Rep. Michelle Mussman
Filed: 4/15/2024
 
 
 




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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 255 


2 AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 255 by replacing 
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:

4 "Section 5. The Department of Natural Resources 
5(Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of 
6Illinois is amended by changing Section 805-30 as follows:

7 (20 ILCS 805/805-30) (was 20 ILCS 805/63a38)
8 Sec. 805-30. Illinois Veteran Conservation Corps and 
9Illinois Youth and Young Adult Conservation Program Corps; 
10Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps and Illinois Youth 
11Recreation Corps. The Department has the power to administer 
12the Illinois Veteran Conservation Corps, Illinois Young Adult 
13Conservation Corps, Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps, and the 
14Illinois Youth Recreation Corps programs created by the 
15Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult Conservation Program 
16Jobs Act and to adopt promulgate rules and regulations for the 
 
 
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1administration of the programs.
2(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

3 Section 10. The Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult 
4Conservation Jobs Act is amended by changing Sections 1, 2, 4, 
55, 6, 7, and 8 as follows:

6 (525 ILCS 50/1) (from Ch. 48, par. 2551)
7 Sec. 1. This Article II shall be known and may be cited as 
8the Illinois Veteran, Youth, and Young Adult Conservation 
9Program Jobs Act.
10(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

11 (525 ILCS 50/2) (from Ch. 48, par. 2552)
12 Sec. 2. Declaration of Intent. The General Assembly finds 
13that youth, representing all segments of society, benefit from 
14education and employment in the healthful outdoor atmosphere 
15of the State's park systems, recreational facilities, and 
16other public land and water areas and, through those education 
17and employment opportunities, will develop, enhance, and 
18maintain the natural resources of the State of Illinois while 
19gaining an understanding and appreciation of the State's 
20environment and heritage the level of unemployment among 
21veterans, the youths of this State, particularly those age 14 
22through 18, and young adults, age 18 through 25, is 
23unsatisfactory. This situation is not conducive to the 
 
 
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1development of veterans and the youth and young adults of 
2Illinois as the future of the State. The General Assembly 
3further finds that the availability of conservation and 
4recreational programs for veterans, youth, and young adults in 
5parks and recreational facilities and other lands operated by 
6the State, by units of local government, and by local 
7not-for-profit entities is severely limited. The General 
8Assembly therefore creates this the Illinois Veteran, Youth, 
9and Young Adult Conservation Jobs Act to establish (a) the 
10Illinois Youth and Young Adult Conservation Program Veteran 
11Conservation Corps and the Illinois Young Adult Conservation 
12Corps to provide year-round employment for veterans and young 
13adults of this State for the purpose of conservation, 
14rehabilitation, protection and enhancement of the State's 
15public land and (b) the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps and 
16the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps to provide education and 
17potential employment opportunities for the veterans and youth 
18and young adults of this State to further the development and 
19maintenance of the natural resources by Illinois' youth, and 
20in so doing to prepare them for the responsibility of 
21maintaining and managing these resources for the purpose of 
22administering and operating conservation or recreational 
23programs operated by units of local government or local 
24not-for-profit entities at conservation and open spaces, 
25parks, or recreational facilities or other similar facilities 
26or locations.
 
 
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1(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

2 (525 ILCS 50/4) (from Ch. 48, par. 2554)
3 Sec. 4. Definition of Terms. For the purposes of this Act:
4 (a) "Department" means the Department of Natural 
5Resources.
6 (b) "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources.
7 (c) "Local sponsor" means any unit of local government or 
8not-for-profit entity that can make available for a summer 
9conservation or recreation program park lands, conservation or 
10recreational lands or facilities, equipment, materials, 
11administration, supervisory personnel, etc.
12 (d) "Managing supervisor" means an enrollee in the 
13Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps or the Illinois Youth 
14Recreation Corps who is selected by the local sponsor to 
15supervise the activities of the veterans or youth employee 
16enrollees working on the conservation or recreation project. A 
17managing supervisor in the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps may 
18be 19 years of age or older.
19 (e) "Veteran" means an Illinois resident who has served or 
20is currently serving as a member of the United States Armed 
21Forces, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of 
22a Reserve Component of the United States Armed Forces. 
23(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)

