Bill Text: IL SB3471 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Creates the Partners for Nutrient Loss Reduction Act. Creates the Illinois Healthy Soils and Watersheds Initiative. Provides for the adoption of guidelines and needs assessments to assist soil and water conservation districts in determining local goals and needs for project implementation to accomplish the goals of the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. Provides for soil and water conservation districts to develop a goals and needs assessment. Provides for the update of water quality program guidance. Requires the production of an Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Report every 2 years. Amends the State Finance Act. Extends the Partners for Conservation Fund through 2032. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-10 - Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Assignments [SB3471 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SB3471-Introduced.html

---

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2021 and 2022 SB3471 Introduced 1/19/2022, by Sen. Ram Villivalam SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
30 ILCS 105/6z-32
Creates the Partners for Nutrient Loss Reduction Act. Creates the Illinois Healthy Soils and Watersheds Initiative. Provides for the adoption of guidelines and needs assessments to assist soil and water conservation districts in determining local goals and needs for project implementation to accomplish goals of the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. Provides for soil and water conservation districts to develop goals and needs assessment. Provides for the update of water quality program guidance. Requires the production of an Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Report every 2 years. Defines terms. Extends the Partners for Conservation Fund through 2032. Effective immediately.
LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
A BILL FOR
SB3471 LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
AN ACT concerning agriculture.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Partners for Nutrient Loss Reduction Act.
Section 5. Findings. The State recognizes that the
Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) declares the
scale and pace of adoption of conservation and nutrient
management practices needs to accelerate in order to reduce
nutrient losses, improve and protect soil health, and achieve
water quality goals. The increases in precipitation and stream
flows indicated in the most recent biennial report of the
NLRS, "2021 Biennial Report", show the increasing challenge
that climate change presents in meeting nutrient loss
reduction targets. Poor soil infiltration rates and increased
intensity and duration of precipitation is having negative
impacts on erosion, flooding, stormwater, soil health, and
water security for residents throughout the State. These
factors threaten the resilience of Illinois communities, the
economy, and the environment. Therefore, the State of Illinois
must adopt processes and procedures to enhance and guide the
implementation of the NLRS to respond to emerging challenges
and protect the natural resources of the State.

SB3471 - 2 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
Section 10. Declaration of policy. The General Assembly
finds and declares that:
(1) The agricultural industry represents one of
Illinois the largest economic sectors, and the soil and
water resources of the State constitute one of Illinois'
basic and essential assets that contribute to the economic
health and well-being of the State and its residents;
(2) The preservation of soil and water resources
requires planning and programs to ensure:
(A) the sustainable management and productivity of
soil and water resources;
(B) the resilience of our soil and water resources
from the effects of climate change and extreme weather
events;
(C) equity in access to farming and food
production.
(3) Sustainable agriculture is critical to:
(A) the success of rural communities;
(B) the cultural diversity of the State;
(C) maintaining healthy farmland for future
generations of Illinois farmers;
(D) improving water quality;
(E) safeguarding biological diversity, especially
key species like pollinators;
(F) maintaining high-quality recreation

SB3471 - 3 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
opportunities; and
(G) helping to sustain the State economy.
(4) It is essential to reduce the amount of nutrients
flowing into our watersheds by implementing strategies and
policies that:
(A) promote efficient use of nutrients and
sequester nitrogen and phosphorus within our soil to
improve environmental health within Illinois,
surrounding states, and the Gulf of Mexico;
(B) protect and improve soil health and water
quality for future generations;
(C) protect groundwater used as drinking water,
especially for rural residents dependent on well
water;
(D) ensure Illinois' waterways make progress
toward being swimmable, fishable and drinkable;
(E) ensure that municipalities are well-equipped
to implement nutrient management practices as it
relates to wastewater treatment, stormwater management
and drainage;
(F) promote partnerships and collaboration among
stakeholders; and
(G) use all available funding, whether it be from
public or private resources, to assist in achieving
the goals within this Act.

