State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ Legislation ]
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]


[ Introduced ][ Enrolled ][ House Amendment 001 ]
[ Senate Amendment 001 ]

91_HB1234eng

 
HB1234 Engrossed                               LRB9103064LDmb

 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the Beer Industry Fair Dealing Act by
 2    changing Sections 1.1, 2, 5, and 9.

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

 5        Section 5.  The Beer Industry Fair Dealing Act is amended
 6    by changing Sections 1.1, 2, 5, and 9 as follows:

 7        (815 ILCS 720/1.1) (from Ch. 43, par. 301.1)
 8        Sec. 1.1.  As used in this Act:
 9        (1)  "Beer"  means  a  beverage obtained by the alcoholic
10    fermentation of an infusion or concoction of barley, or other
11    grain, malt, and hops in water,  and  includes,  among  other
12    things,  beer,  ale,  stout, lager beer, porter and the like.
13    For purposes of this Act only, the  term  "beer"  shall  also
14    include  malt beverage products containing less than one-half
15    of 1% of alcohol by volume and marketed for adult consumption
16    as an alternative beverage to beer.
17        (2)  "Agreement"  means  any  contract,   agreement,   or
18    arrangement,   operating   standards,   or  amendments  to  a
19    contract, agreement, arrangement, or operating standards, the
20    effect of which is to  substantially  change  or  modify  the
21    existing   contract,  agreement,  arrangement,  or  operating
22    standards, whether expressed  or  implied,  whether  oral  or
23    written, for a definite or indefinite period between a brewer
24    and  a  wholesaler  pursuant  to  which a wholesaler has been
25    granted the right to  purchase,  resell,  and  distribute  as
26    wholesaler  or master distributor any brand or brands of beer
27    offered by a brewer.  The  agreement  between  a  brewer  and
28    wholesaler shall not be considered a franchise relationship.
29        (3)  "Wholesaler"  or "beer wholesaler" means any person,
30    other than a manufacturer licensed under The  Liquor  Control
31    Act  of  1934,  who  is  engaged in this State in purchasing,
 
HB1234 Engrossed            -2-                LRB9103064LDmb
 1    storing, possessing or warehousing any alcoholic liquors  for
 2    resale  or  reselling at wholesale, whether within or without
 3    this State.
 4        (4)  "Brewer" means  a  person  who  is  engaged  in  the
 5    manufacture  of beer, a master distributor as defined in this
 6    Section, a successor brewer as defined  in  this  Section,  a
 7    non-resident  dealer  under  the  provisions  of  the  Liquor
 8    Control  Act of 1934, a foreign importer under the provisions
 9    of the Liquor Control Act of 1934, or a person  who  owns  or
10    controls the trademark, brand, or name of beer.
11        (5)  "Master Distributor" means a person who, in addition
12    to  being  a wholesaler, acts in the same or similar capacity
13    as a brewer or outside seller of one or more brands  of  beer
14    to  other wholesalers on a regular basis in the normal course
15    of business.
16        (6)  "Successor Brewer" means any person who in  any  way
17    obtains  the  distribution  rights  that  a  brewer or master
18    distributor once had to manufacture or distribute a brand  or
19    brands  of  beer  whether  by  merger,  purchase of corporate
20    shares, purchase of assets, or any other arrangement.
21        (7)  "Person"  means  a  natural   person,   partnership,
22    corporation,   trust,  agency,  or  other  form  of  business
23    enterprise. Person also  includes  heirs,  assigns,  personal
24    representatives and guardians.
25        (8)  "Territory"   or   "sales   territory"   means   the
26    geographic area of primary sales responsibility designated by
27    an agreement between a wholesaler and brewer for any brand or
28    brands of the brewer.
29        (9)  "Good  cause"  exists  if the wholesaler or affected
30    party has failed to  comply  with  essential  and  reasonable
31    requirements imposed upon the wholesaler or affected party by
32    the  agreement.   The  requirements may not be discriminating
33    either by their terms or in the methods of their  enforcement
34    as  compared  with  requirements  imposed  on other similarly
 
HB1234 Engrossed            -3-                LRB9103064LDmb
 1    situated wholesalers by the brewer.  The requirements may not
 2    be inconsistent with this Act or in violation of any  law  or
 3    regulation.
 4        (10)  "Good   faith"   means  honesty  in  fact  and  the
 5    observance of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing
 6    in the trade as defined and interpreted under  Section  2-103
 7    of the Uniform Commercial Code.
 8        (11)  "Reasonable  standards  and  qualifications"  means
 9    those  criteria  applied  by the brewer to similarly situated
10    wholesalers during a period of 24 months before the  proposed
11    change  in  manager  or successor manager of the wholesaler's
12    business.
13        (12)  "Affected party" means a wholesaler, brewer, master
14    distributor, successor brewer, or any person that is a  party
15    to an agreement.
16        (13)  "Signs" means signs described in Section 6-6 of the
17    Liquor Control Act of 1934.
18        (14)  "Advertising materials" means advertising materials
19    described in Section 6-6 of the Liquor Control Act of 1934.
20    (Source: P.A. 89-83, eff. 6-30-95; 90-373, eff. 8-14-97.)

