Bill Amendment: IL HB0928 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly

NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List

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Bill Title: 2020 CENSUS GRANT PROGRAM ACT

Status: 2019-03-29 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB0928 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB0928-House_Amendment_001.html

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Rep. André Thapedi

Filed: 2/7/2019

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AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 928
AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 928 by replacing
everything after the enacting clause with the following:
"Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 2020
Census Grant Program Act.
Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
finds that:
(1) Section 2 of Article 1 of the United States
Constitution requires a non-biased and nonpolitical
enumeration of the population of the United States every 10
years, which is known as the federal decennial census;
(2) the federal decennial census is important because
census figures affect congressional representation, State
redistricting, federal formula grant allocations, State
funding to local governments, local programs, and planning
activities for the next 10 years;

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(3) the federal decennial census not only counts
population, but also: (i) establishes representation
decisions for federal, State, and local governments; (ii)
is the basis upon which federal funding is allocated for
programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the National
School Lunch Program; and (iii) guides business decisions
regarding labor pools and investment choices;
(4) because federal decennial census data are used in
political, business, and social welfare contexts, the
accuracy of the count is critical;
(5) Congress has underfunded the U.S. Commerce
Department's budget to conduct the 2020 Census, causing the
Census Bureau to cancel certain preparations that would
test the Census Bureau's new digital tools;
(6) the Census Bureau plans for 80% of the country to
receive communications that urge a response to the census
via the Internet;
(7) the Census Bureau's reliance on the Internet is
worrisome because 21% of rural households do not currently
have Internet access at home, putting rural residents at
risk of being undercounted;
(8) in fiscal year 2015, the 50 states and the District
of Columbia received $589,700,000,000 from 16 large
federal assistance programs that allocate funds on the
basis of federal decennial census–derived statistics;
(9) according to the George Washington University

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Institute for Public Policy, in fiscal year 2015, Illinois
received $19,738,866,367, or approximately $1,535 per
capita, for 16 major federal assistance programs that
distribute funds based on federal decennial census-derived
statistics;
(10) a complete and accurate count of all Illinois
residents in the 2020 Census is vital to ensure fair
political representation and distribution of funding in
Illinois;
(11) historically, it has been more difficult to reach
and enumerate certain groups as part of the federal
decennial census, including, but not limited to, racial and
ethnic minorities, persons who do not speak English
fluently, lower income persons, homeless persons,
undocumented immigrants, young mobile persons, children,
persons who are distrustful of the government, and LGBTQ
persons;
(12) a geographic area is considered hard-to-count if
the area's self-response rate in the 2010 decennial census
was 73% or less;
(13) according to the Census 2020 hard-to-count map
application developed by the City University of New York
Mapping Service, approximately 16% of Illinoisans are
hard-to-count and face a high likelihood of being
undercounted;
(14) there are census tracts in jurisdictions

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throughout the State where achieving an accurate count of
the population is challenging, including the counties of
Cook, DeKalb, Pulaski, Kankakee, Peoria, Alexander,
Jackson, Coles, Champaign, St. Clair, McDonough,
Winnebago, and Lake;
(15) the U.S. Government Accountability Office added
the 2020 Census to the High Risk list because of concerns
about funding and effective operations, increasing
concerns about an undercount of the population; and
(16) adequate funding is necessary to ensure a complete
and accurate count of all people in this State, and it is
the intent of the General Assembly that existing
governmental outreach and education efforts be used to
facilitate a complete count for the 2020 Census.
Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"2020 Census" means the decennial census conducted by the
United States Census Bureau in the year 2020 to determine the
number of people living in the United States for purposes of
apportionment of representatives in the House of
Representatives.
"Grant Panel" means the 2020 Census Grant Program Panel.
Section 15. 2020 Census Grant Program.
(a) There is created the 2020 Census Grant Program for the
purpose of issuing grants to units of local government and

