Full Text of HB4066

LRB104 13670 RTM 26332 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4066

Introduced 5/23/2025, by Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

50 ILCS 750/20

Amends the Emergency Telephone System Act. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2026, the statewide surcharge shall be $2.50 per connection.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning local government.

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

Section 5. The Emergency Telephone System Act is amended by changing Section 20 as follows:

(50 ILCS 750/20)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2025)

Sec. 20. Statewide surcharge.

(a) On and after January 1, 2016, and except with respect to those customers who are subject to surcharges as provided in Sections 15.3 and 15.3a of this Act, a monthly surcharge shall be imposed on all customers of telecommunications carriers and wireless carriers as follows:

(1) Each telecommunications carrier shall impose a monthly surcharge per network connection; provided, however, the monthly surcharge shall not apply to a network connection provided for use with pay telephone services. Where multiple voice grade communications channels are connected between the subscriber's premises and a public switched network through private branch exchange (PBX), Centrex type service, or other multiple voice grade communication channels facility, there shall be imposed 5 such surcharges per network connection for both regular service and advanced service provisioned trunk lines. Until December 31, 2017, the surcharge shall be $0.87 per network connection. Beginning and on and after January 1, 2018 and until January 1, 2026, the surcharge shall be $1.50 per network connection. Beginning January 1, 2026, the surcharge shall be $2.50 per network connection.

(2) Each wireless carrier shall impose and collect a monthly surcharge per CMRS connection that either has a telephone number within an area code assigned to Illinois by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator or has a billing address in this State. Until December 31, 2017, the surcharge shall be $0.87 per connection. Beginning and on and after January 1, 2018 and until January 1, 2026, the surcharge shall be $1.50 per connection. Beginning January 1, 2026, the surcharge shall be $2.50 per connection.

(b) State and local taxes shall not apply to the surcharges imposed under this Section.

(c) The surcharges imposed by this Section shall be stated as a separately stated item on subscriber bills.

(d) The telecommunications carrier collecting the surcharge may deduct and retain 1.74% of the gross amount of surcharge collected to reimburse the telecommunications carrier for the expense of accounting and collecting the surcharge. On and after July 1, 2022, the wireless carrier collecting a surcharge under this Section may deduct and retain 1.74% of the gross amount of the surcharge collected to reimburse the wireless carrier for the expense of accounting and collecting the surcharge.

(d-5) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section, an amount not greater than 2.5% may be deducted and retained if the telecommunications or wireless carrier can support, through documentation, expenses that exceed the 1.74% allowed. The documentation shall be submitted to the Illinois State Police and input obtained from the Statewide 9-1-1 Advisory Board prior to approval of the deduction.

(e) Surcharges imposed under this Section shall be collected by the carriers and shall be remitted to the Illinois State Police, either by check or electronic funds transfer, by the end of the next calendar month after the calendar month in which it was collected for deposit into the Statewide 9-1-1 Fund. Carriers are not required to remit surcharge moneys that are billed to subscribers but not yet collected.

The first remittance by wireless carriers shall include the number of subscribers by zip code, and the 9-digit zip code if currently being used or later implemented by the carrier, that shall be the means by which the Illinois State Police shall determine distributions from the Statewide 9-1-1 Fund. This information shall be updated at least once each year. Any carrier that fails to provide the zip code information required under this subsection (e) shall be subject to the penalty set forth in subsection (g) of this Section.

(f) If, within 8 calendar days after it is due under subsection (e) of this Section, a carrier does not remit the surcharge or any portion thereof required under this Section, then the surcharge or portion thereof shall be deemed delinquent until paid in full, and the Illinois State Police may impose a penalty against the carrier in an amount equal to the greater of:

(1) $25 for each month or portion of a month from the time an amount becomes delinquent until the amount is paid in full; or

(2) an amount equal to the product of 1% and the sum of all delinquent amounts for each month or portion of a month that the delinquent amounts remain unpaid.

A penalty imposed in accordance with this subsection (f) for a portion of a month during which the carrier pays the delinquent amount in full shall be prorated for each day of that month that the delinquent amount was paid in full. Any penalty imposed under this subsection (f) is in addition to the amount of the delinquency and is in addition to any other penalty imposed under this Section.

(g) If, within 8 calendar days after it is due, a wireless carrier does not provide the number of subscribers by zip code as required under subsection (e) of this Section, then the report is deemed delinquent and the Illinois State Police may impose a penalty against the carrier in an amount equal to the greater of:

(1) $25 for each month or portion of a month that the report is delinquent; or

(2) an amount equal to the product of $0.01 and the number of subscribers served by the carrier for each month or portion of a month that the delinquent report is not provided.

A penalty imposed in accordance with this subsection (g) for a portion of a month during which the carrier provides the number of subscribers by zip code as required under subsection (e) of this Section shall be prorated for each day of that month during which the carrier had not provided the number of subscribers by zip code as required under subsection (e) of this Section. Any penalty imposed under this subsection (g) is in addition to any other penalty imposed under this Section.

(h) A penalty imposed and collected in accordance with subsection (f) or (g) of this Section shall be deposited into the Statewide 9-1-1 Fund for distribution according to Section 30 of this Act.

(i) The Illinois State Police may enforce the collection of any delinquent amount and any penalty due and unpaid under this Section by legal action or in any other manner by which the collection of debts due the State of Illinois may be enforced under the laws of this State. The Illinois State Police may excuse the payment of any penalty imposed under this Section if the Administrator determines that the enforcement of this penalty is unjust.

(j) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, nothing shall impair the right of wireless carriers to recover unreimbursed compliance costs for all emergency communications services directly from their wireless subscribers by line-item charges on the wireless subscriber's bill. Those compliance costs include all costs incurred by wireless carriers in complying with local, State, and federal regulatory or legislative mandates that require the transmission and receipt of emergency communications to and from the general public, including, but not limited to, E9-1-1.

(Source: P.A. 102-9, eff. 6-3-21; 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-366, eff. 1-1-24.)