Yesterday, August 14th Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich, signed two important bills into legislation. Both bills promote conservation in Illinois.
House Bill 1300 creates the Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force. The Task Force will be managed by the Department of Agriculture and will be responsible for developing plans to expand the accessibility of Illinois-grown and organic foods. Specifically, the task force will identify farmland preservation opportunities and train and develop programs for conventional farmers. In addition, it will provide financial and technical support for those entering the industry and help expand development of fresh food markets in under-served communities. The state hopes this will allow for fresh produce to be made available to the inner-city and revitalize weakened rural economies. House Bill 1300 was sponsored by Sate Representative Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) and State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago). HB 1300 goes into effect immediately.
House Bill 1780 extends the sunset date for the popular Conservation 2000 (C2000) program from 2009 to 2021. It was also renamed Partners for Conservation. Since 1996 the ‘C2000′ program has helped restore 90,000 acres of natural areas, reduced soil erosion by implementing conservation tillage programs and educated one million citizens on the importance of the environment. It has been one of the most succussful programs in the state of Illinois during the past quarter century. It was sponsored by State Representative Dan Reitz (D-Sparta) and State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Plainfield). HB 1780 will go into effect January 1, 2008.
There is no Illinois citizen participating in conservation who has not been involved with a C2000 Grant in some way and the promotion of a strong organic food market in Illinois is long overdue. These two bills make waiting for a state budget to pass just a bit more bearable.
