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added = the amendment's new text.
HB4922*LRB10417466HLH37736a* EngrossedSen. LRB104 17466 BDA 30892 b AN ACT concerning agriculture.
BeMattie itHunter enactedFiled: by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:
Section5/15/2026 3.10400HB4922sam001 LRB104 17466 HLH 37736 a AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4922 AMENDMENT NO.
Findings.______.
TheAmend GeneralHouse AssemblyBill finds4922 that:by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:
(1)"Section Beginning5. in Fiscal Year 2021, the State of Illinois appropriated funds to support socially disadvantaged farmers, recognizing persistent barriers to land access, capital, infrastructure, and market participation.
(2)The ADepartment portion of thoseCommerce appropriationsand hasEconomic remainedOpportunity unexpendedLaw acrossof multiplethe fiscalCivil years,Administrative limitingCode theof intendedIllinois impactis ofamended thoseby funds.adding Section 605-1106 as follows:
(3)(20 EmergingILCS and605/605-1106 sociallynew) disadvantagedSec. farmers continue to face systemic and structural barriers that constrain agricultural production, business viability, and participation in local and regional food systems.
(4)605-1106. Deploying these unexpended funds through a flexible, accessible grant program administered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture will strengthen Illinois' agricultural economy, advance equity, and improve food security across urban, suburban, and rural communities.
Section 5.
The Department of Agriculture Law of the Civil HB4922 Engrossed - 2 - LRB104 17466 BDA 30892 b Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 205-455 as follows:
(20 ILCS 205/205-455 new) Sec.
205-455.
(a) InThe thisGeneral Section:Assembly finds and declares that:
"Eligible(1) applicant"Emerging meansand an emerging farmer, a socially disadvantaged farmer,farmers orcontinue ato farmface entitysystemic primarilyand owned,structural controlled,barriers orthat governedconstrain byagricultural oneproduction, orbusiness moreviability, emergingand orparticipation sociallyin disadvantagedlocal farmers and operatingregional orfood proposingsystems. to operate within Illinois.
"EmergingYet farmer"these meansfarmers aare farmeroften orat aspiringthe farmerfront wholines isof aserving membercommunities offacing orfood representsinsecurity, onediet-related ordisease, more10400HB4922sam001 of-2- theLRB104 following17466 groups:HLH 37736 a and economic hardship.
(2) Targeted investment in these farmers will increase food security and rebuild local economies in communities where that investment is needed most.
(3) Deploying funds through a flexible, accessible grant program will strengthen Illinois' agricultural economy and improve public health outcomes across urban, suburban, and rural communities.
(b) As used in this Section:
"Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
"Eligible applicant" means an applicant for a grant under this Section who meets the criteria set forth in subsection (e).
"Emerging farmer" means a farmer who is a member of or represents one or more of the following groups and who has had their access to land, credit, capital, insurance, technical assistance, education, training, markets, or participation in public or private agricultural programs diminished as compared to others in comparable economic circumstances as a result of their membership in that group:
10400HB4922sam001 -3- LRB104 17466 HLH 37736 a (6) youngfarmers persons;under 40 years of age;
and (8) urban farmers;farmers.
or"Food (9)desert" anyhas otherthe emergingmeaning farmersgiven asin determinedSection by5 theof Director to further the purposesGrocery ofInitiative thisAct. Section.
"Infrastructure""Heirs' meansproperty facilities,operator" improvements,means anda HB4922person Engrossedwho -farms 3real -property LRB104that 17466is BDAheld 30892as bheirs' systemsproperty, necessaryincluding forland agriculturalto productionwhich andtitle marketis access,held includingby landmultiple preparation,heirs on-farmwithout utilities,a post-harvestformal handling,partition processing,or storage,probate. aggregation, and distribution.
"Social"Infrastructure" disadvantage" means diminishedfacilities, opportunityimprovements, and disproportionatesystems barriersnecessary tofor entering,agricultural operating,production sustaining,and ormarket expandingaccess, aincluding farmland businesspreparation, thaton-farm areutilities, reasonablypost-harvest linkedhandling, toprocessing, suchstorage, discriminationaggregation, and notdistribution. solely attributable to individual business decisions.
"Socially"Social disadvantageddisadvantage" farmer" means andiminished individualopportunity farmerand ordisproportionate aspiringbarriers farmerto whoentering, hasoperating, experienced,sustaining, or whoseexpanding farminga operationfarm hasbusiness experienced,that socialare disadvantagereasonably aslinked ato result of systemic or chronic discrimination orand biasnot insolely accessattributable to land,individual credit,business capital,resources insurance,and technicaldecision-making. assistance, education, training, markets, or participation in public or private agricultural programs, on the basis of one or more of the following actual or perceived characteristics:
"Socially disadvantaged farmer" means an individual farmer or aspiring farmer who has experienced, or whose farming operation has experienced, social disadvantage as a result of systemic or chronic discrimination or bias in access to land, credit, capital, insurance, technical assistance, education, training, markets, or participation in public or private 10400HB4922sam001 -4- LRB104 17466 HLH 37736 a agricultural programs, on the basis of one or more actual or perceived characteristics, including race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, sex, pregnancy or childbirth-related status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, disability, marital or familial status, or immigration or citizenship status.