SB3471 - 4 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
Section 15. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"Department" means the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
"Districts" mean soil and water conservation districts.
"Healthy soils practices" means systems of agricultural,
forestry and land management practices that:
(1) improve the health of soils, including, but not
limited to, consideration of depth of topsoil horizons,
water infiltration rate, water-holding capacity, organic
matter content, biologically accessible nutrient content,
bulk density, biological activity, and biological and
microbiological diversity;
(2) follow the principles of: minimizing soil
disturbance and external inputs; keeping soil covered;
maximizing biodiversity; diversifying crop rotations;
maximizing presence of living roots; integrating animals
into land management, including grazing animals, birds,
beneficial insects, or keystone species, such as
earthworms; and incorporating the context of local
conditions in decision-making, including, for example,
soil type, topography, and time of year; and
(3) include such practices as conservation tillage or
no-till, cover-cropping, perennialization of highly
erodible land, precision nitrogen and phosphorus
application, managed grazing, integrated crop-livestock
systems, silvopasture, agroforestry, perennial crops,
integrated pest management, nutrient best management

SB3471 - 5 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
practices, and those practices recommended by the United
States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service Field Office Technical Guide.
"Initiative" means the Illinois Healthy Soils and
Watersheds Initiative.
"Soil health" means the continuing capacity of a soil to
function as a vital, living biological system that sustains
plants, animals, and humans, increases soil organic matter,
improves soil structure and water-and nutrient-holding
capacity and nutrient cycling, enhances water infiltration and
filtration capability, promotes water quality, and results in
net long-term ecological benefits; healthy soils host a
diversity of beneficial organisms, grow vigorous crops,
enhance agricultural resilience, including the ability of
crops and livestock to tolerate and recover from drought,
temperature extremes, extreme precipitation events, pests,
diseases, and other stresses, break down harmful chemicals,
and help convert organic residues into stable soil organic
matter and retaining nutrients, especially nitrogen and
phosphorus.
"Soil health assessment" means a suite of
soil-health-indicator measures, including, but not limited to:
soil organic matter, soil structure, infiltration and bulk
density, water-holding capacity, microbial biomass, and soil
respiration.
"Watershed health" means the continued capacity of a

SB3471 - 6 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
surface and groundwater ecosystem to function as a vital
living ecosystem that is resilient to drought and storm events
and that sustains humans, plants, and animals; healthy
watersheds provide public and private benefits, including, but
not limited to, improved water cycle, water quality, drinking
water security, recreation and tourism, stormwater management,
flood mitigation, habitat resilience, and crop risk.
Section 20. Illinois Healthy Soils and Watersheds
Initiative. The Illinois Healthy Soils and Watersheds
Initiative is created. It is the purpose of the Initiative to
improve the health of soils and the function of watersheds
through efforts that support the implementation of the NLRS,
reduce nutrient loss, improve soil and water quality, protect
drinking water, increase the resilience of ecosystems to
extreme weather events, protect and improve agricultural
productivity, and support aquatic and wildlife habitat.
The Illinois Healthy Soils and Watersheds Initiative shall
be administered by the Director of Agriculture with
consultation from the soil and water conservation districts,
the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the
University of Illinois Extension Program. The Department shall
create guidelines and guidance to assist the soil and water
conservation districts in developing goals and needs
assessments in order to identify desired capacity and funding
levels and establish regular, measurable, cost-effective and

SB3471 - 7 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
technically achievable goals to advance strategies that
improve healthy soils and watersheds and reduce nutrient loss.
These assessments shall be used to identify opportunities to
access and leverage financial and technical assistance from
local, State, federal, and private sources and to guide
resources to their best potential use.
The Initiative shall complement and improve coordination
of existing resources and processes, such as those underway
through the NLRS, the erosion and sediment control program,
those described by Section 6z-32 of the State Finance Act, and
shall not replace existing, local, State, private, or federal
funding or technical assistance programs.
The Department shall report on progress of the Initiative
as a component of biennial reporting for the Illinois Nutrient
Loss Reduction Strategy described in this Act.
The Initiative shall promote voluntary and incentive-based
conservation efforts. No part of this Act shall be used to
impose mandates or require practice adoption.
Section 25. Guidelines for goals and needs assessment. The
Department shall adopt and revise guidelines to assist soil
and water conservation districts in determining local goals
and needs for implementing soil health and watershed
conservation projects consistent with the Nutrient Loss
Reduction Strategy.
Before adopting or revising any guidelines, the Department