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nonprofit organizations to support the accurate counting of the
population of the State and its local jurisdictions, and the
collection of basic demographic and housing information of the
population of this State for the 2020 Census.
(b) There is created the 2020 Census Grant Program Panel.
The Grant Panel shall consist of the following members:
(i) a chair appointed jointly by the President of the
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(ii) two members appointed by the Governor; and
(iii) two members appointed jointly by the President of
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(c) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
shall provide staff and administrative support for the Grant
Panel. A member of the Grant Panel shall not receive
compensation for service as a member of the Grant Panel, but is
entitled to reimbursement for necessary travel expenses
incurred by the member.
(d) On or before July 1, 2019, a unit of local government
or nonprofit organization may apply to the Grant Panel for
funds to support the accurate counting of the population of its
jurisdiction or the State and the collection of basic
demographic and housing information of the population of the
State for the 2020 Census.
(e) On or before August 1, 2019, the Grant Panel shall
award funds, in an amount determined by the Grant Panel, to
units of local government and nonprofit organizations for

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approved applications.
(f) The Grant Panel shall notify units of local government
of the 2020 Census Grant Program. Units of local government
receiving notice from the Grant Panel under this subsection (f)
shall notify nonprofit organizations within the jurisdiction
of the unit of local government of the 2020 Census Grant
Program.
(g) For fiscal year 2020, the Governor shall include in the
annual State budget for the 2020 Census Grant Program an
appropriation of $33,000,000.
Section 20. Program application.
(a) Applicants for these grants shall use the grant
application format prepared and made available by the Grant
Panel for this purpose. The applications will be available on
the website of the Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity. Public agencies and private sector entities shall
be eligible to apply for these grants. Each applicant shall
describe itself, whether it is a public agency or private
sector entity. Each private sector entity shall describe
itself, including its legal status (corporation, joint
venture, partnership, or not-for-profit) and its mission. All
private sector entities must be authorized to do business in
the State of Illinois or, if a not-for-profit entity,
authorized to conduct affairs in Illinois. Applicants shall
designate that they are applying for a grant to encourage

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census participation in hard to count communities and of hard
to count persons, and shall designate the amount of grant funds
being requested. Each application shall include a detailed,
narrative statement describing the proposed use of the grant
funds. Each applicant also shall provide:
(1) project director name, with contact information;
(2) description of ability to administer the Grant;
(3) project title;
(4) project description;
(5) target audience and need;
(6) project schedule;
(7) methods for evaluating outcome; and
(8) proposed budget, details, and explanation of
expenses.
(b) Grant applicants must demonstrate in their grant
applications that they have satisfactorily met all
requirements set forth in this Section, and they possess the
administrative capacity to perform the program, fiscal and
reporting functions stipulated in this Section.
(c) The Grant Panel may deny a grant application if the
requirements in this Section are not met, or are inadequately
met. The Grant Panel shall not discriminate on the basis of
race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin,
disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military
status in the awarding of grants.
(d) Grant applications not submitted in the required format

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by the deadline date set forth in subsection (d) of Section 15,
or not completed, shall not be considered for funding by the
Grant Panel.
(e) This shall be a competitive grant application process.
A grant review committee shall review all grant applications
and make recommendations to the Grant Panel rewarding grant
awards. The following requirements shall apply to the grant
review committee:
(1) The grant review committee shall consist of
personnel of the Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity, designated members of the Complete Count
Commission, and, at the discretion of the Grant Panel,
additional qualified reviewers.
(2) Any additional reviewers shall be selected based on
their academic qualifications and their vocational and
volunteer experience related to the subject matter of the
grant.
(3) No person shall serve on a grant review committee
if that person is an applicant for the grant, is employed
by an applicant for the grant, has an ownership interest in
or receives income from an applicant for the grant, or is
related more closely than the fifth degree of consanguinity
(second cousins) to an owner or employee of an applicant
for the grant.
(4) Members of the grant review committee shall
independently consider the following criteria, and assign

