97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5910

 

Introduced 2/16/2012, by Rep. Patricia R. Bellock

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
770 ILCS 50/3  from Ch. 82, par. 47c
770 ILCS 90/4 new
770 ILCS 95/4  from Ch. 114, par. 804

    Amends the Labor and Storage Lien (Small Amount) Act, the Sale of Unclaimed Property Act, and the Self-Service Storage Facility Act. Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a lien is held on a vehicle under one of the amended Acts and the name of the vehicle owner or other responsible party is unknown after reasonable inquiry or if a certified mailing mailed is returned as undeliverable, the lienholder seeking to enforce the lien may hold the sale without complying notice by publication requirements if the lienholder provides the Secretary of State with a signed statement that: (i) the lienholder has inspected the vehicle and in the lienholder's opinion, the vehicle is a junk vehicle; and (ii) if the lienholder purchases the vehicle at the public sale, the lienholder will apply for a junking certificate for the vehicle. Provides that a person seeking a junking certificate under the new provisions must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State that he or she is otherwise eligible for a junking certificate.


LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5910LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Labor and Storage Lien (Small Amount) Act is
5amended by changing Section 3 as follows:
 
6    (770 ILCS 50/3)  (from Ch. 82, par. 47c)
7    Sec. 3. Notice.
8    (a) Such sale shall be held only after giving 30 days'
9notice of the time and place of such sale, by publication once
10in some newspaper of general circulation in the city, village,
11or incorporated town in which such lienor expended such labor,
12services, skill, or material or furnished such storage, or if
13there be none, or if the labor, service, skill or material was
14not expended in a city, village, or incorporated town, then in
15some newspaper of general circulation in the county in which
16such lienor expended such labor, service, skill, or material or
17furnished such storage, and also by certified mailing, 30 days
18before such sale, a copy of such notice addressed to the person
19requesting or consenting to such expenditure of labor,
20services, skill, or material or furnishing of storage, if his
21address is known, or if his address is unknown, to the last
22known address of such person. If no address is known or
23discoverable after reasonable inquiry, the sale may be made

 

 

HB5910- 2 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1without mailing such notice. The published notice required by
2this Section shall be in substantially the following form:
3-------------------------------------------------------------
4
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
5    That on (insert date), a sale will be held at (insert
6place), to sell the following articles to enforce a lien
7existing under the laws of the State of Illinois against such
8articles for labor, services, skill or material expended upon a
9storage furnished for such articles at the request of the
10following designated persons, unless such articles are
11redeemed within thirty days of the publication of this notice.
12-------------------------------------------------------------
13Name of Person      Description of Article  Amount of lien
14.................    .................     $.................
15.................    .................     $.................
16    A separate notice need not be published for each lien to be
17enforced, but several may be combined in one publication.
18    (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a lien
19is held on a vehicle and the name of the vehicle owner or other
20responsible party is unknown after reasonable inquiry or if a
21certified mailing mailed under subsection (a) of this Section
22is returned as undeliverable, the lienholder seeking to enforce
23the lien under this Act may hold the sale without complying
24with the notice by publication requirements of subsection (a)
25of this Section if the lienholder provides the Secretary of
26State with a signed statement that:

 

 

HB5910- 3 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1        (i) the lienholder has inspected the vehicle and in the
2    lienholder's opinion, the vehicle is a junk vehicle as
3    defined by Section 1-134.1 of this Code; and
4        (ii) if the lienholder purchases the vehicle at the
5    public sale, the lienholder will apply for a junking
6    certificate for the vehicle.
7    A person seeking a junking certificate under this
8subsection (b) must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the
9Secretary of State that he or she is otherwise eligible for a
10junking certificate.
11(Source: P.A. 87-206.)
 
12    Section 10. The Sale of Unclaimed Property Act is amended
13by adding Section 4 as follows:
 
14    (770 ILCS 90/4 new)
15    Sec. 4. Junk vehicles. Notwithstanding any other provision
16of law, if a lien is held on a vehicle under this Act and the
17name of the vehicle owner or other responsible party is unknown
18after reasonable inquiry or if a certified mailing mailed under
19this Act is returned as undeliverable, the lienholder seeking
20to enforce the lien under this Act may hold the sale without
21complying with the notice by publication requirements of this
22Act if the lienholder provides the Secretary of State with a
23signed statement that:
24        (i) the lienholder has inspected the vehicle and in the

 

 

HB5910- 4 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1    lienholder's opinion, the vehicle is a junk vehicle as
2    defined by Section 1-134.1 of this Code; and
3        (ii) if the lienholder purchases the vehicle at the
4    public sale, the lienholder will apply for a junking
5    certificate for the vehicle.
6    A person seeking a junking certificate under this Section
7must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State
8that he or she is otherwise eligible for a junking certificate.
 
