State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ PDF text ]   [ Legislation ]   
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]



92_HB4054

 
                                               LRB9213251JMcs

 1        AN ACT regarding assessments on the brick industry.

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

 4        Section  1.   Short  title.  This Act may be cited as the
 5    Illinois Brick Education and Research Act.

 6        Section 5. Definitions.  In this Act, unless the  context
 7    otherwise requires:
 8        "Brick"  means  face brick and paving brick, manufactured
 9    from clay,  shale,  or  similar  naturally  occurring  earthy
10    substances that are subjected to a heat treatment at elevated
11    temperatures   that   develops   a  fired  bond  between  the
12    particulate constituents to provide strength  and  durability
13    requirements.
14        "Council"  means  a  Brick Education and Research Council
15    created under Section 10.
16        "Director" means  Director  of  Commerce  and   Community
17    Affairs or his or her designee.
18        "Education"  means  any  action  to  provide  information
19    regarding  brick,  brick  equipment, mechanical and technical
20    practices, and brick uses to consumers  and  members  of  the
21    brick industry.
22        "Industry"   means   those   persons   involved   in  the
23    production, transportation, construction, and sale of brick.
24        "Owner of brick" means any distributor or manufacturer of
25    brick located within Illinois.
26        "Placed into commerce" means distributed for  use  within
27    the State of Illinois.
28        "Public  member" means a member of the Council other than
29    a   representative   of   producers   or   retail   marketers
30    representing  significant  users  of  brick,  public   safety
31    officials,   State  regulatory  officials,  or  other  groups
 
                            -2-                LRB9213251JMcs
 1    knowledgeable about brick.
 2        "Qualified  industry  organization"  means  the  Illinois
 3    Brick  Distributors  Association,  the  Masonry   Contractors
 4    Association  of  Greater  Chicago,  the  Masonry  Contractors
 5    Association  of  Southern  Illinois,  the  Illinois  District
 6    Council  Number  1  International  Union  of  Bricklayers and
 7    Allied Crafts, Illinois Bricklayers and Allied  Crafts  Local
 8    6,  and the Illinois Bricklayers and Allied Crafts Local 8, a
 9    successor association of these  associations,  or  any  other
10    brick industry organization.
11        "Research"  means  any  type  of study, investigation, or
12    other activities designed to advance the image, desirability,
13    usage, marketability, efficiency, and safety of bricks and to
14    further the development of that information.
15        "Retail marketer" means a person engaged primarily in the
16    sale of bricks to the ultimate consumer or  to  retail  brick
17    dispensers.
18        "Retail  brick dispenser" means a person who sells bricks
19    to the ultimate consumer but is not engaged primarily in  the
20    business of those sales.

21        Section   10.   Illinois  Brick  Education  and  Research
22    Council.
23        (a)  The qualified industry  organizations  shall  select
24    all  contractors,  distributors,  labor  representatives, and
25    public members of the Council.  The distributor organizations
26    shall select the distributor  members  of  the  Council,  the
27    contractor  organizations shall select all contractor members
28    of the Council, and the labor organizations shall select  all
29    labor   members  of  the  Council.   The  qualified  industry
30    organizations  shall  jointly  select  the  public   members.
31    Vacancies  of  the  unfinished  terms  of the Council members
32    shall be filled in the  same  manner  as  were  the  original
33    appointments.
 
                            -3-                LRB9213251JMcs
 1        (b)  In  selecting  members of the Council, the qualified
 2    industry organizations shall give due regard to  selecting  a
 3    Council  that  is  representative  of the industry, including
 4    representation of diverse geographic regions of the State.
 5        (c)  The Council shall consist  of  11  members,  with  3
 6    members  representing  contractors,  3  members  representing
 7    distributors,  3  members  representing  labor,  and 2 public
 8    members.  Other than  the  public  members,  Council  members
 9    shall  be  full-time employees or owners of businesses in the
10    industry or members of a union that is a  qualified  industry
11    organization.  Only  one person at a time from any company or
12    its affiliate may serve on  the  Council.  The  Director  may
13    serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of the Council.
14        (d)  Council  members  shall  receive no compensation for
15    their services, nor shall Council members be  reimbursed  for
16    expenses  relating  to  their  service,  except  that  public
17    members,  upon  request,  may  be  reimbursed  for reasonable
18    expenses directly related to their participation  in  Council
19    meetings.
20        (e)  Council members shall serve terms of 3 years and may
21    not  serve  more  than  2  full  consecutive  terms.  Members
22    filling unexpired terms may serve not more than a total of  7
23    consecutive  years.   Former  members  of  the Council may be
24    returned to the Council if they have not been members  for  a
25    period of 2 years.  Initial appointments to the Council shall
26    be  for  terms  of 1, 2, and 3 years staggered to provide for
27    the selection of 3  members  each  year.  The  Council  shall
28    notify  the  Director of the name, address, and brick-related
29    affiliation, if any, of a Council member within 30 days after
30    the appointment of the member to the Council.
31        (f)  The Council shall develop programs and projects  and
32    enter into contracts or agreements for implementing this Act,
33    including  programs  to  enhance consumer and employee safety
34    and training, to provide  for  research  and  development  of
 
