HB1700: FUNDS-COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT

HB1700 Enrolled LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 AN ACT concerning State government. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Illinois Enterprise Zone Act is amended by 5 changing Section 5.5 as follows: 6 (20 ILCS 655/5.5) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 609.1) 7 Sec. 5.5. High Impact Business. 8 (a) In order to respond to unique opportunities to assist 9 in the encouragement, development, growth, and expansion of 10 the private sector through large-scale large scale investment 11 and development projects, the Department is authorized to 12 receive and approve applications for the designation of "High 13 Impact Businesses" in Illinois, for an initial term of 20 14 years with an option for renewal for a term not to exceed 20 15 years, subject to the following conditions: 16 (1) such applications may be submitted at any time 17 during the year; 18 (2) such business is not located, at the time of 19 designation, in an enterprise zone designated pursuant to 20 this Act, except for grocery stores, as defined in the 21 Grocery Initiative Act, and a new battery energy storage 22 solution facility, as defined by subparagraph (I) of 23 paragraph (3) of this subsection (a); HB1700 Enrolled - 2 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 (3) the business intends to do, commits to do, or is 2 one or more of the following: 3 (A) the business intends to make a minimum 4 investment of $12,000,000 which will be placed in 5 service in qualified property and intends to create 6 500 full-time equivalent jobs at a designated location 7 in Illinois or intends to make a minimum investment of 8 $30,000,000 which will be placed in service in 9 qualified property and intends to retain 1,500 10 full-time retained jobs at a designated location in 11 Illinois. The terms "placed in service" and "qualified 12 property" have the same meanings as described in 13 subsection (h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income 14 Tax Act; or 15 (B) the business intends to establish a new 16 electric generating facility at a designated location 17 in Illinois. "New electric generating facility", for 18 purposes of this Section, means a newly constructed 19 electric generation plant or a newly constructed 20 generation capacity expansion at an existing electric 21 generation plant, including the transmission lines and 22 associated equipment that transfers electricity from 23 points of supply to points of delivery, and for which 24 such new foundation construction commenced not sooner 25 than July 1, 2001. Such facility shall be designed to 26 provide baseload electric generation and shall operate HB1700 Enrolled - 3 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 on a continuous basis throughout the year; and (i) 2 shall have an aggregate rated generating capacity of 3 at least 1,000 megawatts for all new units at one site 4 if it uses natural gas as its primary fuel and 5 foundation construction of the facility is commenced 6 on or before December 31, 2004, or shall have an 7 aggregate rated generating capacity of at least 400 8 megawatts for all new units at one site if it uses coal 9 or gases derived from coal as its primary fuel and 10 shall support the creation of at least 150 new 11 Illinois coal mining jobs, or (ii) shall be funded 12 through a federal Department of Energy grant before 13 December 31, 2010 and shall support the creation of 14 Illinois coal mining jobs, or (iii) shall use coal 15 gasification or integrated gasification-combined cycle 16 units that generate electricity or chemicals, or both, 17 and shall support the creation of Illinois coal mining 18 jobs. The term "placed in service" has the same 19 meaning as described in subsection (h) of Section 201 20 of the Illinois Income Tax Act; or 21 (B-5) the business intends to establish a new 22 gasification facility at a designated location in 23 Illinois. As used in this Section, "new gasification 24 facility" means a newly constructed coal gasification 25 facility that generates chemical feedstocks or 26 transportation fuels derived from coal (which may HB1700 Enrolled - 4 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 include, but are not limited to, methane, methanol, 2 and nitrogen fertilizer), that supports the creation 3 or retention of Illinois coal mining jobs, and that 4 qualifies for financial assistance from the Department 5 before December 31, 2010. A new gasification facility 6 does not include a pilot project located within 7 Jefferson County or within a county adjacent to 8 Jefferson County for synthetic natural gas from coal; 9 or 10 (C) the business intends to establish production 11 operations at a new coal mine, re-establish production 12 operations at a closed coal mine, or expand production 13 at an existing coal mine at a designated location in 14 Illinois not sooner than July 1, 2001; provided that 15 the production operations result in the creation of 16 150 new Illinois coal mining jobs as described in 17 subdivision (a)(3)(B) of this Section, and further 18 provided that the coal extracted from such mine is 19 utilized as the predominant source for a new electric 20 generating facility. The term "placed in service" has 21 the same meaning as described in subsection (h) of 22 Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act; or 23 (D) the business intends to construct new 24 transmission facilities or upgrade existing 25 transmission facilities at designated locations in 26 Illinois, for which construction commenced not sooner HB1700 Enrolled - 5 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 than July 1, 2001. For the purposes of this Section, 2 "transmission facilities" means transmission lines 3 with a voltage rating of 115 kilovolts or above, 4 including associated equipment, that transfer 5 electricity from points of supply to points of 6 delivery and that transmit a majority of the 7 electricity generated by a new electric generating 8 facility designated as a High Impact Business in 9 accordance with this Section. The term "placed in 10 service" has the same meaning as described in 11 subsection (h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income 12 Tax Act; or 13 (E) the business intends to establish a new wind 14 power facility that will be constructed under a 15 project labor agreement at a designated