SB3471 - 8 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
shall hold a minimum of 2 public hearings with respect
thereto. At least 30 days' notice of the hearings shall be
given by the Department in such a manner as the Department
considers best suited to obtain input from soil and water
conservation districts and all other persons interested in the
proposed guidelines or revisions. Like notice shall be given
by the Department to any person who has filed a request to be
provided notice of such hearings. Copies of the proposed
guidelines or revisions shall be made available to all those
receiving notice of the hearing and to any other person, upon
request.
In developing its guidelines to assist soil and water
conservation districts in determining local goals and needs
for project implementation to accomplish the goals of the
Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, the Department shall
consider:
(1) the relevant physical and geological features of
individual watersheds and drainage basins of the State,
including, but not limited to, data relating to land use
and land use activities, soil type, hydrology, geology,
waterbody characteristics, stream buffers, and built
infrastructure;
(2) estimates of each district's nutrient loss based
on the nitrogen and phosphorus HUC8 watershed loads
described in the NLRS science assessment. When a district
is in more than one watershed, their nutrient contribution

SB3471 - 9 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
can be calculated using a weighted average based on how
much of their county is in each watershed;
(3) watershed-scale information about current and
future climate projections and expected impacts from
climate change in regard to streamflow, soil health, and
other factors that would exasperate nutrient loss as well
as increase additional risks related to flooding, water
quality impairments and other impacts to ecosystem
function and biological diversity;
(4) previously established goals and deadlines within
local watershed-based plans, total maximum daily load
allocation plans, water quality implementation plans,
stormwater plans, soil health plans, or nutrient
assessment and reduction plans;
(5) county and State levels of conservation practice
adoption, consistent with the NLRS-approved practices list
determined by the NLRS science committee. Guidance should
also be provided to districts to meet USDA Natural
Resource Conservation Service determined conservation
practice standards;
(6) information regarding beginning, socially
disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers, as well
as disadvantaged communities;
(7) surveys of lands and waters, land ownership, and
public lands as the Department considers appropriate; and
(8) availability of State, federal, and private

SB3471 - 10 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
financial and technical assistance programs to soil and
water conservation districts, local governments, and
conservation partners to implement NLRS projects.
The guidelines shall be reviewed and updated by the
Department every 4 years, coinciding with every other biennial
report of the NLRS and following the process regarding public
meetings and disclosure listed in this Section.
The Department shall collaborate with the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency and may collaborate with other
partners such as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
and University of Illinois Extension to prepare the
guidelines.
The information collected through the development of the
guidelines shall be summarized and provided to the soil and
water conservation districts to inform the development of
local goals and needs assessments. The Department shall make
reasonable efforts to provide as much of this information as
possible as a publicly available county-level geospatial
database.
Initial guidelines shall be completed and provided to soil
and water conservation districts by January 31, 2023.
Section 30. Local goals and needs assessment. Upon the
adoption of guidelines described in Section 25, each soil and
water conservation district shall develop its own goals and
needs assessment to guide implementation of the NLRS. The

SB3471 - 11 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
goals and needs assessment shall be technically feasible,
economically reasonable, and consistent with the Nutrient Loss
Reduction Strategy.
The Department shall provide a template to the districts
for the local goals and needs assessment including the
required information listed in this Section as well as
information regarding available data and support materials
collected as the guidance information listed in Section 25.
Each district is encouraged to collaborate with other
local governmental entities and local stakeholders in
developing and implementing its goals and needs assessment. To
assist in developing its goals and needs assessment, each
district shall use the guidelines provided by the Department
and name an advisory committee. The advisory committee shall
include representatives from a wide variety of interests, such
as agriculture, business, local government, water utilities,
conservation organizations, environmental organizations, and
recreation. The advisory committee may be identified within an
existing process, including, but not limited to, the erosion
and sediment control program, watershed planning group, or
land use council.
Upon the request of a district, the Department shall
assist in the preparation of the district's goals and needs
assessment. Districts may also work collaboratively to
establish joint plans to leverage existing capacity and
resources most effectively.

SB3471 - 12 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
To carry out its assessment, a district shall identify
conservation activities consistent with the NLRS-approved
practices for various types of soils and land uses. The
assessment shall include planned activities for maximizing the
benefit of conservation activities to reduce nutrient losses,
promote soil and watershed health, and support the viability
of the agricultural sector.
The goals and needs assessment must consider opportunities
to access, leverage, and use State, federal, and private
resources within a specific soil and water conservation
district service area.
Soil and water conservation districts may also convene
producer-led dialogues to identify special initiatives or
pilot projects to leverage additional resources and implement
projects at scale across multiple operations and land
ownerships. These efforts should seek to leverage funding and
resources from local, State, federal, and private entities.
These efforts may be coordinated with research and pilot
projects directed by the Nutrient Research and Education
Council.
In developing a goals and needs assessment, the soil and
water conservation district shall:
(1) evaluate existing assets such as current
practices, current cropping systems, crop processing and
market infrastructure, riparian buffers, wetlands, public
lands, funding, education, research and peer-to-peer

