On March 26th, the Illinois House Revenue Committee will be having a hearing on HB4707, which will ensure grant agreements and contracts are executed in a timely manner by State grant-making agencies. 

Take Action Now:

• Contact your State Representative to cosponsor HB4707 by sending them the form on this page.
• If you haven't already, also, file a witness slip to support HB4707 before 8:00 AM on Thursday 3/26 [File a Witness Slip Here]
  1. Once you click on the link above, you will be on the official witness slip creation page. Fill out all the identification information in the first box.
  2. Under the Representation box, type in "self" or the name of the organization you represent for this bill
  3. Under the "Position" section, select "Original Bill" from the drop down menu under "Add Legislation.
  4. Under the "Add Position" drop down menu, select "Proponent."
  5. You must click on the blue "Add Position" next in order to advance to complete the form. Once selected, your position will appear in the box.
  6. Under Testimony, click on "Record of Appearance Only."
  7. Agree to the terms and agreements and submit your Witness Slip!

Background:

A 2023 statewide survey found that organizations with the smallest budgets led by, or serving, Communities of Color are the most likely to face challenges with the state’s contracting and payment systems. With recent and continued federal cuts also exacerbating these challenges, it's important the state does everything it can to ensure these systematic inequities are no longer prevalent for our nonprofit providers. HB4707 makes changes to the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act including requiring state agencies to issue grant agreements within 60 days of a grant's effective date and to include clear billing timelines, payment methodology, and Prompt Payment eligibility in all agreements.

Resources:

• 2023 Survey Results
• Fact Sheet