location in 16 Illinois. For purposes of this Section, "new wind 17 power facility" means a newly constructed electric 18 generation facility, a newly constructed expansion of 19 an existing electric generation facility, or the 20 replacement of an existing electric generation 21 facility, including the demolition and removal of an 22 electric generation facility irrespective of whether 23 it will be replaced, placed in service or replaced on 24 or after July 1, 2009, that generates electricity 25 using wind energy devices, and such facility shall be 26 deemed to include any permanent structures associated HB1700 Enrolled - 6 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 with the electric generation facility and all 2 associated transmission lines, substations, and other 3 equipment related to the generation of electricity 4 from wind energy devices. For purposes of this 5 Section, "wind energy device" means any device, with a 6 nameplate capacity of at least 0.5 megawatts, that is 7 used in the process of converting kinetic energy from 8 the wind to generate electricity; or 9 (E-5) the business intends to establish a new 10 utility-scale solar facility that will be constructed 11 under a project labor agreement at a designated 12 location in Illinois. For purposes of this Section, 13 "new utility-scale solar power facility" means a newly 14 constructed electric generation facility, or a newly 15 constructed expansion of an existing electric 16 generation facility, placed in service on or after 17 July 1, 2021, that (i) generates electricity using 18 photovoltaic cells and (ii) has a nameplate capacity 19 that is greater than 5,000 kilowatts, and such 20 facility shall be deemed to include all associated 21 transmission lines, substations, energy storage 22 facilities, and other equipment related to the 23 generation and storage of electricity from 24 photovoltaic cells; or 25 (F) the business commits to (i) make a minimum 26 investment of $500,000,000, which will be placed in HB1700 Enrolled - 7 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 service in a qualified property, (ii) create 125 2 full-time equivalent jobs at a designated location in 3 Illinois, (iii) establish a fertilizer plant at a 4 designated location in Illinois that complies with the 5 set-back standards as described in Table 1: Initial 6 Isolation and Protective Action Distances in the 2012 7 Emergency Response Guidebook published by the United 8 States Department of Transportation, (iv) pay a 9 prevailing wage for employees at that location who are 10 engaged in construction activities, and (v) secure an 11 appropriate level of general liability insurance to 12 protect against catastrophic failure of the fertilizer 13 plant or any of its constituent systems; in addition, 14 the business must agree to enter into a construction 15 project labor agreement including provisions 16 establishing wages, benefits, and other compensation 17 for employees performing work under the project labor 18 agreement at that location; for the purposes of this 19 Section, "fertilizer plant" means a newly constructed 20 or upgraded plant utilizing gas used in the production 21 of anhydrous ammonia and downstream nitrogen 22 fertilizer products for resale; for the purposes of 23 this Section, "prevailing wage" means the hourly cash 24 wages plus fringe benefits for training and 25 apprenticeship programs approved by the U.S. 26 Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and HB1700 Enrolled - 8 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 Training, health and welfare, insurance, vacations and 2 pensions paid generally, in the locality in which the 3 work is being performed, to employees engaged in work 4 of a similar character on public works; this paragraph 5 (F) applies only to businesses that submit an 6 application to the Department within 60 days after 7 July 25, 2013 (the effective date of Public Act 8 98-109); or 9 (G) the business intends to establish a new 10 cultured cell material food production facility at a 11 designated location in Illinois. As used in this 12 paragraph (G): 13 "Cultured cell material food production facility" 14 means a facility (i) at which cultured animal cell 15 food is developed using animal cell culture 16 technology, (ii) at which production processes occur 17 that include the establishment of cell lines and cell 18 banks, manufacturing controls, and all components and 19 inputs, and (iii) that complies with all existing 20 registrations, inspections, licensing, and approvals 21 from all applicable and participating State and 22 federal food agencies, including the Department of 23 Agriculture, the Department of Public Health, and the 24 United States Food and Drug Administration, to ensure 25 that all food production is safe and lawful under 26 provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act HB1700 Enrolled - 9 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 related to the development, production, and storage of 2 cultured animal cell food. 3 "New cultured cell material food production 4 facility" means a newly constructed cultured cell 5 material food production facility that is placed in 6 service on or after June 7, 2023 (the effective date of 7 Public Act 103-9) or a newly constructed expansion of 8 an existing cultured cell material food production 9 facility, in a controlled environment, when the 10 improvements are placed in service on or after June 7, 11 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-9); or 12 (H) the business is an existing or planned grocery 13 store, as that term is defined in Section 5 of the 14 Grocery Initiative Act, and receives financial support 15 under that Act within the 10 years before submitting 16 its application under this Act; or 17 (I) the business intends to establish a new 18 battery energy storage solution facility that will be 19 constructed under a project labor agreement at a 20 designated location in Illinois. As used in this 21 paragraph (I): 22 "New battery energy storage solution facility" 23 means a newly constructed battery energy storage 24 facility, a newly constructed expansion of an existing 25 battery energy storage facility, or the replacement of 26 an existing battery energy storage facility that HB1700 Enrolled - 10 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 stores electricity using battery devices and other 2 means. "New battery energy