SB3471 - 13 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
training opportunities, and existing partnerships;
(2) consider the eligible funding categories available
through the Partners for Conservation Fund and their
ability to advance the healthy soils practices consistent
with soil health principles and the NLRS-approved
practices list within a soil and water conservation
district service area;
(3) determine vulnerabilities such as runoff risk,
riparian function, stormwater, floodplains and stream
impairments, and observed and predicted impacts from
climate change, especially to socially disadvantaged
farmers, ranchers, and communities;
(4) consult existing plans and priorities established
by municipal and local governments, wastewater treatment
facilities and private sector partners;
(5) identify opportunities to conduct outreach to
agricultural producers and landowners and to develop
individual soil health plans as well as other
beneficiaries of nutrient loss reduction efforts;
(6) establish goals for achieving measurable outcomes
for nutrient loss reduction, soil and watershed health and
farmer viability. This includes identifying opportunities
to support beginning, socially disadvantaged and veteran
farmers as well as small and mid-scale farmers;
(7) estimate 2-year funding levels needed from State,
federal and private sources in order to achieve goals; and

SB3471 - 14 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
(8) identify opportunities to develop partnerships and
leverage resources from local governments and utilities,
State and federal agencies and private entities.
The goals and needs assessment shall be updated every 2
years to coincide with each biennial report of the NLRS.
Before adopting or revising the goals and needs assessment,
the district shall, after giving due notice, conduct at least
one public hearing on the proposed changes.
The goals and needs assessment shall be made available for
public inspection at the principal office of the district and
shall be provided to any person upon request.
The goals and needs assessment shall be drafted and
submitted alongside the district's long-term range plan and be
used to guide its annual plan of work submitted to the
Department. The Department shall identify shared goals and
priorities between districts and shall assist in developing
partnerships and shared funding approaches to maximize
capacity and resources. This may include, but is not limited
to, supporting the development of applications to the USDA's
Regional Conservation Partnership Program and Conservation
Innovation Grant Programs.
Upon its adoption, the district shall submit its goals and
needs assessment to the Department for review and approval. If
a district fails to complete a goals and needs assessment and
to submit it to the Department by the time specified in this
Section, the Department shall, after such hearings or

SB3471 - 15 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
consultations with the various local interests in the district
as it considers appropriate, develop an appropriate goals and
needs assessment to be carried out by the district. In
assessing the goals and needs assessments, the Department
shall consider whether, taken together, the implementation of
the assessments by each district is sufficient to make
progress toward the interim and long-term nutrient loss
reduction goals included in the NLRS.
Initial goals and needs assessments shall be submitted to
the Department by November 1, 2023.
Section 35. Compliance and standards; cost sharing. To be
eligible to receive State cost-share support after January 1,
2024, soil and water conservation districts shall have an
updated goals and needs assessment.
The Department shall update its rules and procedures for
cost-share funding to be inclusive of all relevant
NLRS-approved practices promoting the rapid adoption of
cost-effective and technically feasible projects. Updates to
the rules and procedures shall also address barriers to access
experienced by beginning, socially disadvantaged, and veteran
farmers.
The Department may require results-based practices,
consistent with the NLRS-approved practice list, or the
assessment of the environmental outcomes of projects, at the
field or county level, as a condition of funding.

SB3471 - 16 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
Section 40. Availability of appropriated funds. The
requirements and deadlines for local goals and needs
assessments are contingent on the availability of appropriated
funds. The Director of Agriculture, in consultation with the
soil and water conservation districts, may make adjustments to
the deadlines or the requirements of the goals and needs
assessments, on a case-by-case basis for individual districts,
if those factors are found to be unnecessary or unreasonable
given available funding resources and capacity constraints.
A report of these funding and capacity constraints must be
provided to the General Assembly and the NLRS Policy Working
Group for review by January 1st of the following year.
Section 45. State water quality program guidance. The
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency shall update water
quality program guidance for the nonpoint source management
program by June 30, 2023. This update shall include, but is not
limited to, incorporating the findings of the NLRS into
program guidance and evaluation of adaptive management
opportunities in response to risk to the State's water
resources presented by climate change and shall consider
strategies that address barriers to access to funding and
technical assistance programs by socially disadvantaged
communities.
Updates to the nonpoint source management program shall

