HB5258 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB097 19251 JLS 64494 b

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5258

Introduced 2/8/2012, by Rep. Maria Antonia Berrios

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Consumer Contract Plain Language Act. Requires consumer contracts to be written in a simple, clear, understandable, and easily readable manner. Establishes the requirements necessary for compliance with the Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to enforce the Act. Provides remedies, including statutory damages. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning consumer contract protection in Illinois.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Consumer Contract Plain Language Act.

Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Consumer" means an individual who borrows, buys, or leases services or products under a consumer contract.

"Consumer contract" or "contract" means a written agreement between a consumer and a party, acting in the usual course of business, for products or services made or performed for primarily personal, family, or household purposes. A "consumer contract" includes, but is not limited to, standard form contracts, consumer agreements, forms, or terms.

"Covered entity" means a person who utilizes consumer contracts in the usual course of business.

"Transaction" means a business transaction that occurs between a consumer and a covered entity for the exchange of products or services through the use of a consumer contract.

Section 10. Scope. This Act applies to all consumer contracts.

Section 15. Plain language. A contract entered into on or after the effective date of this Act shall be written in a simple, clear, understandable, and easily readable manner. In determining whether a contract as a whole has been written in a simple, clear, understandable, and easily readable manner, a court, the Attorney General, or proper regulatory agency, shall apply the provisions of Section 20.

Section 20. Requirements for contracts.

(a) For a contract to be simple, clear, understandable, and easily readable, it must be written in plain language. A contract is written in plain language if:

(1) it is written in a clear and coherent manner using words with common and everyday meanings; use of technical terms or words of art is not, however, in and of itself a violation of this Act;

(2) it is appropriately divided and captioned by its various sections;

(3) it uses type of readable size and no less than 8-point font;

(4) it uses layout and spacing that separate the paragraphs and sections of the contract from each other and from the borders of the paper or medium upon which it is displayed;

(5) it uses simple and active verb forms;

(6) it uses ink that contrasts with the paper or medium upon which it is displayed;

(7) it does not contain a provision that permits the unilateral modification of the contract by the covered entity to the disadvantage of the consumer without explicit consumer consent after the execution of the contract;

(8) it uses a table of contents or alphabetical index and definitional glossary for all contracts with more than 2,000 words; and

(9) conditions and exceptions to the main promise of the contract are given prominence equal to that given to the main promise and are in at least 10-point bold type.

(b) A contract may not be simple, clear, understandable, or easily readable if it contains one or more the following:

(1) cross references that are confusing;

(2) references to terms not included in the consumer contract that are necessary to understand its material provisions;

(3) sentences that are of greater length than necessary;

(4) sentences that contain double negatives and exceptions to exceptions;

(5) sentences and sections that are in a confusing or illogical order;

(6) the use of words with obsolete meanings or words that differ in their legal meaning from their common, ordinary meaning; and

(7) frequent use of Old English and Middle English words and Latin and French phrases.

Section 25. Content of contracts. A covered entity shall include a clear and conspicuous description of the terms of the contract, including the total cost of all fees and other charges or waiver of rights in connection with the transaction, in English and in the language in which the transaction was conducted.

Section 30. Enforcement. The Illinois Attorney General may bring an action to enforce this Act and to obtain injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction not later than 5 years after the date of the violation.

Section 35. Safe harbor. There shall be no liability under Section 40 if any of the following occurs:

(1) the consumer wrote the contract or the part of it that violates this Act; or

(2) the creditor, seller, or lessor made a good faith and reasonable effort to comply with this Act.

Section 40. Penalties. A person who knowingly violates the requirements of Section 20 shall be liable to the consumer for the following:

(1) compensation in an amount equal to the value of any actual loss caused by the violation of this Act;

(2) statutory damages of the lesser of $1000 or the total amount of the contract;

(3) court costs;

(4) reasonable attorney's fees; and

(5) any equitable and other relief ordered by the court.

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