storage solution facility" 3 includes any permanent structures associated with the 4 new battery energy storage facility and all associated 5 transmission lines, substations, and other equipment 6 that is related to the storage and transmission of 7 electric power and that has a capacity of not less than 8 20 megawatt and storage capability of not less than 40 9 megawatt hours of energy; or 10 (J) the business intends to construct a new high 11 voltage direct current converter station at a 12 designated location in Illinois. As used in this 13 paragraph, "high voltage direct current converter 14 station" has the same meaning given to that term in 15 Section 1-10 of the Illinois Power Agency Act; or 16 (K) the business intends to construct a new high 17 voltage direct current converter station facility at a 18 designated location in Illinois. As used in this 19 paragraph, "high voltage direct current converter 20 station" has the same meaning given to that term in 21 Section 1-10 of the Illinois Power Agency Act; and 22 (4) no later than 90 days after an application is 23 submitted, the Department shall notify the applicant of 24 the Department's determination of the qualification of the 25 proposed High Impact Business under this Section. 26 (a-5) For the purposes of businesses designated as High HB1700 Enrolled - 11 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 Impact Businesses pursuant to subparagraph (E), (E-5), or (I) 2 of paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of this Section, "project 3 labor agreement" means a pre-hire collective bargaining 4 agreement that covers all terms and conditions of employment 5 on a specific construction project. Project labor agreements 6 required under subparagraph (E), (E-5), or (I) of paragraph 7 (3) of subsection (a) of this Section must include, at a 8 minimum, the following: 9 (1) provisions establishing the minimum hourly wage 10 for each class of labor organization employee; 11 (2) provisions establishing the benefits and other 12 compensation for each class of labor organization 13 employee; 14 (3) provisions establishing that no strike or disputes 15 will be engaged in by the labor organization employees; 16 (4) provisions establishing that no lockout or 17 disputes will be engaged in by the general contractor 18 building the project; and 19 (5) provisions for minorities and women, as defined 20 under the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and 21 Persons with Disabilities Act, setting forth goals for 22 apprenticeship hours to be performed by minorities and 23 women and setting forth goals for total hours to be 24 performed by underrepresented minorities and women. 25 A labor organization and the general contractor building 26 the project may include other terms and conditions in the HB1700 Enrolled - 12 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 project labor agreement as they deem necessary. 2 (b) Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses 3 pursuant to subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this Section shall 4 qualify for the credits and exemptions described in the 5 following Acts: Section 9-222 and Section 9-222.1A of the 6 Public Utilities Act, subsection (h) of Section 201 of the 7 Illinois Income Tax Act, and Section 1d of the Retailers' 8 Occupation Tax Act; provided that these credits and exemptions 9 described in these Acts shall not be authorized until the 10 minimum investments set forth in subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this 11 Section have been placed in service in qualified properties 12 and, in the case of the exemptions described in the Public 13 Utilities Act and Section 1d of the Retailers' Occupation Tax 14 Act, the minimum full-time equivalent jobs or full-time 15 retained jobs set forth in subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this 16 Section have been created or retained. Businesses designated 17 as High Impact Businesses under this Section shall also 18 qualify for the exemption described in Section 5l of the 19 Retailers' Occupation Tax Act. The credit provided in 20 subsection (h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act 21 shall be applicable to investments in qualified property as 22 set forth in subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this Section. 23 (b-5) Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses 24 pursuant to subdivisions (a)(3)(B), (a)(3)(B-5), (a)(3)(C), 25 (a)(3)(D), (a)(3)(G), (a)(3)(H), and (a)(3)(K) of this Section 26 shall qualify for the credits and exemptions described in the HB1700 Enrolled - 13 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 following Acts: Section 51 of the Retailers' Occupation Tax 2 Act, Section 9-222 and Section 9-222.1A of the Public 3 Utilities Act, and subsection (h) of Section 201 of the 4 Illinois Income Tax Act; however, the credits and exemptions 5 authorized under Section 9-222 and Section 9-222.1A of the 6 Public Utilities Act, and subsection (h) of Section 201 of the 7 Illinois Income Tax Act shall not be authorized until the new 8 electric generating facility, the new gasification facility, 9 the new transmission facility, the new, expanded, or reopened 10 coal mine, the new cultured cell material food production 11 facility, or the existing or planned grocery store is 12 operational, except that a new electric generating facility 13 whose primary fuel source is natural gas is eligible only for 14 the exemption under Section 5l of the Retailers' Occupation 15 Tax Act. 16 (b-6) Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses 17 pursuant to subdivision (a)(3)(E), (a)(3)(E-5), (A)(3)(I), or 18 (a)(3)(J) of this Section shall qualify for the exemptions 19 described in Section 5l of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act; 20 any business so designated as a High Impact Business being, 21 for purposes of this Section, a "Wind Energy Business". 