21        (815 ILCS 720/2) (from Ch. 43, par. 302)
22        Sec.  2.   Purposes.  The  purposes and scope of this Act
23    are:
24        (A)  This Act is promulgated pursuant to authority of the
25    State under the provisions of the Twenty-First  Amendment  to
26    the  United  States  Constitution  to  promote  the  public's
27    interest  in  fair, efficient and competitive distribution of
28    malt beverage products by  regulation  and  encouragement  of
29    brewer  and  wholesaler  vendors  to  conduct  their business
30    relations toward these ends by:
31        (i)  assuring the beer wholesaler is free to  manage  its
32    business  enterprise,  including  the  wholesaler's  right to
33    independently establish its selling prices; and
 
HB1234 Engrossed            -4-                LRB9103064LDmb
 1        (ii)  assuring the brewer and the public of service  from
 2    wholesalers  who will devote reasonable efforts and resources
 3    to sales and distribution of all the brewer's products, which
 4    wholesaler has been granted the right to sell and  distribute
 5    and maintain satisfactory sales levels.
 6        (B)  This  Act  shall  be  incorporated into and shall be
 7    deemed  a  part  of  every  agreement  between  brewers   and
 8    wholesalers  and  shall  govern all relations between brewers
 9    and their wholesalers to the full extent consistent with  the
10    constitutions and laws of this State and the United States.
11    (Source: P.A. 82-946.)

12        (815 ILCS 720/5) (from Ch. 43, par. 305)
13        Sec. 5. Prohibited conduct. No brewer shall:
14             (1)  Induce  or  coerce,  or  attempt  to  induce or
15        coerce, any wholesaler to engage in any  illegal  act  or
16        course of conduct either by threatening to amend, modify,
17        cancel,  terminate,  or  refuse  to  renew  any agreement
18        existing between the brewer and the wholesaler, or by any
19        other means.
20             (2)  Require  a  wholesaler   to   assent   to   any
21        unreasonable  requirement,  condition,  understanding  or
22        term  or  an  agreement  prohibiting  a  wholesaler  from
23        selling the product of any other brewer or brewers.
24             (3)  Directly  or  indirectly  fix  or  maintain the
25        price at which a wholesaler may resell beer.
26             (4)  Fail to  provide  to  each  wholesaler  of  its
27        brands  a  written  contract  which embodies the brewer's
28        agreement  with  its  wholesalers  and  conforms  to  the
29        provisions of this Act.
30             (5)  Require any wholesaler to  accept  delivery  of
31        any beer, signs, advertising materials, or any other item
32        or   commodity   which   has  not  been  ordered  by  the
33        wholesaler, or require any wholesaler to accept a  common
 
HB1234 Engrossed            -5-                LRB9103064LDmb
 1        carrier  for  delivery of beer into this State unless the
 2        wholesaler consents to the common carrier.  In the  event
 3        a  brewer  adopts  a  uniform practice of delivering beer
 4        into  this  State  to  the  premises  of   all   licensed
 5        wholesalers,  the brewer may select the common carrier in
 6        this State.
 7             (6)  Require a wholesaler without  the  wholesaler's
 8        approval to participate in an arrangement for the payment
 9        or  crediting  by an electronic fund transfer transaction
10        for any item or commodity other than beer or to access  a
11        wholesaler's account for any item or commodity other than
12        beer.
13             (7)  Require   a   wholesaler   to   assent  to  any
14        requirement prohibiting the  wholesaler  from  disposing,
15        after  notice  to the brewer, of a product which has been
16        deemed salvageable by a local or State health  authority.
17        Nothing  herein shall prohibit the brewer from having the
18        first right to purchase the salvageable product from  the
19        wholesaler  at a price not to exceed the original cost of
20        the product or to  subsequently  repurchase  the  product
21        from the insurance company or salvage company.
22             (8)  Refuse  to  approve  or require a wholesaler to
23        terminate a manager or  successor  manager  without  good
24        cause.   A  brewer  has  good  cause  only  if the person
25        designated  as  manager  or  successor  manager  by   the
26        wholesaler   fails   to  meet  reasonable  standards  and
27        qualifications.
28             (9)  Present  an  agreement  to  a  wholesaler  that
29        attempts to waive compliance with any provision  of  this
30        Act  or  that requires the wholesaler to waive compliance
31        with any provision of this Act. No brewer shall induce or
32        coerce, or attempt to induce or coerce, any wholesaler to
33        assent  to  any   agreement,   amendment,   renewal,   or
34        replacement  agreement  that  contains any provision that
 
