HB3556 - Black Farmer Restoration Program Act

• Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program Fund as a special state treasury fund to support eligible Black individuals in acquiring and operating agricultural land in Illinois.

• Defines "eligible individuals" as Illinois-born residents age 21+ who identify as Black or African American and have at least one parent of African ancestry; grants up to 100 acres of land at no cost to qualifying applicants.

• Requires at least 90% of fund grants to be used for land acquisition, with 75% of funds provided to applicants who lease or sell to socially disadvantaged farmers; attaches agricultural easements to granted land restricting use to agricultural purposes.

• Establishes the Farm Conservation Corps to provide job training and on-farm apprenticeships to residents ages 18-29 from socially disadvantaged groups on farms with less than $250,000 annual gross income.

• Mandates annual public reporting on race, ethnicity, and gender data of Department program recipients and requires research on land ownership disparities, farmworker demographics, corporate farmland ownership, and census accuracy for disadvantaged farmers.