22 (b-7) Beginning on January 1, 2021, businesses designated 23 as High Impact Businesses by the Department shall qualify for 24 the High Impact Business construction jobs credit under 25 subsection (h-5) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act 26 if the business meets the criteria set forth in subsection (i) HB1700 Enrolled - 14 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 of this Section. The total aggregate amount of credits awarded 2 under the Blue Collar Jobs Act (Article 20 of Public Act 101-9) 3 shall not exceed $20,000,000 in any State fiscal year. 4 (c) High Impact Businesses located in federally designated 5 foreign trade zones or sub-zones are also eligible for 6 additional credits, exemptions and deductions as described in 7 the following Acts: Section 9-221 and Section 9-222.1 of the 8 Public Utilities Act; and subsection (g) of Section 201, and 9 Section 203 of the Illinois Income Tax Act. 10 (d) Except for businesses contemplated under subdivision 11 (a)(3)(E), (a)(3)(E-5), (a)(3)(G), (a)(3)(H), (A)(3)(I), 12 (a)(3)(J), or (a)(3)(K) of this Section, existing Illinois 13 businesses which apply for designation as a High Impact 14 Business must provide the Department with the prospective plan 15 for which 1,500 full-time retained jobs would be eliminated in 16 the event that the business is not designated. 17 (e) Except for new businesses contemplated under 18 subdivision (a)(3)(E), subdivision (a)(3)(G), subdivision 19 (a)(3)(H), or subdivision (a)(3)(J) of this Section, new 20 proposed facilities which apply for designation as High Impact 21 Business must provide the Department with proof of alternative 22 non-Illinois sites which would receive the proposed investment 23 and job creation in the event that the business is not 24 designated as a High Impact Business. 25 (f) Except for businesses contemplated under subdivision 26 (a)(3)(E), subdivision (a)(3)(G), subdivision (a)(3)(H), HB1700 Enrolled - 15 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 subdivision (a)(3)(J), or (a)(3)(K) of this Section, in the 2 event that a business is designated a High Impact Business and 3 it is later determined after reasonable notice and an 4 opportunity for a hearing as provided under the Illinois 5 Administrative Procedure Act, that the business would have 6 placed in service in qualified property the investments and 7 created or retained the requisite number of jobs without the 8 benefits of the High Impact Business designation, the 9 Department shall be required to immediately revoke the 10 designation and notify the Director of the Department of 11 Revenue who shall begin proceedings to recover all wrongfully 12 exempted State taxes with interest. 13 (g) The Department shall revoke a High Impact Business 14 designation if the participating business fails to comply with 15 the terms and conditions of the designation. 16 (h) Prior to designating a business, the Department shall 17 provide the members of the General Assembly and Commission on 18 Government Forecasting and Accountability with a report 19 setting forth the terms and conditions of the designation and 20 guarantees that have been received by the Department in 21 relation to the proposed business being designated. 22 (i) High Impact Business construction jobs credit. 23 Beginning on January 1, 2021, a High Impact Business may 24 receive a tax credit against the tax imposed under subsections 25 (a) and (b) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act in an 26 amount equal to 50% of the amount of the incremental income tax HB1700 Enrolled - 16 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 attributable to High Impact Business construction jobs credit 2 employees employed in the course of completing a High Impact 3 Business construction jobs project. However, the High Impact 4 Business construction jobs credit may equal 75% of the amount 5 of the incremental income tax attributable to High Impact 6 Business construction jobs credit employees if the High Impact 7 Business construction jobs credit project is located in an 8 underserved area. 9 The Department shall certify to the Department of Revenue: 10 (1) the identity of taxpayers that are eligible for the High 11 Impact Business construction jobs credit; and (2) the amount 12 of High Impact Business construction jobs credits that are 13 claimed pursuant to subsection (h-5) of Section 201 of the 14 Illinois Income Tax Act in each taxable year. 15 As used in this subsection (i): 16 "High Impact Business construction jobs credit" means an 17 amount equal to 50% (or 75% if the High Impact Business 18 construction project is located in an underserved area) of the 19 incremental income tax attributable to High Impact Business 20 construction job employees. The total aggregate amount of 21 credits awarded under the Blue Collar Jobs Act (Article 20 of 22 Public Act 101-9) shall not exceed $20,000,000 in any State 23 fiscal year 24 "High Impact Business construction job employee" means a 25 laborer or worker who is employed by a contractor or 26 subcontractor in the actual construction work on the site of a HB1700 Enrolled - 17 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 High Impact Business construction job project. 2 "High Impact Business construction jobs project" means 3 building a structure or building or making improvements of any 4 kind to real property, undertaken and commissioned by a 5 business that was designated as a High Impact Business by the 6 Department. The term "High Impact Business construction jobs 7 project" does not include the routine operation, routine 8 repair, or routine maintenance of existing structures, 9 buildings, or real property. 10 "Incremental income tax" means the total amount withheld 11 during the taxable year from the compensation of High Impact 12 Business construction job employees. 13 "Underserved area" means a geographic area that meets one 14 or more of the following conditions: 15 (1) the area has a poverty rate of at least 20% 16 according to the latest American Community Survey; 17 (2) 35% or more of the families with children in the 18 area are living below 130% of the poverty line, according 19 to the latest American Community Survey; 20 (3) at least 20% of the households in the area receive 21 assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 22 Program (SNAP); or 23 (4) the area has an average unemployment rate, as 24 determined by the Illinois Department of Employment 25 Security, that is more than 120% of the national 26 unemployment average, as determined by the U.S. Department HB1700 Enrolled - 18 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 of Labor, for a period of at least 2 consecutive calendar 2 years preceding the date of the application. 3 (j) (Blank). 