HB1234 Engrossed            -6-                LRB9103064LDmb
 1        does not comply with this Act and the laws of this State.
 2        
 3             (10)  Terminate or attempt to terminate an agreement
 4        on the basis that  the  wholesaler  refuses  to  purchase
 5        signs  or  advertising materials or any quantity or types
 6        thereof.
 7             (11)  Discriminate  against  a  wholesaler  who  has
 8        entered into a contract relative to signs or  advertising
 9        materials by not making signs or advertising materials or
10        any quantity or types thereof available to the wholesaler
11        when the brewer makes available such signs or advertising
12        materials to other similarly situated wholesalers in this
13        State.
14             (12)  Present  an agreement requiring the wholesaler
15        to arbitrate all disputes without offering the wholesaler
16        in writing the  opportunity  to  reject  arbitration  and
17        elect to resolve all disputes by maintaining a civil suit
18        in accordance with this Act.
19        No brewer who, pursuant to an agreement with a wholesaler
20    which does not violate antitrust laws, has designated a sales
21    territory  for  which the wholesaler is primarily responsible
22    or in which the wholesaler is  required  to  concentrate  its
23    efforts,  shall  enter  into  an  agreement  with  any  other
24    wholesaler  for  the  purpose  of  establishing an additional
25    wholesaler for the brewer's brand or brands in all or part of
26    the same territory.
27        No wholesaler who, pursuant to an agreement is granted  a
28    sales  territory  for which it shall be primarily responsible
29    or in which it is required to concentrate its efforts,  shall
30    make  any  sale  or  delivery  of beer to any retail licensee
31    whose place of business is not within the  territory  granted
32    to the wholesaler.
33    (Source: P.A. 89-83, eff. 6-30-95; 90-373, eff. 8-14-97.)
 
HB1234 Engrossed            -7-                LRB9103064LDmb
 1        (815 ILCS 720/9) (from Ch. 43, par. 309)
 2        Sec. 9.  Judicial and other remedies.
 3        (1)  If  the  brewer  or  wholesaler who is a party to an
 4    agreement pursuant to this Act fails to comply with this  Act
 5    or  otherwise  engages  in conduct prohibited under this Act,
 6    the affected party may maintain a civil suit in court if  the
 7    cause  of  action  directly  relates  to  or  stems  from the
 8    relationship of the individual parties under  the  agreement,
 9    provided  that  any  such  suit  shall be filed in a State or
10    federal court of competent jurisdiction located in Illinois.
11        In  any  legal  action  challenging   any   cancellation,
12    termination,  or  failure to renew, the brewer shall have the
13    burden of proof to show that its action was based  upon  good
14    cause,  provided,  however,  that the wholesaler shall retain
15    the burden of proof in all other respects.
16        (2)  A brewer or  wholesaler  may  bring  an  action  for
17    declaratory  judgment  for  determination  of any controversy
18    arising under this Act or out of the  brewer  and  wholesaler
19    relationship.
20        (3)  Upon  proper  application  to the court, a brewer or
21    wholesaler may obtain injunctive relief against any violation
22    of this Act. Any termination  or  cancellation  or  attempted
23    termination  or  cancellation  of an agreement by a brewer or
24    wholesaler in violation of this  Act  shall  be  presumed  to
25    result  in  irreparable  harm  to the affected party, and the
26    affected party shall be presumed to have no  adequate  remedy
27    at  law.  In the event of such a termination or cancellation,
28    proof of irreparable harm or the inadequacy of  a  remedy  at
29    law shall not be required to establish a right to preliminary
30    or permanent injunctive relief; however, the party seeking an
31    injunction  shall  not be relieved of establishing such other
32    standards as required by law.
33        (4)  In any action under subsection  (1)  the  court  may
34    grant  such  relief  as  the court determines is necessary or
 
HB1234 Engrossed            -8-                LRB9103064LDmb
 1    appropriate considering the purposes of this Act.
 2        (5)  The prevailing party in any action under  subsection
 3    (1)  shall  be entitled to (i) actual damages, (ii) all court
 4    or arbitration  costs,  and  (iii)  attorneys'  fees  at  the
 5    court's discretion.
 6        (6)  With  respect  to any dispute arising under this Act
 7    or out of the relationship between brewer and wholesaler, the
 8    wholesaler and the brewer each has the absolute right  before
 9    it  has agreed to arbitrate a particular dispute to refuse to
10    arbitrate that  particular  dispute.   Arbitration  shall  be
11    conducted in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules
12    of  the American Arbitration Association and the laws of this
13    State, and judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator
14    may be entered in any court having  jurisdiction.   A  brewer
15    may  not,  as  a  condition  of  entering into or renewing an
16    agreement, require the wholesaler  to  agree  to  arbitration
17    instead of judicial remedies.
18        (7)  If there is a finding by an arbitrator or a court in
19    a  proceeding under this Section or under subsection (1.5) or
20    (2) of Section 7 that a party has not acted in good faith, an
21    appropriate penalty shall be assessed by  the  arbitrator  or
22    the  court  against  that  party and, in addition, that party
23    shall also be ordered to pay all court or  arbitration  costs
24    and  reasonable legal fees incurred by the other party in the
25    proceeding.
26    (Source: P.A. 89-716,  eff.  2-21-97;  90-91,  eff.  7-11-97;
27    90-655, eff. 7-30-98.)

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

[ Top ]