(410 ILCS 43/15)
Sec. 15. Grant and loan program.
(a) Subject to appropriation, the Department, in consultation with the Advisory Council, shall establish and operate the CLEAR-WIN Program in two pilot area communities selected by the Department with advice from the Advisory Council. Pilot area communities shall be selected based upon the prevalence of low-income families whose children are lead poisoned, the age of the housing stock, and other sources of funding available to the communities to address lead-based paint hazards.
(b) The Department shall be responsible for administering the CLEAR-WIN grant program. The grant shall be used to correct lead-based paint hazards in residential buildings. Conditions for receiving a grant shall be developed by the Department based on criteria established by the Advisory Council. Criteria, including but not limited to the following program components, shall include (i) income eligibility for receipt of the grants, with priority given to low-income tenants or owners who rent to low-income tenants; (ii) properties to be covered under CLEAR-WIN; and (iii) the number of units to be covered in a property. Prior to making a grant, the Department must provide the grant recipient with a copy of the Lead Safe Housing Maintenance Standards generated by the Advisory Council. The property owner must certify that he or she has received the Standards and intends to comply with them; has provided a copy of the Standards to all tenants in the building; will continue to rent to the same tenant or other low-income tenant for a period of not less than 5 years following completion of the work; and will continue to maintain the property as lead-safe. Failure to comply with the grant conditions may result in repayment of grant funds.
(c) The Advisory Council shall also consider development of a loan program to assist property owners not eligible for grants.
(d) All lead-based paint hazard control work performed with these grant or loan funds shall be conducted in conformance with the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act and the Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Code. Before contractors are paid for repair work conducted under the CLEAR-WIN Program, each dwelling unit assisted must be inspected by a lead risk assessor or lead inspector licensed in Illinois, and an appropriate number of dust samples must be collected from in and around the work areas for lead analysis, with results in compliance with levels set by the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act and the Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Code. All costs of evaluation shall be the responsibility of the property owner who received the grant or loan, but will be provided for by the Department for grant recipients and may be included in the amount of the loan. Additional repairs and clean-up costs associated with a failed clearance test, including follow-up tests, shall be the responsibility of the contractor.
(e) Within 6 months after the effective date of this Act, the Advisory Council shall recommend to the Department Lead Safe Housing Maintenance Standards for purposes of the CLEAR-WIN Program. Except for properties where all lead-based paint has been removed, the standards shall describe the responsibilities of property owners and tenants in maintaining lead-safe housing, including but not limited to, prescribing special cleaning, repair, and maintenance necessary to reduce the chance that properties will cause lead poisoning in child occupants. Recipients of CLEAR-WIN grants and loans shall be required to continue to maintain their properties in compliance with these Lead Safe Housing Maintenance Standards. Failure to maintain properties in accordance with these Standards may result in repayment of grant funds or termination of the loan.
(f) From funds appropriated, the Department may pay grants and reasonable administrative costs.
(Source: P.A. 95-492, eff. 1-1-08; 96-959, eff. 7-1-10.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015