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weighted scores up to the total amount of points indicated:
(A) Abstract. Does the project overview
appropriately communicate the proposed project? (25
points)
(B) Administrative capacity. Does the applicant
have adequate experience and qualifications to
accomplish the proposed project? Is the applicant a
known and trusted voice in the community to be served?
(100 points)
(C) Project description. Has the applicant
provided a comprehensive description of the project,
including details about methods, activities, and
services to be provided in light of the legislative
findings of Section 5? If the applicant is partnering
with any other entity, is that partnership fully
explained, and are those entities known and trusted
voices in the communities to be served? (200 points)
(D) Target audience and need. Has the applicant
identified the intended audience and its need for
services proposed? With regard to grant applications
to encourage participation in the census, and noting
that based on the latest census estimates
approximately 16% of Illinois' current population
lives in hard-to-count neighborhoods, has the
applicant set forth a plan for identifying and working
in these hard-to-count neighborhoods? (500 points)

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(E) Project schedule. Does the applicant's
timeline clearly illustrate appropriate scheduling of
proposed actions and activities? (50 points)
(F) Evaluation. Is the methodology and strategy
that the applicant will use to evaluate the success of
the project reasonable? (25 points)
(G) Budget. Is the proposed budget reasonable,
necessary, appropriate, and adequate to perform the
proposed services? (100 points)
For purposes of this grant application and review
process:
"Community provider" means an entity that has the
capability to provide services or goods to designated
communities as necessary to complete the requirements of
the grant.
"Census participation" means the act of responding to
the census questionnaire by mail, phone, or online.
(f) The total sum appropriated for a particular purpose may
be awarded to a single applicant, or that sum may be divided
into awards to multiple applicants. If grants are awarded to
multiple applicants, each selected application shall be funded
according to the amount of funding available based on the
comparative demonstrated need, experience executing the
proposed program or plan, and projected outcomes.
(g) All grant applicants shall be notified whether or not
their application has been approved. The decision of the Grant

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Panel regarding the award of grants under this Section is
final.
(h) The Grant Panel shall notify the submitting entity when
an application is approved. All approved applicants shall enter
into a grant agreement provided by the Grant Panel before any
grant funds will be distributed.
Section 25. Grant reporting requirements.
(a) As stipulated by the grant agreement, the following
reports shall be completed and transmitted to the Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity by each grant recipient:
(1) monthly narrative and financial reports showing
expenditures made from grant funds by line item;
(2) a final financial report showing all expenditures
of grant funds and the return of any non-expended grant
funds; and
(3) a final narrative report evaluating the degree to
which the grantee achieved the goals and objectives of the
project.
(b) The Grant Panel may request additional information and
data from any grant applicant.
(c) Grants awarded under this Section are subject to the
Grant Accountability and Transparency Act, and the Grant Panel
shall not consider grant applications submitted by entities
included in the Illinois Debarred and Suspended List maintained
by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget.

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(d) Grant recipients shall maintain books and records
relating to the expenditure of grant funds. Books and records,
including information stored in computer systems, shall be
maintained by the grant recipient for a period of 3 years from
the later of the date of the final grant payment or the
completion of the projects for which the grant was issued.
Books and records required to be maintained under this Section
shall be available for review or audit by the Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Attorney General, or the
Auditor General. Failure to maintain books and records required
by this Section shall establish a presumption in favor of the
Grant Panel for the recovery of any grant funds, attorney's
fees, and costs paid by the Grant Panel or its designee.
(e) Grants made under this Section are subject to the
provisions of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act. Actions
brought under that Act may include, but are not limited to, a
grant recipient's failure to spend funds in accordance with the
application or approved amendment or the failure to comply with
reporting procedures stipulated in this Section. If a provision
of this Section conflicts with a provision of the Illinois
Grant Funds Recovery Act, then the provision of the Illinois
Grant Funds Recovery Act controls.
(f) Obligations of the Grant Panel to fund this Grant
Program will cease immediately without penalty or further
payment being required if the funds for the grants are not
available to the Grant Panel.

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Section 30. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
2022.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.".