(30 ILCS 150/1) (from Ch. 105, par. 731) Sec. 1. Short Title. This Article shall be known and may be cited as the "Natural Heritage Fund Act". (Source: P.A. 84-1473.)

(30 ILCS 150/2) (from Ch. 105, par. 732) Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this Article, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section: (a) "Department" means the Department of Natural Resources. (b) "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources. (c) "Natural heritage lands" means lands and waters dedicated as Nature Preserves in accordance with the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act and other lands and waters representing outstanding examples of native ecological communities or providing habitat for endangered or threatened species and so categorized by the Department in the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory or the Illinois Natural Heritage Database maintained by the Department. (d) "Natural Heritage Fund" means the Natural Heritage Fund created in Section 4 of this Act and Section 5.169 of "An Act in relation to State finance", approved June 10, 1919, as amended. (e) "Trust Fund" means the Natural Heritage Endowment Trust Fund created in Section 4 of this Article. (Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.)

(30 ILCS 150/3) (from Ch. 105, par. 733) Sec. 3. Purpose. Illinois' natural heritage is the living landscape that greeted the pioneers who settled Illinois. It includes the native fauna and flora; natural ecosystems of forests, prairies and wetlands; and the land and water upon which a diverse array of plants, animals and habitats developed and survived, and which today provides habitat for various nongame species of wildlife. It is the purpose of this Article to provide a stable and supplemental source of moneys to support activities and programs undertaken by the Department or other managers of natural heritage lands held in the public trust to preserve, protect and manage for future generations natural heritage lands held in the public trust. (Source: P.A. 84-1473.)

(30 ILCS 150/4) (from Ch. 105, par. 734) Sec. 4. The Natural Heritage Fund and the Natural Heritage Endowment Trust Fund. There is established the Natural Heritage Fund. The moneys in this fund shall be used, pursuant to appropriation, exclusively by the Department for the preservation and maintenance of natural heritage lands held in the public trust. The Natural Heritage Fund shall be financed through transfers of investment income earned by the Natural Heritage Endowment Trust Fund created herebelow. The Natural Heritage Endowment Trust Fund (Trust Fund) is created as a trust fund in the State treasury. The Trust Fund shall be established in the form of an irrevocable trust in a depository bank with capital in surplus of at least $50,000,000 and approved by the State Treasurer. The Trust Fund shall be financed by a combination of private donations and by appropriations by the General Assembly. The Department may accept from all sources, contributions, grants, gifts, bequeaths, legacies of money and securities to be deposited into the Trust Fund. All deposits shall become part of the Trust Fund corpus. Moneys in the Trust Fund, are not subject to appropriation and shall be used solely to provide financing to the Natural Heritage Fund. All gifts, grants, assets, funds, or moneys received by the Department under this Act shall be deposited and held in the Trust Fund by the State Treasurer as ex officio custodian separate and apart from all public moneys or funds of this State and shall be administered by the Director exclusively for the purposes set forth in this Act. All moneys in the Trust Fund shall be invested and reinvested by the State Treasurer. All interest accruing from these investments shall be deposited in the Trust Fund. The Governor shall request and the General Assembly may appropriate funds to the Trust Fund up to an amount not to exceed a total of $2,500,000. Subject to appropriation, the Department shall pay into the Trust Fund at the end of each fiscal year the sum of $500,000 and such sum equal to the amount by which private contributions for the year exceed $500,000. Once the corpus of the Trust Fund has reached $5,000,000, any obligation of the State to provide State funds to the Trust Fund shall cease; however, additional private funds donated specifically to the Trust Fund shall be applied to the Trust Fund corpus. (Source: P.A. 94-91, eff. 7-1-05.)

(30 ILCS 150/5) (from Ch. 105, par. 735) Sec. 5. Interest proceeds. The Governor shall request and the General Assembly may annually appropriate from the Natural Heritage Fund an amount not to exceed the annual investment income earned by the Trust Fund to the Department and any portion of the investment income earned in preceding years that was not transferred for the purposes set forth in Section 4. Upon the Director's request, the Comptroller and the State Treasurer shall transfer amounts not to exceed the actual investment income earned from the Trust Fund to the Natural Heritage Fund from time to time as needed for expenditures from the Natural Heritage Fund in accordance with appropriations. (Source: P.A. 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)

(30 ILCS 150/6) (from Ch. 105, par. 736) Sec. 6. Rules and Regulations. The Department shall have the authority to promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the purpose of this Article. (Source: P.A. 84-111.)

(30 ILCS 150/7) (from Ch. 105, par. 737) Sec. 7. Transfer of Funds. Any funds, including investment income, deposited into the Natural Heritage Endowment Trust Fund held by the State Treasurer prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1992 shall be transferred by the Comptroller and the State Treasurer upon the Director's request into the Trust Fund created by Section 4 of this Act. (Source: P.A. 87-1197.)

(30 ILCS 150/8) (from Ch. 105, par. 738) Sec. 8. (Repealed). (Source: P.A. 84-1473. Repealed by P.A. 92-850, eff. 8-26-02.)