SB3471 - 17 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
also consider opportunities to develop a sponsorship lending
program within the water revolving fund to promote
collaboration within priority watersheds and promote
coordination between traditional gray and green infrastructure
improvements such as land acquisition and ecosystem
restoration, especially in regard to directing resources to
socially disadvantaged communities.
Section 50. NLRS alignment for State owned and leased
agricultural lands. State agencies, including, but not limited
to, the Department of Natural Resources, Department of
Agriculture, Department of Transportation, and Illinois State
Universities, shall evaluate existing soil health practices on
agricultural lands that are owned and managed by the State, or
leased to a third party, and update management plans,
contracts, or other resources to support the rapid adoption of
cost-effective and technically feasible practices identified
within the NLRS-approved practice list.
Section 55. Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy
Report. Every 2 years, beginning in 2023, the Department of
Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of Natural
Resources, the University of Illinois Extension Program, and
the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, shall produce a
Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Report that shall inform the
agencies and lawmakers of the current state of nutrient loss

SB3471 - 18 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
within Illinois, progress toward achieving nutrient loss
reduction targets as outlined in the NLRS, and make
recommendations for accelerating the implementation of
practices that would reduce overall nutrient loads into the
waters of this State. The report shall include, but is not
limited to, the following information:
(1) An executive summary outlining the findings and
recommendations of the report.
(2) A scientific assessment of the total nutrient
loads for phosphorus and nitrogen and load reduction
scenarios for both point sources and nonpoint sources.
(3) An assessment of the impacts and risks from
climate change and extreme weather for advancing the goals
of the strategy as well as opportunities for adaptive
management.
(4) Identification of priority watersheds and
potential impacts from nutrient loss to disadvantaged
communities, including impacts to drinking water systems
and costs to community services.
(5) A list of approved practices for reducing nutrient
loss such as natural infrastructure projects such as
wetland restoration, riparian buffer zones, and
reforestation.
(6) A summary of guidelines for determining local
goals and needs for advancing NLRS priorities.
(7) A summary of local goals and needs provided by the

SB3471 - 19 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
soil and water conservation districts.
(8) A summary of activities by local governments,
utilities, and waste management facilities to implement
nutrient management practices as it relates to wastewater
treatment, stormwater management, and drainage.
(9) Opportunities to improve collaboration among
State, federal, and private stakeholders.
(10) Policy and funding recommendations to advance
goals and priorities sufficient to achieve the interim
goal of reducing loads of nitrate-nitrogen by 15% and
total phosphorus by 25% by 2025 and the long-term goal of
reducing loads from Illinois for total phosphorus and
total nitrogen each by 45%.
Section 60. Report delivery. The Department of Agriculture
shall submit copies of completed reports to the Governor, the
President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House. In
addition, copies shall be submitted to the House Agriculture &
Conservation Committee, the House Energy & Environment
Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, and the Senate
Environment and Conservation Committee.
Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by changing
Section 6z-32 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/6z-32)

SB3471 - 20 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
Sec. 6z-32. Partners for Planning and Conservation.
(a) The Partners for Conservation Fund (formerly known as
the Conservation 2000 Fund) and the Partners for Conservation
Projects Fund (formerly known as the Conservation 2000
Projects Fund) are created as special funds in the State
Treasury. These funds shall be used to establish a
comprehensive program to protect Illinois' natural resources
through cooperative partnerships between State government and
public and private landowners. Moneys in these Funds may be
used, subject to appropriation, by the Department of Natural
Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department
of Agriculture for purposes relating to natural resource
protection, planning, recreation, tourism, and compatible
agricultural and economic development activities. Without
limiting these general purposes, moneys in these Funds may be
used, subject to appropriation, for the following specific
purposes:
(1) To foster sustainable agriculture practices and
control soil erosion, sedimentation, and nutrient loss
from farmland, including grants to Soil and Water
Conservation Districts for conservation practice
cost-share grants and for personnel, educational, and
administrative expenses.
(2) To establish and protect a system of ecosystems in
public and private ownership through conservation
easements, incentives to public and private landowners,

