HB3501 - Black Farmer Restoration Program Act

• Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program within the Illinois Department of Agriculture to purchase farmland and grant it to eligible Black individuals at no cost, with land grants capped at 100 acres per recipient.

• Establishes the Farm Conservation Corps to provide agricultural training and on-farm apprenticeships to residents aged 18-29 from socially disadvantaged groups at farms with annual gross income under $250,000.

• Creates a 9-member Equity Commission to investigate historical and continuing discrimination by the Department against Black farmers and ranchers, with members including Black farmers, nonprofit organization representatives, and university faculty; requires a report to the Governor and General Assembly by January 1, 2024.

• Requires the Department to conduct and publicly report annual research on land ownership, assistance distribution, loan status, and disparities affecting socially disadvantaged farmers, delineated by race, ethnicity, and gender.

• Directs the Department to annually research corporate land investment and ownership in Illinois and its impact on land consolidation, farm access for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, and production trends.