteran,
Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act to establish (a)
the Illinois Veteran Conservation Corps and the Illinois Young
Adult Conservation Corps to provide year-round employment for
veterans and young adults of this State for the purpose of

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conservation, rehabilitation, protection and enhancement of
the State's public land and (b) the Illinois Veteran Recreation
Corps, and the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps, and the
Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps to provide employment for
the veterans, and youth, and young adults of this State for the
purpose of administering and operating conservation or
recreational programs operated by units of local government or
local not-for-profit entities at conservation and open spaces,
parks, or recreational facilities or other similar facilities
or locations.
(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
(525 ILCS 50/4) (from Ch. 48, par. 2554)
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of this Act:
(a) "Department" means the Department of Natural
Resources.
(b) "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources.
(c) "Local sponsor" means any unit of local government or
not-for-profit entity that can make available for a summer
conservation or recreation program park lands, conservation or
recreational lands or facilities, equipment, materials,
administration, supervisory personnel, etc.
(d) "Managing supervisor" means an enrollee in the Illinois
Veteran Recreation Corps, or the Illinois Youth Recreation
Corps, or the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps who is
selected by the local sponsor to supervise the activities of

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the veterans, or youth, or young adults employee enrollees
working on the conservation or recreation project. A managing
supervisor in the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps may be 19
years of age or older.
(e) "Veteran" means an Illinois resident who has served or
is currently serving as a member of the United States Armed
Forces, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of
a Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces.
(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
(525 ILCS 50/6) (from Ch. 48, par. 2556)
Sec. 6. Funding. Funding for the Illinois Veteran, Youth,
and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act shall be from any State
or federal funds or grants or other funding so received by the
Department and any matching funds required by the Department
from local sponsors that choose to participate in the Illinois
Veteran Recreation Corps, or the Illinois Youth Recreation
Corps, or the Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps programs.
(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)
(525 ILCS 50/8.5 new)
Sec. 8.5. Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps.
(a) Subject to appropriation, the Illinois Young Adult
Recreation Corps is established for the purpose of making
grants to local sponsors to provide wages to young adults
operating and instructing in conservation or recreational

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programs. The programs shall provide conservation or
recreational opportunities and shall include, but are not
limited to, the coordination and teaching of natural resource
conservation and management, physical activities, or learning
activities directly related to natural resource conservation
management or recreation. Persons employed through the
Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps shall not perform work in
State parks. The programs may charge user fees, but the fees
shall be designed to promote as much community involvement as
possible, as determined by the Department.
(b) Local sponsors who can provide necessary facilities,
materials, and management for conservation or recreational
activities within the community may apply to the Department for
a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing
supervisors, as necessary, and eligible young adults for
conservation or recreational programs. Applications shall be
evaluated on the basis of program content, location, need,
local commitment of resources, and consistency with the
purposes of this Act.
(c) The Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps shall be
limited to citizens of this State who, at the time of
enrollment, are unemployed, are 18 through 25 years of age, and
who have skills that can be used in the conservation or
recreational program.
The ratio of young adult employee enrollees to managing
supervisors shall not be less than 10 to 1 for any local

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sponsor with a total number of young adult employee enrollees
of 10 or more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of
young adult employee enrollees of less than 10 shall be limited
to one managing supervisor.
The local sponsors shall make public notification of the
availability of jobs for eligible young adults in the Illinois
Young Adult Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers,
electronic media, educational facilities, units of local
government, and Department of Employment Security offices.
Application for employment shall be made directly to the local
sponsor.
The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to
the administration of the Illinois Young Adult Recreation
Corps. These rules shall prohibit the use of Illinois Young
Adult Recreation Corps employees in a manner that displaces or
replaces regular employees and shall prohibit any activity that
impairs or is inconsistent with an existing collective
bargaining agreement or with the collective bargaining rights
of employees. Illinois Young Adult Recreation Corps employees
shall not be assigned work within the scope of bargaining unit
work without the written consent of the exclusive bargaining
representative.
(d) The enrollment period for any successful applicant of
the program shall not be longer than 12 months. Once enrolled
in the program, each enrollee shall receive a reasonable wage
as set by the Department and shall work hours as required by

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the conservation or recreation program as determined by the
Department, except that an enrollee working as a managing
supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an enrollee working
in any other capacity on the conservation or recreation
program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local sponsor and
not contractual hires for the purpose of employment taxes,
except that enrollees shall not be classified as employees of
this State or the local sponsor for purposes of contributions
to the State Employees' Retirement System of Illinois or any
other public employee retirement system.
(525 ILCS 50/9)
Sec. 9. Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps. With respect to
the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps:
(a) Purpose. The Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps is
established for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors
to provide wages to veterans of any age operating and
instructing in conservation or recreational programs. Such
programs shall provide conservation or recreational
opportunities and shall include, but are not limited to, the
coordination and teaching of natural resource conservation and
management, physical activities, or learning activities
directly related to natural resource conservation management
or recreation. Such programs may charge user fees, but such
fees shall be designed to promote as much community involvement
as possible, as determined by the Department.

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(b) Application. Local sponsors who can provide necessary
facilities, materials, and management for summer conservation
or recreational activities within the community and who desire
a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing
supervisors as necessary and eligible veterans for such
conservation or recreational programs may make application to
the Department. Applications shall be evaluated on the basis of
program content, location, need, local commitment of
resources, and consistency with the purposes of this Act.
(c) Enrollment. The Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps
shall be limited to citizens of this State who at the time of
enrollment are veterans of any age and are unemployed and who
have skills that can be utilized in the summer conservation or
recreational program. Preference may be given to veterans with
a disability.
The ratio of veterans employee enrollees to a managing
supervisor must not be less than 10 to 1 for any local sponsor
with a total number of veterans employee enrollees of 10 or
more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of veteran
employee enrollees of less than 10 must be limited to one
managing supervisor. Veterans who are unemployed shall be given
preference for employment as managing supervisors.
The local sponsors shall make public notification of the
availability of jobs for eligible veterans in the Illinois
Veteran Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers, electronic
media, educational facilities, units of local government, and

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Department of Employment Security offices. Application for
employment shall be made directly to the local sponsor.
The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to
the administration of the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps.
(d) Terms of employment. The enrollment period for any
successful applicant of the program shall not be longer than 12
6 total months. Once enrolled in the program, each enrollee
shall receive a reasonable wage as set by the Department and
shall work hours as required by the conservation or recreation
program but not in excess of a maximum number of hours as
determined by the Department, except that an enrollee working
as a managing supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an
enrollee working in any other capacity on the conservation or
recreation program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local
sponsor and not contractual hires for the purpose of employment
taxes, except that enrollees shall not be classified as
employees of the State or the local sponsor for purposes of
contributions to the State Employees' Retirement System of
Illinois or any other public employee retirement system.
(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.