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1 | AN ACT in relation to bowling centers.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | Bowling Center Safety Act.
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6 | Section 5. Legislative findings and declarations. The
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7 | General Assembly finds and declares that the recreational
sport | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | of bowling is practiced by a large number of
citizens of this | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | State; bowling is a wholesome and
healthy family activity that | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | should be encouraged; and the
allocation of risks and costs of | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | bowling is an
important matter of public policy.
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12 | The General Assembly further finds and declares that the
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13 | owners of bowling centers face great difficulty in
obtaining | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | liability insurance coverage at an affordable cost
and that the | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | lack of affordable insurance coverage affects
not only owners | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | of bowling centers, but also patrons who
may suffer personal | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | injury or property damage as a result of
accidents that occur | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | on the premises of a bowling
center. In order to make it more | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | economically feasible for
insurance companies to provide | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | coverage to bowling
centers at an affordable rate to the | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | owners, occurrences
resulting in liability to the owners should | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | be more
predictable by limiting the liability that may be | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | incurred by
the owners and encouraging the development and |
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1 | implementation
of risk reduction techniques. This Act should be | ||||||
2 | liberally
construed to best carry out the purposes of this Act.
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3 | Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
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4 | "Operator" means a person or entity that owns, manages,
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5 | controls, directs, or has operational responsibility for a
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6 | bowling center.
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7 | "Bowler" means a person in a bowling center for the purpose | ||||||
8 | of
recreational or competitive bowling. "Bowler"
also includes | ||||||
9 | any person in a bowling center
who is an invitee, whether or | ||||||
10 | not that person pays
consideration.
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11 | "Bowling center" means a building, facility, or
premises | ||||||
12 | that provides an area specifically designed to be
used by the | ||||||
13 | public for recreational or competitive bowling.
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14 | "Spectator" means a person who is present in a bowling | ||||||
15 | center only for
the purpose of observing recreational
or | ||||||
16 | competitive bowling.
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17 | Section 15. Operator responsibilities. It is the
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18 | responsibility of the operator to the extent practicable to:
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19 | (1) Post the duties of bowlers and
spectators and the | ||||||
20 | duties and obligations of the operator
as prescribed in this | ||||||
21 | Act in a conspicuous place
in the bowling center.
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22 | (2) Comply with all bowling center safety
standards | ||||||
23 | published by a recognized association of bowling center
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24 | operators, including but not limited to the proper
maintenance |
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1 | of bowling equipment and bowling facilities.
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2 | (3) Maintain the stability and legibility of all
signs, | ||||||
3 | symbols, and posted notices required by this Act.
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4 | (4) Install fire extinguishers and inspect fire
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5 | extinguishers at recommended intervals.
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6 | (5) Inspect emergency lighting units periodically
to | ||||||
7 | ensure the lights are in proper order.
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8 | (6) Check rental shoes on a regular basis to
ensure the | ||||||
9 | shoes are in good condition.
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10 | (7) Comply with all applicable State and local
safety | ||||||
11 | codes.
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12 | Section 20. Bowler responsibilities. It is the
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13 | responsibility of each bowler to:
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14 | (1) Maintain reasonable control of the bowler's
actions at | ||||||
15 | all times.
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16 | (2) Heed all posted signs and warnings.
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17 | (3) Refrain from acting in a manner that may cause
or | ||||||
18 | contribute to the injury of the bowler or any other
person.
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19 | Section 25. Assumption of risk.
Bowlers and spectators are | ||||||
20 | deemed to have knowledge of
and to assume the inherent risks of | ||||||
21 | bowling.
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22 | Section 30. Bar of suit; complete defense. The assumption
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23 | of risk set forth in Section 25 is a complete bar of suit and
is |
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1 | a complete defense to a suit against an operator by a
bowler or | ||||||
2 | spectator for injuries resulting from the
assumed risks of | ||||||
3 | bowling unless the operator has violated his
or her duties or | ||||||
4 | responsibilities under this Act.
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