                            -4-                LRB9213251JMcs
 1    energy  efficient  use  of  brick,  to inform and educate the
 2    public about safety, efficiency, and other issues  associated
 3    with  the  use and promotion of brick, and to provide for the
 4    payment of the costs of those activities with funds collected
 5    pursuant to this  Act.   The  Council  shall  coordinate  its
 6    activities  with  industry  trade  associations and others as
 7    appropriate to provide efficient delivery of services and  to
 8    avoid unnecessary duplication of activities.
 9        (g)  Issues  related to research and development, safety,
10    education, and  training  shall  be  given  priority  by  the
11    Council in the development of its programs and projects.
12        (h)  The  Council  shall  select from among its members a
13    Chairperson and other officers as  necessary,  may  establish
14    committees  and subcommittees of the Council, and shall adopt
15    rules  and  bylaws  for  the  conduct  of  business  and  the
16    implementation of this  Act.   The  Council  shall  establish
17    procedures  for  the  solicitation  of  industry  comment and
18    recommendations  on  any  significant  plans,  programs,  and
19    projects to be  funded  by  the  Council.   The  Council  may
20    establish  advisory  committees of persons other than Council
21    members.
22        (i)  At the beginning of each fiscal period, the  Council
23    shall  prepare  a  budget  plan  for  the next fiscal period,
24    including the probable cost of all  programs,  projects,  and
25    contracts  and a recommended rate of assessment sufficient to
26    cover such costs.  The  Council  shall  submit  the  proposed
27    budget  to the Director for review and comment.  The Director
28    may recommend programs and activities considered appropriate.
29        (j)  The Council shall keep minutes, books,  and  records
30    that  clearly reflect all of the acts and transactions of the
31    Council and make public that information.  The books  of  the
32    Council  shall be audited by a certified public accountant at
33    least once each fiscal year and at such other  times  as  the
34    Council  may designate. The expense of the audit shall be the
 
                            -5-                LRB9213251JMcs
 1    responsibility of the Council. Copies of the audit  shall  be
 2    provided  to  all  members  of  the  Council,  all  qualified
 3    industry  organizations, and to other members of the industry
 4    upon request.

 5        Section 15.  Assessments.
 6        (a)  The Council shall set an initial  assessment  at  no
 7    greater  than  1/2  of  1 cent per brick.  Thereafter, annual
 8    assessments shall be sufficient to cover the costs  of  plans
 9    and  programs developed by the Council.  The assessment shall
10    not be greater than 3/4 cent per brick. In no  case  may  the
11    assessment  be  raised  by more than 1/10 of 1 cent per brick
12    annually.
13        (b)  The owner of brick, at the time the  brick  is  sold
14    and  placed  into  commerce,  shall make the assessment.  The
15    assessment, when it is made, shall be listed  as  a  separate
16    line   item  on  the  bill  labeled  "Illinois  Brick  Safety
17    Education and Research  Assessment".   Assessments  collected
18    are  payable to the Council on a monthly basis by the 25th of
19    each month following the month of collection.  If payment  is
20    not   made  to  the  Council  by  the  due  date  under  this
21    subsection, an interest penalty of 1% of  any  amount  unpaid
22    shall  be  added  for each month or fraction of a month after
23    the date until final payment is made.
24        (c)  The Council may establish an  alternative  means  of
25    collecting  the  assessment  if  another means is found to be
26    more efficient and effective.  The Council  may  establish  a
27    late payment charge and rate of interest to be imposed on any
28    person  who  fails  to remit or pay to the Council any amount
29    due under this Act.
30        (d)  Pending disbursement pursuant to a program, plan, or
31    project, the Council shall  invest  funds  collected  through
32    assessments,  and  any  other  funds received by the Council,
33    only in obligations of  the  United  States  or  any  of  its
 
                            -6-                LRB9213251JMcs
 1    agencies,  in  general  obligations of any state or political
 2    subdivision of a state, in any  interest-bearing  account  or
 3    certificate  of  deposit  of  a  bank that is a member of the
 4    Federal Reserve System, or in obligations fully guaranteed as
 5    to principal and interest by the United States.

 6        Section 20.  Refunds.  A purchaser of brick  who  has  an
 7    assessment  added  as  a  line item to the sale price may, by
 8    application in writing to the Council, secure a refund in the
 9    amount  added.  The  refund  shall  be   payable   when   the
10    application has been made to the Council within 60 days after
11    the  assessment.  Interest  shall  be allowed and paid at the
12    rate of 6% per annum upon the total amount of the  assessment
13    imposed  by  this  Act,  except  that  if  any  assessment is
14    refunded within 90 days after an application for  refund  has
15    been  made  within  the  required 60 days after assessment or
16    within 90 days after the  seller  of  the  brick  remits  the
17    assessments  collected to the Council, whichever is later, no
18    interest shall be allowed on the assessment. Each application
19    for refund by a purchaser of brick shall have attached to  it
20    proof of assessment charged. A purchaser who obtains a refund
21    is not eligible for any benefits provided under the Council's
22    programs.

23        Section  25.   Compliance.   The  circuit court is vested
24    with the jurisdiction specifically to enforce this  Act,  and
25    prevent  or restrain any person from violating any provisions
26    of this Act.  A successful action for compliance  under  this
27    Section  may  also  require  payment  by the defendant of the
28    costs incurred by the Council in bringing the action.

29        Section 30.  Lobbying restrictions.  No  funds  collected
30    by  the  Council  shall be used in any manner for influencing
31    legislation  or  elections,  except  that  the  Council   may
 
                            -7-                LRB9213251JMcs
 1    recommend  to  the  Director  changes  in  this  Act or other
 2    statutes that would further the purpose of this Act.

 3        Section 35.  Pricing.  In all cases, the price  of  brick
 4    shall  be  determined  by market forces.  Consistent with the
 5    antitrust laws, the Council may take no action, nor  may  any
 6    provision  of  this  Act  be  interpreted  as establishing an
 7    agreement  to  pass  along  to  consumers  the  cost  of  the
 8    assessment provided for in Section 15.

 9        Section 40.  Relation to other programs.  Nothing in this
10    Act may be  construed  to  preempt  or  supersede  any  other
11    program  relating  to  brick education and research organized
12    and operated under the laws of the State of Illinois.

[ Top ]