101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB3626

 

Introduced 2/14/2020, by Sen. Rachelle Crowe

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
815 ILCS 515/3  from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1603

    Amends the Home Repair Fraud Act. Provides that a person commits home repair fraud when he or she promises a performance that he or she knows will not be completed at any time during the performance of the service.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning business.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Home Repair Fraud Act is amended by changing
5Section 3 as follows:
 
6    (815 ILCS 515/3)  (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 1603)
7    Sec. 3. Home Repair Fraud.
8    (a) A person commits the offense of home repair fraud when
9he knowingly enters into an agreement or contract, written or
10oral, with a person for home repair, and he knowingly:
11        (1) Misrepresents a material fact relating to the terms
12    of the contract or agreement or the preexisting or existing
13    condition of any portion of the property involved, or
14    creates or confirms another's impression which is false and
15    which he does not believe to be true, or promises
16    performance which he does not intend to perform or knows
17    will not be performed or completed at any time during the
18    performance of the service; or
19        (2) uses or employs any deception, false pretense or
20    false promises in order to induce, encourage or solicit
21    such person to enter into any contract or agreement; or
22        (3) enters into an unconscionable agreement or
23    contract requiring payment to the contractor of at least

 

 

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1    $4,000. A contract is unconscionable within the meaning of
2    this Act when an unreasonable difference exists between the
3    value of the services, materials and work to be performed
4    and the amount charged for those services, materials and
5    work. For purposes of this Section, prima facie evidence
6    shall exist that the contract or agreement is
7    unconscionable if the total payment called for by the
8    contract or agreement is in excess of four times the fair
9    market value for those services, materials and work; or
10        (4) fails to comply with the provisions of "An Act in
11    relation to the use of an assumed name in the conduct or
12    transaction of business in this State", approved July 17,
13    1941, as amended, and misrepresents or conceals either his
14    real name, the name of his business, or his business
15    address.
16    (b) A person commits the offense of home repair fraud when
17he knowingly:
18        (1) damages the property of a person with the intent to
19    enter into an agreement or contract for home repair; or
20        (2) misrepresents himself or another to be an employee
21    or agent of any unit of the federal, State or municipal
22    government or any other governmental unit, or an employee
23    or agent of any public utility, with the intent to cause a
24    person to enter into, with himself or another, any contract
25    or agreement for home repair.
26    (c) For purposes of subsection (a), paragraph (1), it shall

 

 

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1be a rebuttable presumption of intent or knowledge that a
2person promises performance which he does not intend to perform
3and knows will not be performed when, after no performance or
4no substantial performance of a contract or agreement for home
5repair, he fails or refuses to return payments made by the
6victim and he:
7        (1) fails to acknowledge or respond to a written demand
8    for commencement or completion of home repair within 10
9    days after such demand is mailed or presented to him by the
10    victim or by the victim's legal representative or by a law
11    enforcement or consumer agency acting on behalf of the
12    victim; or
13        (2) fails to notify the victim in writing of a change
14    of business name or address prior to the completion of the
15    home repair; or
16        (3) makes false statements or representations to the
17    victim to excuse his non-performance or non-substantial
18    performance; or
19        (4) uses deception to obtain the victim's consent to
20    modification of the terms of the original contract or
21    agreement; or
22        (5) fails to employ qualified personnel necessary to
23    perform the home repair; or
24        (6) fails to order or purchase the basic materials
25    required for performance of the home repair; or
26        (7) fails to comply with municipal, county, State or

 

 

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1    federal regulations or codes relating to the performance of
2    home repair.
3    Intent and knowledge shall be determined by an evaluation
4of all circumstances surrounding a transaction and the
5determination shall not be limited to the time of contract or
6agreement.
7    Substantial performance shall not include work performed
8in a manner of little or no value or work that fails to comply
9with the appropriate municipal, county, State or federal
10regulations or codes.
11(Source: P.A. 87-820.)