4 (j-5) Annually, until construction is completed, a company 5 seeking High Impact Business Construction Job credits shall 6 submit a report that, at a minimum, describes the projected 7 project scope, timeline, and anticipated budget. Once the 8 project has commenced, the annual report shall include actual 9 data for the prior year as well as projections for each 10 additional year through completion of the project. The 11 Department shall issue detailed reporting guidelines 12 prescribing the requirements of construction-related reports. 13 In order to receive credit for construction expenses, the 14 company must provide the Department with evidence that a 15 certified third-party executed an Agreed-Upon Procedure (AUP) 16 verifying the construction expenses or accept the standard 17 construction wage expense estimated by the Department. 18 Upon review of the final project scope, timeline, budget, 19 and AUP, the Department shall issue a tax credit certificate 20 reflecting a percentage of the total construction job wages 21 paid throughout the completion of the project. 22 (k) Upon 7 business days' notice, each taxpayer shall make 23 available to each State agency and to federal, State, or local 24 law enforcement agencies and prosecutors for inspection and 25 copying at a location within this State during reasonable 26 hours, the report under subsection (j-5). HB1700 Enrolled - 19 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 (l) The changes made to this Section by Public Act 2 102-1125, other than the changes in subsection (a), apply to 3 High Impact Businesses that submit applications on or after 4 February 3, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 102-1125). 5 (Source: P.A. 103-9, eff. 6-7-23; 103-561, eff. 1-1-24; 6 103-595, eff. 6-26-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; 103-1066, eff. 7 2-20-25; 104-6, eff. 6-16-25; revised 12-12-25.) 8 Section 10. The Energy Transition Act is amended by 9 changing Sections 5-20 and 5-40 as follows: 10 (20 ILCS 730/5-20) 11 (Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045) 12 Sec. 5-20. Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program. 13 (a) As used in this Section, "Program" means the Clean 14 Jobs Workforce Network Program. 15 (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall develop 16 and, through Regional Administrators, administer the Clean 17 Jobs Workforce Network Program to create a network of 14 18 Program delivery Hub Sites with program elements delivered by 19 community-based organizations and their subcontractors 20 geographically distributed across the State including at least 21 one Hub Site located in or near each of the following areas: 22 Chicago (South Side), Chicago (Southwest and West Sides), 23 Waukegan, Rockford, Aurora, Joliet, Peoria, Champaign, 24 Danville, Decatur, Carbondale, East St. Louis, Kankakee, and HB1700 Enrolled - 20 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 Alton. 2 (c) In admitting program participants, for each workforce 3 Hub Site, the Regional Administrators shall: 4 (1) in each Hub Site where the applicant pool allows: 5 (A) dedicate at least one-third of program 6 placements to applicants who reside in a geographic 7 area that is impacted by economic and environmental 8 challenges, defined as an area that is both (i) an R3 9 Area, as defined pursuant to Section 10-40 of the 10 Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, and (ii) an 11 environmental justice community, as defined by the 12 Illinois Power Agency, excluding any racial or ethnic 13 indicators used by the agency unless and until the 14 constitutional basis for their inclusion in 15 determining program admissions is established. Among 16 applicants that satisfy these criteria, preference 17 shall be given to applicants who face barriers to 18 employment, such as low educational attainment, prior 19 involvement with the criminal legal system, and 20 language barriers; and applicants that are graduates 21 of or currently enrolled in the foster care system; 22 and 23 (B) dedicate at least two-thirds of program 24 placements to applicants that satisfy the criteria in 25 paragraph (1) or who reside in a geographic area that 26 is impacted by economic or environmental challenges, HB1700 Enrolled - 21 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 defined as an area that is either (i) an R3 Area, as 2 defined pursuant to Section 10-40 of the Cannabis 3 Regulation and Tax Act, or (ii) an environmental 4 justice community, as defined by the Illinois Power 5 Agency, excluding any racial or ethnic indicators used 6 by the agency unless and until the constitutional 7 basis for their inclusion in determining program 8 admissions is established. Among applicants that 9 satisfy these criteria, preference shall be given to 10 applicants who face barriers to employment, such as 11 low educational attainment, prior involvement with the 12 criminal legal system, and language barriers; and 13 applicants that are graduates of or currently enrolled 14 in the foster care system; and 15 (2) prioritize the remaining program placements for: 16 applicants who are displaced energy workers as defined in 17 the Energy Community Reinvestment Act; persons who face 18 barriers to employment, including low educational 19 attainment, prior involvement with the criminal legal 20 system, and language barriers; and applicants who are 21 graduates of or currently enrolled in the foster care 22 system, regardless of the applicant's area of residence. 23 The Department and Regional Administrators shall protect 24 the confidentiality of any personal information provided by 25 program applicants regarding the applicant's status as a 26 formerly incarcerated person or foster care recipient; HB1700 Enrolled - 22 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 however, the Department or Regional Administrators may publish 2 aggregated data on the number of participants that were 3 formerly incarcerated or foster care recipients so long as 4 that publication protects the identities of those persons. 5 Any person who applies to the program may elect not to 6 share with the Department or Regional Administrators whether 7 he or she is a graduate or currently enrolled in the foster 8 care system or was formerly convicted. 