24 (525 ILCS 50/5) (from Ch. 48, par. 2555)
 
 
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1 Sec. 5. Cooperation. The Department of Natural Resources 
2shall have the full cooperation of the Illinois State Board of 
3Education Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of 
4Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Illinois State Job 
5Coordinating Council created by the Federal Job Training 
6Partnership Act (Public Law 97-300), and the Department of 
7Employment Security to carry out the purposes of this Act.
8(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)

9 (525 ILCS 50/6) (from Ch. 48, par. 2556)
10 Sec. 6. Funding. Funding for the Illinois Veteran, Youth, 
11and Young Adult Conservation Program ("Program") Jobs Act 
12shall be from any State or federal funds or grants or other 
13funding so received by the Department and any matching funds 
14required by the Department from local sponsors that choose to 
15participate in the Illinois Veteran Recreation Corps or the 
16Illinois Youth Recreation Corps programs.
17(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

18 (525 ILCS 50/7) (from Ch. 48, par. 2557)
19 Sec. 7. Illinois Youth and Young Adult Conservation 
20Program Corps. With respect to the Illinois Young Adult 
21Conservation Corps program:
22 (a) Enrollment. The Illinois Youth and Young Adult 
23Conservation Program Corps shall be limited to citizens of 
24this State who at the time of enrollment and participation are 
 
 
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115 18 through 25 years of age inclusive and who are unemployed.
2 The Department shall make public notification of the 
3availability of jobs for young adults in the Illinois Young 
4Adult Conservation Corps by the means of newspapers, 
5electronic media, educational facilities, units of local 
6government and the Department of Employment Security offices.
7 The Department may adopt shall promulgate reasonable rules 
8pertaining to application for jobs with the Illinois Youth and 
9Young Adult Conservation Program Corps.
10 Any applicant who knowingly and purposely provides 
11wrongful information regarding age, employment or educational 
12records shall be deemed ineligible to participate in the 
13program. Any applicant who successfully gains employment in 
14the program and is later proven to have falsified his or her 
15application shall be dismissed immediately from the program.
16 (b) When applicable, participants Terms of Employment. 
17Once enrolled in the Illinois Young Adult Conservation Corps, 
18each enrollee shall receive at least the standard minimum wage 
19as set by the State of Illinois and shall work normal working 
20hours as determined by the Department. The participants 
21enrollees shall not be classified as employees of the State 
22for purposes of contributions to the State Employees' 
23Retirement System of Illinois or any other public employment 
24retirement system of the State.
25 (c) Permissible Activities. The Director shall designate 
26suitable projects and curriculum in which participants in 
 
 
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1enrollees of the program shall participate. No project 
2designated for enrollee participation shall result in the 
3displacement of individuals currently employed or positions 
4currently existing, either directly or under contract with any 
5private contractor, by the Department through the reduction of 
6overtime or nonovertime hours, wages or employment benefits.
7 Projects and curriculum so designated by the Director 
8shall be for the purpose of: (1) development, enhancement, and 
9maintenance of the natural resources of the State of Illinois; 
10(2) environmental stewardship and civic responsibility; and 
11(3) enhancement of enhancing public lands owned or leased by 
12the Department or developing and enhancing projects or 
13initiatives undertaken in whole or part by the Department. 
14Such projects and curriculum shall include improving the 
15habitat of fauna and flora; improving utilization of 
16conservation or recreation facilities and lands by the public; 
17improving water quality; and any other project deemed by the 
18Department to improve the environmental, economic and 
19recreational quality of the State's natural resources State 
20owned or leased lands.
21 All projects designated for activity by the Director shall 
22be within a reasonable commuting time for each participant 
23enrollee. To the extent possible, the Director shall designate 
24areas where a pool of participants enrollees may work. In no 
25circumstance shall participants enrollees be required to spend 
26more than 1 1/2 hours of commuting time to a project or a 
 
