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HB 3654

OPEN LANDS-GRANTS TO GOVTS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Dee Avelar and 37 co-sponsors

Expands Open Space grants to prioritize distressed areas, allowing up to 100% state funding for certain projects and adding emergency rulemaking to implement the changes.

Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading October 15, 2025
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Bill Summary · HB 3654

Summary — HB 3654 (Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act Amendments)

Status: Placed on Calendar — Order of 3rd Reading (Oct 15, 2025). Introduced Feb 18 / filed Mar 3, 2025. Passed House (113-0); arrived in Senate; amended in Senate committee and reported favorably as amended.

Purpose

HB 3654 revises the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Act to (1) expand and prioritize grant assistance for park, recreation, conservation and open-space projects located in economically distressed areas, (2) add temporary emergency rulemaking authority for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to implement the law, and (3) update certain definitions and reporting requirements.

Key provisions

  • Matching shares
    • Baseline rule (existing): state grants generally conditioned on a 50/50 state/local match for acquisition and capital development.
    • Enhanced assistance for distressed areas:
    • Distressed location projects located within a distressed community: eligible for up to 100% state assistance.
    • Projects located within a distressed community (whether or not also a distressed location): eligible for up to 90% state assistance.
    • Distressed location projects not located in a distressed community: eligible for up to 75% state assistance.
  • Prioritization and limits
    • Directs the DNR to prioritize grants for projects in “distressed locations” and “distressed communities.”
    • Retains a limit that no more than 10% of any fiscal-year appropriation may be committed to a single project.
    • The bill also establishes percentage limits on how much of the annual appropriation may be used for the higher-assistance (distressed) grants (the bill text sets caps on availability for subsection (d) grants and limits grants to certain distressed/non‑distressed combinations).
  • Definitions
    • Adds/updates definitions for “distressed community” and “distressed location” (criteria include poverty rate ≥20%, SNAP receipt, school free-lunch participation, or sustained elevated unemployment — e.g., unemployment >120% of national average for 2 consecutive years).
    • Expands/clarifies the definition of “local government” to include various park, conservation, and forest preserve entities.
  • Reporting and repeal
    • Repeals a statutory requirement that DNR prepare a Distressed Local Government Report (and repeals some prior definitional provisions).
  • Emergency rulemaking
    • Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to permit DNR to adopt emergency rules under a new Section 5-45.65 to implement this Act. That emergency rule authority expires one year after the act’s effective date.

Who is affected / likely impact

  • Local governments (counties, municipalities, park districts, forest preserves, conservation districts, river conservancy districts, etc.) applying for Open Space grants can receive substantially higher state shares for qualifying projects in economically distressed areas, lowering required local matching funds and potentially accelerating projects in underserved communities.
  • DNR: gains prioritization responsibility, new definitions to apply, and temporary emergency rulemaking authority to implement the program changes.
  • State budget: increased potential state share exposure for qualifying projects; statutory caps are included to limit annual appropriation use for high-assistance grants.

Procedural notes / next steps

  • Passed the House; on the Senate calendar with amendments adopted in committee. Reported out of Senate Executive Committee (Do Pass as Amended). Next steps: third reading in the Senate (calendar date set Oct 15, 2025), then concurrence (if amended) and then to the Governor if passed by both chambers.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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