SB3471 - 21 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
natural resource restoration and preservation, water
quality protection and improvement, land use and watershed
planning, technical assistance and grants, and land
acquisition provided these mechanisms are all voluntary on
the part of the landowner and do not involve the use of
eminent domain.
(3) To develop a systematic and long-term program to
effectively measure and monitor natural resources and
ecological conditions through investments in technology
and involvement of scientific experts.
(4) To initiate strategies to enhance, use, and
maintain Illinois' inland lakes through education,
technical assistance, research, and financial incentives.
(5) To partner with private landowners and with units
of State, federal, and local government and with
not-for-profit organizations in order to integrate State
and federal programs with Illinois' natural resource
protection and restoration efforts and to meet
requirements to obtain federal and other funds for
conservation or protection of natural resources.
(6) To implement the State's Nutrient Loss Reduction
Strategy (NLRS), including, but not limited to, funding
the resources needed to support the Strategy's Policy
Working Group, cover water quality monitoring in support
of Strategy implementation, prepare a biennial report on
the progress made on the Strategy every 2 years, and

SB3471 - 22 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
provide cost-share cost share funding for nutrient capture
projects.
(7) To develop guidelines and local goals and needs
assessments for advancing the goals of the Illinois
Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and protecting soil and
watershed health.
(8) To implement a crop insurance premium discount
program for practices that improve soil health.
(9) To incorporate climate science into NLRS science
assessment, planning, and scenario development to assess
where climate resilience planning may support conservation
goals and protect conservation gains in order to safeguard
soil health, water quality, and the long-term resilience
of the agricultural sector while reducing susceptibility
to flooding and other extreme weather events. This effort
includes collaboration with the Illinois State
Climatologist and may also include the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the USDA climate initiatives, the
Department of the Interior, the Department of Defense, the
Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies.
(10) For capacity grants to support soil and water
conservation districts, including, but not limited to,
developing soil health plans and conducting soil health
assessments, peer-to-peer training, convening
producer-led dialogues, professional development,
training, travel stipends for meetings and educational

SB3471 - 23 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
events, and developing pilot projects within priority
watersheds.
(11) For the Department of Agriculture, Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, and University of
Illinois Extension to engage the Serve Illinois Commission
and the Corporation for National and Community Service to
develop a Healthy Soils and Watersheds AmeriCorps program
in support of soil and water conservation districts and
local governments. This includes the recruitment,
interview, and selection of members in a nonpartisan,
nonpolitical and nondiscriminatory manner consistent with
applicable federal and State statutes. Members shall
support efforts to enhance local planning and capacity to
achieve NLRS goals and improve the delivery of State and
federal conservation programs.
(b) The State Comptroller and State Treasurer shall
automatically transfer on the last day of each month,
beginning on September 30, 1995 and ending on June 30, 2032
2022, from the General Revenue Fund to the Partners for
Conservation Fund, an amount equal to 1/10 of the amount set
forth below in fiscal year 1996 and an amount equal to 1/12 of
the amount set forth below in each of the other specified
fiscal years:
Fiscal Year Amount
1996 $ 3,500,000
1997 $ 9,000,000

SB3471 - 24 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
1998 $10,000,000
1999 $11,000,000
2000 $12,500,000
2001 through 2004 $14,000,000
2005 $7,000,000
2006 $11,000,000
2007 $0
2008 through 2011 $14,000,000
2012 $12,200,000
2013 through 2017 $14,000,000
2018 $1,500,000
2019 $14,000,000
2020 $7,500,000
2021 through 2022 $14,000,000
2022 $18,135,000
2023 $19,900,000
2024 $23,025,000
2025 $25,665,000
2026 $25,680,000
2027 through 2032 $25,695,000
(c) The State Comptroller and State Treasurer shall
automatically transfer on the last day of each month beginning
on July 31, 2021 and ending June 30, 2022, from the
Environmental Protection Permit and Inspection Fund to the
Partners for Conservation Fund, an amount equal to 1/12 of
$4,135,000.

SB3471 - 25 - LRB102 24985 NLB 34241 b
(d) There shall be deposited into the Partners for
Conservation Projects Fund such bond proceeds and other moneys
as may, from time to time, be provided by law.
(e) The Partners for Conservation Fund is eligible to
receive grants, gifts, and awards from any public or private
entity for the purpose of expanding financial and technical
assistance in order to advance nutrient loss reduction efforts
within priority watersheds.
(Source: P.A. 101-10, eff. 6-5-19; 102-16, eff. 6-17-21.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.