9 (d) Program elements for each Hub Site shall be provided 10 by a community-based organization. The Department shall 11 initially select a community-based organization in each Hub 12 Site and shall subsequently select a community-based 13 organization in each Hub Site every 3 years. Community-based 14 organizations delivering program elements outlined in 15 subsection (e) may provide all elements required or may 16 subcontract to other entities for provision of portions of 17 program elements, including, but not limited to, 18 administrative soft and hard skills for program participants, 19 delivery of specific training in the core curriculum, or 20 provision of other support functions for program delivery 21 compliance. 22 (e) The Clean Jobs Workforce Hubs Network shall: 23 (1) coordinate with Energy Transition Navigators: (i) 24 to increase participation in the Clean Jobs Workforce 25 Network Program and clean energy and related sector 26 workforce and training opportunities; (ii) coordinate HB1700 Enrolled - 23 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 recruitment, communications, and ongoing engagement with 2 potential employers, including, but not limited to, 3 activities such as job matchmaking initiatives, hosting 4 events such as job fairs, and collaborating with other Hub 5 Sites to identify and implement best practices for 6 employer engagement; and (iii) leverage community-based 7 organizations, educational institutions, and 8 community-based and labor-based training providers to 9 ensure program-eligible individuals across the State have 10 dedicated and sustained support to enter and complete the 11 career pipeline for clean energy and related sector jobs; 12 (2) develop formal partnerships, including formal 13 sector partnerships between community-based organizations 14 and entities that provide clean energy jobs, including 15 businesses, nonprofit organizations, and worker-owned 16 cooperatives, to ensure that Program participants have 17 priority access to employment training and hiring 18 opportunities; and 19 (3) implement the Clean Jobs Curriculum to provide, 20 including, but not limited to, training, certification 21 preparation, job readiness, and skill development, 22 including soft skills, math skills, technical skills, 23 certification test preparation, and other development 24 needed, to Program participants. 25 (f) Funding for the Program is subject to appropriation 26 from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund. HB1700 Enrolled - 24 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 (f-5) The Department and the Department of Corrections 2 shall jointly conduct activities to support the recruitment of 3 eligible candidates to the Program, consistent with Section 4 5-8A-4.2 of the Unified Code of Corrections. The activities 5 shall include providing information on the community-based 6 program provider serving the area in which the individual 7 preparing for release is expected to reside and making 8 available a process through which an individual may choose to 9 consent to be contacted by that provider. 10 (g) The Department shall require submission of quarterly 11 reports, including program performance metrics by each Hub 12 Site to the Regional Administrator of their Program Delivery 13 Area. Program performance metrics include, but are not limited 14 to: 15 (1) demographic data, including racial, gender, 16 residency in eligible communities, and geographic 17 distribution data, on Program trainees entering and 18 graduating the Program; 19 (2) demographic data, including racial, gender, 20 residency in eligible communities, and geographic 21 distribution data, on Program trainees who are placed in 22 employment, including the percentages of trainees by race, 23 gender, and geographic categories in each individual job 24 type or category and whether employment is union, 25 nonunion, or nonunion via temporary agency; 26 (3) trainee job acquisition and retention statistics, HB1700 Enrolled - 25 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 including the duration of employment (start and end dates 2 of hires) by race, gender, and geography; 3 (4) hourly wages, including hourly overtime pay rate, 4 and benefits of trainees placed into employment by race, 5 gender, and geography; 6 (5) percentage of jobs by race, gender, and geography 7 held by Program trainees or graduates that are full-time 8 equivalent positions, meaning that the position held is 9 full-time, direct, and permanent based on 2,080 hours 10 worked per year (paid directly by the employer, whose 11 activities, schedule, and manner of work the employer 12 controls, and receives pay and benefits in the same manner 13 as permanent employees); and 14 (6) qualitative data consisting of open-ended 15 reporting on pertinent issues, including, but not limited 16 to, qualitative descriptions accompanying metrics or 17 identifying key successes and challenges. 18 (h) Within 3 years after the effective date of this Act, 19 the Department shall select an independent evaluator to review 20 and prepare a report on the performance of the Program and 21 Regional Administrators. 22 (Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21; 103-595, eff. 7-1-25 .) 23 (20 ILCS 730/5-40) 24 (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 104-458 ) 25 (Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045) HB1700 Enrolled - 26 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 Sec. 5-40. Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship 2 Program. 3 (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall 4 develop, and through Regional Administrators administer, the 5 Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program. The goal of 6 the Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program is to 7 create a network of hubs throughout the State that will 8 recruit, prescreen, and provide preapprenticeship skills 9 training, for which participants may attend free of charge and 10 receive a stipend, to create a qualified, diverse pipeline of 11 workers who are prepared for careers in the construction and 12 building trades and clean energy jobs opportunities therein. 13 Upon completion of the Illinois Climate Works 14 Preapprenticeship Program, the candidates will be connected to 15 and prepared to successfully complete an apprenticeship 16 program. 