HB 4721

Select Language
  ×
The Illinois General Assembly offers the Google Translate™ service for visitor convenience. In no way should it be considered accurate as to the translation of any content herein.
Visitors of the Illinois General Assembly website are encouraged to use other translation services available on the internet.
The English language version is always the official and authoritative version of this website.
NOTE: To return to the original English language version, select the "Show Original" button on the Google Translate™ menu bar at the top of the window.
  Choose Language
  English
  Afrikaans
  Albanian
  Arabic
  Armenian
  Azerbaijani
  Basque
  Bengali
  Bosnian
  Catalan
  Croatian
  Czech
  Danish
  Dutch
  Esperanto
  Estonian
  Filipino
  Finnish
  French
  Galician
  Georgian
  German
  Greek
  Gujarati
  Haitian Creole
  Hausa
  Hawaiian
  Hebrew
  Hindi
  Hungarian
  Icelandic
  Indonesian
  Interlingua
  Interlingue
  Inuktitut
  Irish
  Italian
  Japanese
  Javanese
  Kannada
  Khmer
  Korean
  Latin
  Latvian
  Lithuanian
  Luxembourgish
  Macedonian
  Malagasy
  Malayalam
  Maltese
  Maori
  Marathi
  Myanmar
  Nepali
  Norwegian
  Odia
  Pashto
  Punjabi
  Romanian
  Russian
  Samoan
  Sango
  Sanskrit
  Sardinian
  Sindhi
  Sinhala
  Slovak
  Slovenian
  Somali
  Southern Sotho
  Spanish
  Sundanese
  Swahili
  Swedish
  Tamil
  Telugu
  Thai
  Tigrinya
  Tonga
  Turkish
  Ukrainian
  Urdu
  Vietnamese
  Welsh
  Xhosa
  Yiddish
  Yoruba
  Zulu
  Powered by Translate
  Close
Illinois General Assembly
Top Navigation Bar
  Translate
  Learn
  Select General Assembly
  Search the 104th General Assembly
  Enter search terms for legislation, members, committees, or schedules.
  ILGA.GOV
Mobile Top Bar
  Search the 104th General Assembly
  Enter keywords to search the Illinois General Assembly website.
Full Text of HB4721
Home
Legislation
Full Text
	HB4721 - 104th General Assembly
		Bill Status
		Full Text
		Votes
		Witness Slips
	Select Menu
	Bill Status
	Full Text
	Votes
	Witness Slips
	Printer Friendly Version
			Introduced
		Printer Friendly Version
		Introduced
			 Open PDF
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4721
Introduced , by Rep. Sonya M. Harper
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 750/5
20 ILCS 750/15
Amends the Grocery Initiative Act. Provides that the Act also includes grants and financial assistance for mobile farmers markets and online farmers markets. Provides that, in addition to other purposes, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may award grants under the Act for technology upgrades, including software and point-of-sale systems.
LRB104 20342 HLH 33793 b
A BILL FOR
		HB4721		LRB104 20342 HLH 33793 b
1    AN ACT concerning finance.
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4    Section 5. The Grocery Initiative Act is amended by
5changing Sections 5 and 15 as follows:
6    (20 ILCS 750/5)
7    Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
8    "Cooperative" means an organization that is organized
9according to the Co-operative Act.
10    "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
11Opportunity.
12    "Food desert" means a census tract that:
13        (1) meets one of the following poverty standards:
14            (A) the census tract has a poverty rate of at least
15        20%; or
16            (B) the census tract is not located within a
17        metropolitan statistical area and has a median family
18        income that is less than or equal to 80% of the
19        statewide median household income; or
20            (C) the census tract is located within a
21        metropolitan statistical area and has a median family
22        income that is less than or equal to 80% of the greater
23        of (i) the statewide median household income or (ii)
		HB4721	- 2 -	LRB104 20342 HLH 33793 b
1        the metropolitan area median family income; and
2        (2) meets one of the following population density and
3    food accessibility standards:
4            (A) the census tract is a rural tract, and at least
5        33% of the population of the tract or at least 500
6        residents in the tract reside more than 10 miles from
7        the nearest grocery store; or
8            (B) the census tract is an urban tract, and at
9        least 33% of the population of the tract or at least
10        500 residents in the tract reside more than one-half
11        mile from the nearest grocery store.
12    The Department may also designate an area that does not
13meet the standards set forth in this definition as a food
14desert if the designation is made in accordance with criteria
15established by the Department by rule using data that
16includes, but is not limited to, poverty metrics and access to
17existing grocery stores.
