HB 4209

Abstract

Amends the Department of Natural Resources Act. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources may lease land on property of which the Department has jurisdiction for the purpose of creating, operating, or maintaining a commercial solar energy system or a clean energy project. Provides that the lease shall be for a period not longer than 25 years. Provides that, if practical, the Department shall require that any land or property over which the Department has jurisdiction and that is used for the purpose of creating, operating, or maintaining a commercial solar energy system shall have implemented on it and maintained management practices that would qualify the land or property as a beneficial habitat under the Pollinator-Friendly Solar Site Act. Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Defines "clean energy". Provides that the Department may provide for at least one electric vehicle charging station, as defined in the Electric Vehicle Act, at any State park or other real property that is owned by the Department where electrical service will reasonably permit. Provides that the Department is authorized to charge user fees for the use of an electric vehicle charging station. Amends the State Parks Act to make conforming changes. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code. Exempts certain expenditures by the Department of Natural Resources from the Code. Fiscal Note (Dept. of Natural Resources) The Office of Law Enforcement is currently working with Procurement regarding the purchase of body cameras for all sworn OLE personnel. This is a mandate that must be in place by January 2025. Current figures show a total cost of $2.6 million for a contract covering 5 years with the first expense of approximately $680,000 hopefully still occurring prior to the end of fiscal year 2024. This expense of $680,000 includes Cloud data storage as well as the cost ofacquiring the actual equipment (body cameras and in-car cameras). Thereafter, there will be an annual cost of approximately $500,000 for each of 4 years to cover data storage and maintenance. This contract will also allow the Office of Law Enforcement to upgrade its equipment after 3 years to take advantage of the newest technology. This upgrade would occur at no additional charge. For the purchase of technology and software, the Office of Law Enforcement is in the process of procuring a records management system that will replace obsolete databases and allow officers to input some of their own data (ie tickets, etc.) to minimize errors, repetitive handling, lost files, etc. This procurement is being worked on at this moment, but it is a very complex procurement and will likely not occur until FY25 at the earliest. Initial estimates were that the system OLE is wanting to acquire would/could cost approximately $500,000 the first year depending on options and features available and requested. Initial estimates were that 50% of the total cost would be required at contract signing, 40% once the system was implemented and operational without errors and 10% once all applicable staff had been thoroughly trained. Once the system is in place and staff have been trained, it estimated that there would be a $60,000 annual maintenance cost for each of the next 4 years which would include upgrades. For a 5-year contract the total cost over 5 years could approach $750,000. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. In the Department of Natural Resources Act concerning the power of the Department of Natural Resources to lease land or property over which the Department has jurisdiction, and which is not immediately to be used or developed by the State, provides that the lease term shall not be more than 10 (rather than 5) years. In news provision providing for the lease of land or property over which the Department has jurisdiction for the purpose of creating, operating, or maintaining a commercial solar energy system or a clean energy project, provides that the lease term shall not be longer than 40 years and may be renewed by the Department for not more than 40 years per renewal (rather than 25 years without renewal in the introduced bill). In the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, includes the 40 (rather than 25) year lease and renewal provisions and provides that the Department shall require that any lease must provide for a signed project labor agreement for the length of the lease term. Provides that a project labor agreement entered into under this provision shall be entered into with the local building and construction trades council having geographic jurisdiction over the project. In the State Parks Act, provides that, in a lease that allows for the creation, operation, or maintenance of a commercial solar energy system, the Department shall require that any lease must include a signed project labor agreement for the length of the lease term. Provides that a project labor agreement entered into under this provision shall be entered into with the local building and construction trades council having geographic jurisdiction over the project. House Floor Amendment No. 4 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the bill as amended by House Amendment No. 2 with the following changes. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources "shall then" (rather than "shall" or "may also") prioritize commercial solar energy system sites with a significant history of disturbance, such as former strip mines or previously developed sites.