HB4874 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 16676 DRJ 31960 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB4874

Introduced 1/15/2010, by Rep. JoAnn D. Osmond

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

815 ILCS 601/10

Amends the Automatic Contract Renewal Act. Provides that written notice of an automatic contract renewal shall be sent by certified mail to the consumer no less than 60 (instead of 30) days and no more than 120 (instead of 60) days before the cancellation deadline pursuant to the automatic renewal clause. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning business.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Automatic Contract Renewal Act is amended by changing Section 10 as follows:

(815 ILCS 601/10)

Sec. 10. Automatic renewal; requirements.

(a) Any person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation that sells or offers to sell any products or services to a consumer pursuant to a contract, where such contract automatically renews unless the consumer cancels the contract, shall disclose the automatic renewal clause clearly and conspicuously in the contract, including the cancellation procedure.

(b) Any person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation that sells or offers to sell any products or services to a consumer pursuant to a contract, where such contract term is a specified term of 12 months or more, and where such contract automatically renews for a specified term of more than one month unless the consumer cancels the contract, shall notify the consumer in writing of the automatic renewal. Written notice shall be sent by certified mail and shall be provided to the consumer no less than 60 30 days and no more than 120 60 days before the cancellation deadline pursuant to the automatic renewal clause. Such written notice shall disclose clearly and conspicuously:

(i) that unless the consumer cancels the contract it will automatically renew; and

(ii) where the consumer can obtain details of the automatic renewal provision and cancellation procedure (for example, by contacting the business at a specified telephone number or address or by referring to the contract).

(c) A person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation will not be liable for a violation of this Act or the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act if such person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation demonstrates that, as part of its routine business practice:

(i) it has established and implemented written procedures to comply with this Act and enforces compliance with the procedures;

(ii) any failure to comply with this Act is the result of error; and

(iii) where an error has caused a failure to comply with this Act, it provides a full refund or credit for all amounts billed to or paid by the consumer from the date of the renewal until the date of the termination of the account, or the date of the subsequent notice of renewal, whichever occurs first.

(Source: P.A. 93-950, eff. 1-1-05.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.