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| Public Act 096-1303 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning safety.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Greek | ||||
Housing Fire Safety Act. | ||||
Section 5. Legislative findings. Fire deaths and burn | ||||
injuries among college students have become a common | ||||
occurrence. It has been proven that automatic fire sprinkler | ||||
systems are a highly effective method of controlling or | ||||
extinguishing a fire in its early stages and protecting the | ||||
lives of the building's occupants and the responding | ||||
firefighters. Many students are living in Greek housing that is | ||||
not adequately protected with automatic fire sprinkler | ||||
systems. Insurance companies recognize the benefits of | ||||
sprinkler systems and have offered significant policy | ||||
discounts to Greek organizations to cover housing protected by | ||||
automatic sprinkler systems. Dormitories in the State of | ||||
Illinois are already required to have automatic fire sprinkler | ||||
systems by 2013. | ||||
Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||
"Automatic fire sprinkler system" means a fire sprinkler | ||||
system as defined in the Fire Sprinkler Contractor Licensing | ||||
Act. | ||
"Greek housing structure" means a structure that provides | ||
housing for members of a social fraternity or sorority exempt | ||
from taxation under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code | ||
of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 50(a)), the active membership of which | ||
consists primarily of students in attendance at a public or | ||
private institution of higher education. The structure may also | ||
provide for other activities in addition to housing. | ||
Section 15. Automatic fire sprinkler systems required. | ||
(a) In the case of a Greek housing structure the | ||
construction of which is begun on or after January 1, 2011, | ||
that construction must include the installation of automatic | ||
fire sprinkler systems. | ||
(b) In the case of a Greek housing structure construction | ||
of which was begun before January 1, 2011, automatic fire | ||
sprinkler systems are required in every such structure by | ||
January 1, 2019. | ||
(c) If a Greek housing structure does not comply with this | ||
Section, it is unlawful to occupy the structure as a Greek | ||
housing structure. | ||
(d) Nothing in this Act may be construed to abrogate any | ||
statute, rule, or ordinance requiring that a fire extinguisher | ||
be present in a Greek housing structure. | ||
Section 20. Enforcement of Act. | ||
(a) If a Greek housing structure is under the jurisdiction | ||
of the unit of local government in whose territory it is | ||
located, that unit of local government is responsible for | ||
enforcing this Act with respect to that structure. | ||
(b) If a Greek housing structure is under the jurisdiction | ||
of the institution of higher education that its residents | ||
attend, that institution of higher education is responsible for | ||
enforcing this Act with respect to that structure. | ||
Section 25. Local ordinances. If a unit of local government | ||
has adopted an ordinance that requires automatic fire | ||
suppression systems in housing units under this Act that is | ||
more stringent than this Act, then the local ordinance shall | ||
control. | ||
Section 30. Interpretation of Act. Nothing in this Act | ||
shall be construed to apply to the standards already governed | ||
by the Fire Sprinkler Dormitory Act.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | ||
1, 2011.
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