9    Section 15. The Self-Service Storage Facility Act is
10amended by changing Section 4 as follows:
 
11    (770 ILCS 95/4)  (from Ch. 114, par. 804)
12    Sec. 4. Enforcement of lien. An owner's lien as provided
13for in Section 3 of this Act for a claim which has become due
14may be satisfied as follows:
15    (A) The occupant shall be notified;
16    (B) The notice shall be delivered:
17        (1) in person; or
18        (2) by certified mail or by first-class mail with a
19    certificate of mailing to the last known address of the
20    occupant;
21    (C) The notice shall include:
22        (1) An itemized statement of the owner's claim showing
23    the sum due at the time of the notice and the date when the
24    sum became due;

 

 

HB5910- 5 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1        (2) The name of the facility, address, telephone
2    number, date, time, location, and manner of the lien sale,
3    and the occupant's name and unit number;
4    (3) A notice of denial of access to the personal property,
5if such denial is permitted under the terms of the rental
6agreement, which provides the name, street address, and
7telephone number of the owner, or his designated agent, whom
8the occupant may contact to respond to this notice;
9    (3.5) Except as otherwise provided by a rental agreement
10and until a lien sale, the exclusive care, custody, and control
11of all personal property stored in the leased self-service
12storage space remains vested in the occupant. No bailment or
13higher level of liability is created if the owner over-locks
14the occupant's lock, thereby denying the occupant access to the
15storage space. Rent and other charges related to the lien
16continue to accrue during the period of time when access is
17denied because of non-payment;
18    (4) A demand for payment within a specified time not less
19than 14 days after delivery of the notice;
20    (5) A conspicuous statement that unless the claim is paid
21within the time stated in the notice, the personal property
22will be advertised for sale or other disposition, and will be
23sold or otherwise disposed of at a specified time and place.
24    (D) Any notice made pursuant to this Section shall be
25presumed delivered when it is deposited with the United States
26Postal Service, and properly addressed with postage prepaid;

 

 

HB5910- 6 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1    (E) After the expiration of the time given in the notice,
2an advertisement of the sale or other disposition shall be
3published once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper
4of general circulation where the self-service storage facility
5is located. The advertisement shall include:
6    (1) The name of the facility, address, telephone number,
7date, time, location, and manner of lien sale and the
8occupant's name and unit number.
9    (2) (Blank).
10    (3) The sale or other disposition shall take place not
11sooner than 15 days after the first publication. If there is no
12newspaper of general circulation where the self-service
13storage facility is located, the advertisement shall be posted
14at least 10 days before the date of the sale or other
15disposition in not less than 6 conspicuous places in the
16neighborhood where the self-service storage facility is
17located.
18    (F) Any sale or other disposition of the personal property
19shall conform to the terms of the notification as provided for
20in this Section;
21    (G) Any sale or other disposition of the personal property
22shall be held at the self-service storage facility, or at the
23nearest suitable place to where the personal property is held
24or stored;
25    (G-5) If the property upon which the lien is claimed is a
26motor vehicle or watercraft and rent or other charges related

 

 

HB5910- 7 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1to the property remain unpaid or unsatisfied for 60 days, the
2owner may have the property towed from the self-service storage
3facility. If a motor vehicle or watercraft is towed, the owner
4shall not be liable for any damage to the motor vehicle or
5watercraft, once the tower takes possession of the property.
6After the motor vehicle or watercraft is towed, the owner may
7pursue other collection options against the delinquent
8occupant for any outstanding debt. If the owner chooses to sell
9a motor vehicle, aircraft, mobile home, moped, motorcycle,
10snowmobile, trailer, or watercraft, the owner shall contact the
11Secretary of State and any other governmental agency as
12reasonably necessary to determine the name and address of the
13title holder or lienholder of the item, and the owner shall
14notify every identified title holder or lienholder of the time
15and place of the proposed sale. The owner is required to notify
16the holder of a security interest only if the security interest
17is filed under the name of the person signing the rental
18agreement or an occupant. An owner who fails to make the lien
19searches required by this Section is liable only to valid
20lienholders injured by that failure as provided in Section 3;
21    (H) Before any sale or other disposition of personal
22property pursuant to this Section, the occupant may pay the
23amount necessary to satisfy the lien, and the reasonable
24expenses incurred under this Section, and thereby redeem the
25personal property. Upon receipt of such payment, the owner
26shall return the personal property, and thereafter the owner

 

 

HB5910- 8 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1shall have no liability to any person with respect to such
2personal property;
3    (I) A purchaser in good faith of the personal property sold
4to satisfy a lien, as provided for in Section 3 of this Act,
5takes the property free of any rights of persons against whom
6the lien was valid, despite noncompliance by the owner with the
7requirements of this Section;
8    (J) In the event of a sale under this Section, the owner
9may satisfy his lien from the proceeds of the sale, but shall
10hold the balance, if any, for delivery on demand to the
11occupant. If the occupant does not claim the balance of the
12proceeds within one year of the date of sale, it shall become
13the property of the owner without further recourse by the
14occupant.
15    (K) The lien on any personal property created by this Act
16shall be terminated as to any such personal property which is
17sold or otherwise disposed of pursuant to this Act and any such
18personal property which is removed from the self-service
19storage facility.
20    (L) If 3 or more bidders who are unrelated to the owner are
21in attendance at a sale held under this Section, the sale and
22its proceeds are deemed to be commercially reasonable.
23    (M) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a lien
24is held on a vehicle under this Act and the name of the vehicle
25owner or other responsible party is unknown after reasonable
26inquiry or if a certified mailing mailed under this Act is

 

 

HB5910- 9 -LRB097 18536 AJO 63767 b

1returned as undeliverable, the lienholder seeking to enforce
2the lien under this Act may hold the sale without complying
3with the notice by publication requirements of this Act if the
4lienholder provides the Secretary of State with a signed
5statement that:
6        (i) the lienholder has inspected the vehicle and in the
7    lienholder's opinion, the vehicle is a junk vehicle as
8    defined by Section 1-134.1 of this Code; and
9        (ii) if the lienholder purchases the vehicle at the
10    public sale, the lienholder will apply for a junking
11    certificate for the vehicle.
12    A person seeking a junking certificate under this Section
13must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State
14that he or she is otherwise eligible for a junking certificate.
15(Source: P.A. 97-599, eff. 8-26-11.)