 
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1designated area; provided, a participant an enrollee may agree 
2to spend more than 1 1/2 hours of commuting time to a project 
3or a designated area.
4(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

5 (525 ILCS 50/8) (from Ch. 48, par. 2558)
6 Sec. 8. Contracts Illinois Youth Recreation Corps. The 
7Department may enter into contracts, intergovernmental 
8agreements, grants, cooperative agreements, memoranda of 
9understanding, or other instruments as necessary to implement 
10the Youth and Young Adult Conservation Program. The Illinois 
11Procurement Code shall not apply to contracts entered into for 
12the purpose of fulfilling the purposes of this Act with 
13not-for-profit organizations that have a documented commitment 
14to addressing the barriers to employment and education for 
15minority youth and young adults, as determined by the 
16Department. With respect to the Illinois Youth Recreation 
17Corps:
18 (a) Purpose. The Illinois Youth Recreation Corps is 
19established for the purpose of making grants to local sponsors 
20to provide wages to youth operating and instructing in 
21conservation or recreational programs. Such programs shall 
22provide conservation or recreational opportunities and shall 
23include, but are not limited to, the coordination and teaching 
24of natural resource conservation and management, physical 
25activities, or learning activities directly related to natural 
 
 
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1resource conservation management or recreation. Such programs 
2may charge user fees, but such fees shall be designed to 
3promote as much community involvement as possible, as 
4determined by the Department.
5 (b) Application. Local sponsors who can provide necessary 
6facilities, materials and management for summer conservation 
7or recreational activities within the community and who desire 
8a grant under this Act for the purpose of hiring managing 
9supervisors as necessary and eligible youth for such 
10conservation or recreational programs may make application to 
11the Department of Natural Resources. Applications shall be 
12evaluated on the basis of program content, location, need, 
13local commitment of resources, and consistency with the 
14purposes of this Act.
15 (c) Enrollment. The Illinois Youth Recreation Corps shall 
16be limited to citizens of this State who at the time of 
17enrollment are 14 through 18 years of age inclusive and who 
18have skills that can be utilized in the summer conservation or 
19recreational program. The ratio of youth employee enrollees to 
20a managing supervisor must not be less than 10 to 1 for any 
21local sponsor with a total number of youth employee enrollees 
22of 10 or more. Any local sponsor program with a total number of 
23youth employee enrollees of less than 10 must be limited to one 
24managing supervisor. 
25 The local sponsors shall make public notification of the 
26availability of jobs for eligible youth in the Illinois Youth 
 
 
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1Recreation Corps by the means of newspapers, electronic media, 
2educational facilities, units of local government and 
3Department of Employment Security offices. Application for 
4employment shall be made directly to the local sponsor.
5 The Department shall adopt reasonable rules pertaining to 
6the administration of the Illinois Youth Recreation Corps. 
7 (d) Terms of Employment. The enrollment period for any 
8successful applicant of the program shall not be longer than 
960 working days during the months of June, July and August. 
10Once enrolled in the program, each enrollee shall receive a 
11reasonable wage as set by the Department and shall work hours 
12as required by the conservation or recreation program but not 
13in excess of a maximum number of hours as determined by the 
14Department, except that an enrollee working as a managing 
15supervisor shall receive a higher wage than an enrollee 
16working in any other capacity on the conservation or 
17recreation program. Enrollees shall be employees of the local 
18sponsor and not contractual hires for the purpose of 
19employment taxes, except that enrollees shall not be 
20classified as employees of the State or the local sponsor for 
21purposes of contributions to the State Employees' Retirement 
22System of Illinois or any other public employee retirement 
23system.
24(Source: P.A. 97-738, eff. 7-5-12.)

25 (525 ILCS 50/7.5 rep.)
 
 
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