17 (b) Each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the 18 Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall provide an annual 19 report to the Illinois Works Review Panel by April 1 of each 20 calendar year. The annual report shall include the following 21 information: 22 (1) a description of the Climate Works Hub's 23 recruitment, screening, and training efforts, including a 24 description of training related to construction and 25 building trades opportunities in clean energy jobs; 26 (2) the number of individuals who apply to, HB1700 Enrolled - 27 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 participate in, and complete the Climate Works Hub's 2 program, broken down by race, gender, age, and veteran 3 status; 4 (3) the number of the individuals referenced in 5 paragraph (2) of this subsection who are initially 6 accepted and placed into apprenticeship programs in the 7 construction and building trades; and 8 (4) the number of individuals referenced in paragraph 9 (2) of this subsection who remain in apprenticeship 10 programs in the construction and building trades or have 11 become journeymen one calendar year after their placement, 12 as referenced in paragraph (3) of this subsection. 13 (c) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall provide 14 funding to 3 Climate Works Hubs throughout the State, 15 including one to the Illinois Department of Transportation 16 Region 1, one to the Illinois Department of Transportation 17 Regions 2 and 3, and one to the Illinois Department of 18 Transportation Regions 4 and 5. An eligible organization may 19 serve as the designated Climate Works Hub for all 5 regions. 20 Climate Works Hubs shall be awarded grants in multi-year 21 increments not to exceed 36 months. Each grant shall come with 22 a one year initial term, with the Department renewing each 23 year for 2 additional years unless the grantee either declines 24 to continue or fails to meet reasonable performance measures 25 that consider apprenticeship programs timeframes. The 26 Department may take into account experience and performance as HB1700 Enrolled - 28 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 a previous grantee of the Climate Works Hub as part of the 2 selection criteria for subsequent years. 3 (d) Each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the 4 Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall: 5 (1) recruit, prescreen, and provide preapprenticeship 6 training to equity investment eligible persons; 7 (2) provide training information related to 8 opportunities and certifications relevant to clean energy 9 jobs in the construction and building trades; and 10 (3) provide preapprentices with stipends they receive 11 that may vary depending on the occupation the individual 12 is training for. 13 (d-5) Priority shall be given to Climate Works Hubs that 14 have an agreement with North American Building Trades Unions 15 (NABTU) to utilize the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum or 16 successor curriculums. 17 (e) Funding for the Program is subject to appropriation 18 from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund. 19 (f) The Department shall adopt any rules deemed necessary 20 to implement this Section. 21 (Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21; 102-1031, eff. 5-27-22; 22 102-1123, eff. 1-27-23.) 23 (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 104-458 ) 24 (Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045) 25 Sec. 5-40. Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship HB1700 Enrolled - 29 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 Program. 2 (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall 3 develop, and through Regional Administrators administer, the 4 Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program. The goal of 5 the Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program is to 6 create a network of hubs throughout the State that will 7 recruit, prescreen, and provide preapprenticeship skills 8 training, for which participants may attend free of charge and 9 receive a stipend, to create a qualified, diverse pipeline of 10 workers who are prepared for careers in the construction and 11 building trades and clean energy jobs opportunities therein. 12 Upon completion of the Illinois Climate Works 13 Preapprenticeship Program, the candidates will be connected to 14 and prepared to successfully complete an apprenticeship 15 program. 16 (b) Each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the 17 Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall provide an annual 18 report to the Illinois Works Review Panel by April 1 of each 19 calendar year. The annual report shall include the following 20 information: 21 (1) a description of the Climate Works Hub's 22 recruitment, screening, and training efforts, including a 23 description of training related to construction and 24 building trades opportunities in clean energy jobs; 25 (2) the number of individuals who apply to, 26 participate in, and complete the Climate Works Hub's HB1700 Enrolled - 30 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 program, broken down by race, gender, age, and veteran 2 status; 3 (3) the number of the individuals referenced in 4 paragraph (2) of this subsection who are initially 5 accepted and placed into apprenticeship programs in the 6 construction and building trades; and 7 (4) the number of individuals referenced in paragraph 8 (2) of this subsection who remain in apprenticeship 9 programs in the construction and building trades or have 10 become journeymen one calendar year after their placement, 11 as referenced in paragraph (3) of this subsection. 12 (c) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall provide 13 funding to 3 Climate Works Hubs throughout the State, 14 including one to the Illinois Department of Transportation 15 Region 1, one to the Illinois Department of Transportation 16 Regions 2 and 3, and one to the Illinois Department of 17 Transportation Regions 4 and 5. An eligible organization may 18 serve as the designated Climate Works Hub for all 5 regions. 19 Climate Works Hubs shall be awarded grants in multi-year 20 increments not to exceed 36 months. Each grant shall come with 21 a one year initial term, with the Department renewing each 22 year for 2 additional years unless the grantee either declines 23 to continue or fails to meet reasonable performance measures 24 that consider apprenticeship programs timeframes. The 25 Department may take into account experience and performance as 26 a previous grantee of the Climate Works Hub as part of the HB1700 Enrolled - 31 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 selection criteria for subsequent years. 