(b)"Underserved Thecommunity" Departmentmeans shalla establishcensus andtract, administermunicipality, theor Emerginggeographic andarea Sociallyin Disadvantagedwhich Farmersat Infrastructureleast and20% Marketof Accessresidents Grantlive Programbelow to provide grants to eligible applicants for the purposefederal ofpoverty increasingguidelines agriculturalpublished production,by strengthening farm viability, and expanding access HB4922 Engrossed - 4 - LRB104 17466 BDA 30892 b to markets within the State.U.S.
(c)Department Thisof ProgramHealth isand subjectHuman toServices appropriation,or whichthat maymeets includecriteria appropriationsfor equivalentdisproportionate toeconomic thehardship, amountslimited thataccess wereto appropriatedessential butservices, notor expendedhistoric indisinvestment, Fiscalincluding Yearsbarriers 2021,related 2022,to 2023,income, 2024,race andor 2025ethnicity, fordisability, emergingage, orlanguage sociallyaccess, disadvantagedor farmers.educational attainment.
(d)(c) GrantSubject fundsto mayappropriation, bethe usedDepartment for,shall butestablish arethe notEmerging limitedand to:Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Infrastructure and Market Access Grant Program to provide grants to eligible applicants for:
(1) capitalimproving andaccess infrastructureto improvements;local food in communities experiencing food insecurity;
(2) equipmentstrengthening local and supplyregional purchases;food systems;
and (3) operationalincreasing farm productivity and workingresilience capitalamong expenses;emerging farmers and socially disadvantaged farmers.
and(d) (4)The marketDepartment access,shall, aggregation,subject transportation,to appropriation, make grants for the purposes described in subsection (c) in accordance with the Grant Accountability and distributionTransparency expenses.Act.
(e)10400HB4922sam001 The-5- DepartmentLRB104 shall17466 establishHLH grant37736 awarda tiersNothing andin this Section shall notlimit requirethe matchingDepartment's funds.ability to implement this program through one or more grant administrators, as determined by the Department.
PriorityThe shallDepartment bemay givenalso provide technical assistance grants to applicantssupport who:emerging farmers or socially disadvantaged farmers.
(1)That havesupport shall include information requisite to support program applicants and awardees, including, but not previouslylimited receivedto, Statetranslation agriculturaland grants;accessibility support, training on application completion and compliance, and assistance with project planning and implementation to ensure projects meet program requirements.
(2)(e) operateAn small-scaleeligible applicant must (i) be an Illinois-resident farmer or limited-resourcea not-for-profit farm operations;based in Illinois, (ii) have operated a farm for less than 10 years immediately before the date of submission of an application for funding under this program, and (iii) meet at least one of the following criteria:
(3)(1) demonstratethe barriersfarm consistentis withlocated thewithin definitiona offood sociallydesert; disadvantaged farmer;
and(2) (4)the proposefarm projectsis thatlocated increasewithin foodan production,underserved createcommunity; jobs, or expand access to Illinois-grown products.
(f)(3) Thethe Departmentfarm shallearns adoptless rulesthan to$350,000 implementin andgross administerincome thisannually; Section.
These rules may allow eligibility verification through self-attestation or other(4) reasonablethe HB4922farm Engrossedcomprises -less than 5 -acres. LRB104 17466 BDA 30892 b methods.
(g)(f) TheIn Departmentawarding shallgrants, submitpriority anshall annualbe reportgiven toto: the General Assembly detailing grant awards, expenditures, and program outcomes.
(i) socially disadvantaged farmers;
(ii) emerging farmers;
(iii) heirs' property operators;
and (iv) cooperatives or 10400HB4922sam001 -6- LRB104 17466 HLH 37736 a collectives controlled or governed by one or more emerging or socially disadvantaged farmers.
Awards to not-for-profit entities may not exceed 50% of the total grants awarded unless grant funds would otherwise go unawarded for that funding opportunity.
The Department may give additional preference to applicants that have not previously received a State grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity or a federal Value-Added Producer Grant.
(g) Grant funds may be used for:
(1) capital and infrastructure, including greenhouses, high and low tunnels, hoop houses, cold storage, refrigeration, freezers, wash-pack stations, processing equipment, irrigation systems, fencing, on-farm utilities, soil remediation, land purchase, and land preparation;
(2) equipment and supplies, including tractors, implements, hand tools, harvest and post-harvest equipment, and food safety and quality control equipment;
(3) operations and working capital, including seeds, livestock, feed, fertilizer, soil testing and soil inputs, labor, payroll, payroll taxes, stipends, employee benefits, workforce training, apprenticeships, seasonal staffing, insurance, certifications (including Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), organic, or Certified Naturally Grown), licensing, fuel, utilities, and operating supplies;
(4) market access and distribution, including vehicles 10400HB4922sam001 -7- LRB104 17466 HLH 37736 a and refrigerated vehicles, aggregation and food hub participation costs, branding, packaging, labeling, market fees, and e-commerce or direct-to-consumer infrastructure;
and (5) other expenditures the Department determines are prudent and necessary to meet the goals of this Act.
(h) If a violation of a grant agreement is not cured within the period set forth in the notice of violation, the Department may use any procedures set forth in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act and the Grant Funds Recovery Act.
(i) The Department shall adopt rules to implement this Section and may allow eligibility verification through self-attestation or other reasonable methods.
This Act takes effect Julyupon 1,becoming 2026.law.".