18    "Grocery store" means an existing or planned retail
19establishment that: (1) has or will have a primary business of
20selling a variety of grocery products, including fresh
21produce; (2) derives or will derive no more than 30% of its
22revenue from sales of tobacco and alcohol in any given year;
23(3) is or will be classified as a supermarket or other grocery
24retailer in the 2022 North American Industry Classification
25System under code 445110; (4) accepts or will accept
26Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Special
		HB4721	- 3 -	LRB104 20342 HLH 33793 b
1Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
2Children benefits; and (5) provides or will provide for the
3retail sale of a substantial variety of perishable foods,
4including fresh or frozen dairy products, fresh produce, and
5fresh meats, poultry, and fish.
6    "Local governmental unit" means any county, municipality,
7township, special district, or unit that is designated as a
8unit of local government by law and exercises limited
9governmental powers or powers in respect to limited
10governmental subjects. "Local governmental unit" also includes
11any school district or community college district.
12    "Mobile farmers market" means a farmers market operated 
13from a movable motor driven or propelled vehicle or trailer 
14that can change location, including a farmers market owned and 
15operated by a farmer or a third party that sells products on 
16behalf of farmers or cottage food operations with the intent 
17of a direct sale to an end consumer.
18    "Not-for-profit corporation" means an organization or
19institution that is organized and conducted on a
20not-for-profit basis with no personal profit inuring to anyone
21as a result of the operation and that is organized according to
22the General Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986.
23    "Online farmers market" means an online marketplace that 
24sells products primarily from Illinois farmers and provides 
25delivery or pick-up options for consumers.
26    "Rural tract" means a census tract that is not an urban
		HB4721	- 4 -	LRB104 20342 HLH 33793 b
1tract.
2    "Urban tract" means a census tract having its geographic
3centroid in an urban area, as defined by the Bureau of the
4Census for the most recent year in which all relevant data to
5identify food deserts is available.
6(Source: P.A. 103-561, eff. 1-1-24.)
7    (20 ILCS 750/15)
8    Sec. 15. Grocery Initiative Grants and Financial Support.
9    (a) The Department shall, subject to appropriation,
10establish the Grocery Initiative to expand access to healthy
11foods in food deserts in Illinois and areas at risk of becoming
12food deserts in Illinois by providing grants and other forms
13of financial assistance to independently owned for-profit
14grocery stores, cooperative grocery stores, or not-for-profit
15grocery stores, mobile farmers markets, online farmers 
16markets, as well as grocery stores owned and operated by local
17governmental units. The Department may enter into contracts,
18grants, or other agreements to administer these grants and
19other forms of financial assistance. The Department may, by
20rule, place limits on the size of the entities [grocery stores]
21that are eligible for grants and other financial assistance
22under this Act, including, but not limited to, limits on the
23annual revenue or projected revenue of the applicant, number
24of full-time employees, or square footage of the facilities.
25The Department may prioritize grant awards and loan funding to
		HB4721	- 5 -	LRB104 20342 HLH 33793 b
1applicants based on poverty rates, income, geographic
2diversity, local ownership, access to grocery stores in the
3area surrounding proposed project locations, and other factors
4as determined by the Department. The Department may award
5grants or provide loans for any one or more of the following:
6        (1) market and site feasibility studies, promotional
7    materials, and marketing;
8        (2) salaries and benefits for workers;
9        (3) rent or a down payment to acquire a facility;
10        (4) purchase of ownership of a grocery store as part
11    of establishing a new grocery store;
12        (5) capital improvements, planning, renovations, land
13    acquisition, demolition, durable and non-durable equipment
14    purchases; [or]
15        (6) technology upgrades, including software and 
16    point-of-sale systems; or
17        (7) [(6)] other costs as determined eligible by the
18    Department.
19    (b) The Department may, subject to appropriation, provide
20grants for equipment upgrades for existing independently owned
21for-profit grocery stores, cooperative grocery stores,
22not-for-profit grocery stores, or farmer-owned grocery stores
23or markets. The Department shall use no more than 20% of total
24program funding for this purpose. Equipment upgrades shall be
25focused on providing access to equipment that is energy
26efficient.
		HB4721	- 6 -	LRB104 20342 HLH 33793 b
1(Source: P.A. 103-561, eff. 1-1-24; 103-957, eff. 1-1-25.)