2 (d) Each Climate Works Hub that receives funding from the 3 Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall recruit, prescreen, 4 and provide preapprenticeship training to program 5 participants. Each Climate Works Hub that receives funding 6 from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund shall: 7 (1) in each Hub Site where the applicant pool allows, 8 comply with the following: 9 (A) dedicate at least one-third of Program 10 placements to applicants who reside in a geographic 11 area that is impacted by economic and environmental 12 challenges, defined as an area that is both (i) an R3 13 Area, as defined pursuant to Section 10-40 of the 14 Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, and (ii) an 15 environmental justice community, as defined by the 16 Illinois Power Agency under the Illinois Power Agency 17 Act, excluding any racial or ethnic indicators used by 18 the Agency unless and until the constitutional basis 19 for the inclusion of the factors in determining 20 Program admissions is established; among applicants 21 that satisfy these criteria, preference shall be given 22 to applicants who face barriers to employment, 23 including low educational attainment, prior 24 involvement with the criminal justice system, and 25 language barriers, and applicants that are graduates 26 of or currently enrolled in the foster care system; HB1700 Enrolled - 32 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 and 2 (B) dedicate at least two-thirds of Program 3 placements to applicants who reside in a geographic 4 area that is impacted by economic or environmental 5 challenges, defined as an area that is either (i) an R3 6 Area, as defined pursuant to Section 10-40 of the 7 Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, or (ii) an 8 environmental justice community, as defined by the 9 Illinois Power Agency in the Illinois Power Agency 10 Act, excluding any racial or ethnic indicators used by 11 the Agency unless and until the constitutional basis 12 for the inclusion of the factors in determining 13 Program admissions is established; among applicants 14 that satisfy these criteria, preference shall be given 15 to applicants who face barriers to employment, 16 including low educational attainment, prior 17 involvement with the criminal legal system, and 18 language barriers, and applicants that are graduates 19 of or currently enrolled in the foster care system; 20 and 21 (C) prioritize the remaining Program placements 22 for the following: 23 (i) applicants who are displaced energy 24 workers, as defined in the Energy Community 25 Reinvestment Act; 26 (ii) persons who face barriers to employment, HB1700 Enrolled - 33 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 including low educational attainment, prior 2 involvement with the criminal justice system, and 3 language barriers; and 4 (iii) applicants who are graduates of or 5 currently enrolled in the foster care system, 6 regardless of the applicant's area of residence; 7 (2) provide training information related to 8 opportunities and certifications relevant to clean energy 9 jobs in the construction and building trades; and 10 (3) provide preapprentices with stipends they receive 11 that may vary depending on the occupation the individual 12 is training for. 13 (d-5) Priority shall be given to Climate Works Hubs that 14 have an agreement with North American Building Trades Unions 15 (NABTU) to utilize the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum or 16 successor curriculums. 17 (e) Funding for the Program is subject to appropriation 18 from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund. 19 (e-5) The Department and the Department of Corrections 20 shall jointly conduct activities to support the recruitment of 21 eligible candidates to the Program, consistent with Section 22 5-8A-4.2 of the Unified Code of Corrections. The activities 23 shall include providing information on the community-based 24 program provider serving the area in which the individual 25 preparing for release is expected to reside and making 26 available a process through which an individual may choose to HB1700 Enrolled - 34 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 consent to be contacted by that provider. 2 (f) The Department shall adopt any rules deemed necessary 3 to implement this Section. 4 (Source: P.A. 104-458, eff. 6-1-26.) 5 Section 15. The Illinois Power Agency Act is amended by 6 changing Sections 1-56 and 1-75 as follows: 7 (20 ILCS 3855/1-56) 8 (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 104-458 ) 9 Sec. 1-56. Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy 10 Resources Fund; Illinois Solar for All Program. 11 (a) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources 12 Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. 13 (b) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources 14 Fund shall be administered by the Agency as described in this 15 subsection (b), provided that the changes to this subsection 16 (b) made by Public Act 99-906 shall not interfere with 17 existing contracts under this Section. 18 (1) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy 19 Resources Fund shall be used to purchase renewable energy 20 credits according to any approved procurement plan 21 developed by the Agency prior to June 1, 2017. 22 (2) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy 23 Resources Fund shall also be used to create the Illinois 24 Solar for All Program, which provides incentives for HB1700 Enrolled - 35 - LRB104 08228 SPS 18278 b 1 low-income distributed generation and community solar 2 projects, and other associated approved expenditures. The 3 objectives of the Illinois Solar for All Program are to 4 bring photovoltaics to low-income communities in this 5 State in a manner that maximizes the development of new 6 photovoltaic generating facilities, to create a long-term, 7 low-income solar marketplace throughout this State, to 8 integrate, through interaction with stakeholders, with 9 existing energy efficiency initiatives, and to minimize 10 administrative costs. The Illinois Solar for All Program 11 shall be implemented in a manner that seeks to minimize 12 administrative costs, and maximize efficiencies and 13 synergies available through coordination with similar 14 initiatives, including the Adjustable Block program 15 described in subparagraphs (K) through (M) of paragraph 16 (1) of subsection (c) of Section 1-75, energy efficiency