HB5664 Engrossed

LRB096 18329 DRJ 34185 b





  
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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 
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Housing Fire Safety Act.
 
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    Section 5. Legislative findings. Fire deaths and burn 
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injuries among college students have become a common 
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occurrence. It has been proven that automatic fire sprinkler 
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systems are a highly effective method of controlling or 
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extinguishing a fire in its early stages and protecting the 
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lives of the building's occupants and the responding 
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firefighters.  Many students are living in Greek housing that is 
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not adequately protected with automatic fire sprinkler 
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systems.  Insurance companies recognize the benefits of 
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sprinkler systems and have offered significant policy 
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discounts to Greek organizations to cover housing protected by 
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automatic sprinkler systems.   Dormitories in the State of 
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Illinois are already required to have automatic fire sprinkler 
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systems by 2013.
 
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    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
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    "Automatic fire sprinkler system" means a fire sprinkler 
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system as defined in the Fire Sprinkler Contractor Licensing 
 


 






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LRB096 18329 DRJ 34185 b




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Act.
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    "Greek housing structure" means a structure that provides 
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housing for members of a social fraternity or sorority exempt 
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from taxation under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code 
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of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 50(a)), the active membership of which 
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consists primarily of students in attendance at a public or 
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private institution of higher education. The structure may also 
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provide for other activities in addition to housing.
 
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    Section 15. Automatic fire sprinkler systems required.
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    (a) In the case of a Greek housing structure the 
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construction of which is begun on or after January 1, 2011, 
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that construction must include the installation of automatic 
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fire sprinkler systems.
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    (b) In the case of a Greek housing structure construction 
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of which was begun before January 1, 2011, automatic fire 
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sprinkler systems are required in every such structure by 
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January 1, 2019.
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    (c) If a Greek housing structure does not comply with this 
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Section, it is unlawful to occupy the structure as a Greek 
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housing structure.
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    (d) Nothing in this Act may be construed to abrogate any 
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statute, rule, or ordinance requiring that a fire extinguisher 
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be present in a Greek housing structure.
 
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    Section 20. Enforcement of Act.
 


 






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LRB096 18329 DRJ 34185 b




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    (a) If a Greek housing structure is under the jurisdiction 
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of the unit of local government in whose territory it is 
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located, that unit of local government is responsible for 
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enforcing this Act with respect to that structure.
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    (b) If a Greek housing structure is under the jurisdiction 
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of the institution of higher education that its residents 
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attend, that institution of higher education is responsible for 
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enforcing this Act with respect to that structure.
 
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    Section 25. Local ordinances. If a unit of local government 
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has adopted an ordinance that requires automatic fire 
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suppression systems in housing units under this Act that is 
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more stringent than this Act, then the local ordinance shall 
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control.
 
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    Section 30. Interpretation of Act. Nothing in this Act 
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shall be construed to apply to the standards already governed 
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by the Fire Sprinkler Dormitory Act.
 
 
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    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 
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1, 2011.