SB 1803

Abstract

Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall coordinate with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Public Health, and members of the University of Illinois' INHS Medical Entomology Program to establish the Lyme Disease Innovation Program no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Provides that the Department shall contract with a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to raise awareness of tick-borne diseases with the public and the medical community to operate the Program. Provides that the Program's purpose is to raise awareness with the public and to assist persons at risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases with education and awareness materials and campaigns while developing evidence-based approaches that are cost-effective. Includes provisions relating to the Program's objectives. Provides that the Program shall be funded by the Lyme Disease Awareness Fund. Amends the Recreational Trails of Illinois Act. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall issue to an off-highway vehicle owner an Off-Highway Vehicle Usage Stamp, and the Stamp shall be $10 or $5 depending on the size of the vehicle's engine capacity. Provides that the proceeds from the Stamp must be deposited into the Lyme Disease Awareness Fund. Makes a conforming change. Amends the State Finance Act to make a conforming change. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 20 ILCS 862/36 20 ILCS 862/36.3 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause with provisions of the introduced bill, and makes the following changes. Provides that the Department of Natural Resources shall consult with (rather than coordinate with) the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Public Health, and members of the University of Illinois' INHS Medical Entomology Program to establish the Lyme Disease Innovation Program. Specifies that the Department shall contract with an Illinois not-for-profit organization to operate the Program. Provides that the Program's objectives include issuing grants to be funded by the Lyme Disease Awareness Fund and other appropriations to State agencies and Illinois not-for-profit organizations. Provides that the Program may issue grants for the purpose of the University of Illinois' INHS Medical Entomology Program maintaining a passive tick and tick-borne pathogen surveillance program, based on ticks contributed by the Illinois public, and including tick identifications and disease-agent testing of a subset of identified ticks; compiling evidence and conducting research on tick bite prevention and risk of tick and tick-borne pathogen exposure; and providing evidence, results, and analysis and insight from both the passive surveillance program, on tick species and tick-borne disease-agent distributions and diversity in the State, and its related research on tick bite exposure and prevention, to support the Lyme Disease Innovation Program objectives. Requires the University of Illinois' Prairie Research Institute to be paid for the INHS Medical Entomology Program's operation of a passive tick surveillance and research program from moneys deposited into the Fund or from other appropriations. Removes provisions concerning the falsification of Off-Highway Vehicle Stamps. Removes language that establishes the Off-Highway Vehicle Lyme Disease Awareness Stamp. Makes other changes. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Specifies that the Lyme Disease Awareness Fund is a special fund established in the State treasury. Provides that the requirements of the provisions are subject to appropriation by the General Assembly being made to the Department of Natural Resources to implement the requirements.