Ryan Approves Consumer Protection Bill; Supports Tuition Disclosure For Undergraduate Students

SPRINGFIELD -- Governor George H. Ryan today signed legislation preventing telemarketers and automatic dialers from using caller identification blocking of their names and telephone numbers.

"This is a consumer protection bill that gives the public a fair chance when dealing with multiple calls from telemarketers," Ryan said.

House Bill 157, amends the Automatic Telephone Dialers Act and the Telephone Solicitations Act to prevent telemarketers from blocking the display of their names and telephone numbers, preserving the advantages of Caller ID for the consumer.

Chief sponsors of House Bill 157 were Rep. Wanda Sharp, D-Maywood; Rep. Mary K. O'Brien, D-Coal City; Rep. Chuck Hartke, D-Effingham, Rep. Joel Brunsvold, D-Rock Island; Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley; Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Chicago; and Sen. George Shadid, D-Pekin. The bill is effective Jan. 1, 2000.

Ryan signed another consumer rights bill to let public university students know how much of their tuition dollars are being supplemented by public tax dollars. House Bill 325 creates the Public University Tuition Statement Act to require each university to include a statement of information showing the aggregate amount appropriated for operation of the state's public universities.

"Parents of college students can use this information to gauge how their tax dollars are spent on higher education," Ryan added.

The tuition statement must also show the average tuition subsidy that each resident undergraduate full-time public university student received from the state. The Board of Higher Education is to make the determination of the amount in each case.

Chief sponsors of House Bill 325 were Rep. Kevin McCarthy, D-Orland Park and Sen. J. Bradley Burzynski, R-Sycamore. The bill is effective immediately.

In other action, Ryan signed House Bill 153 so that when a township takes over a cemetery, the defunct cemetery district has its funds transferred to the township district. Whenever a cemetery or cemetery authority is taken over by a township cemetery district, multi-township cemetery district, or a cemetery maintenance district, the care fund of such cemetery can be transferred to the new caretaker.

Chief sponsors of House Bill 153 were Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, and Sen. Stan Weaver, R-Urbana. The bill is effective Jan. 1, 2000.

Also today, Governor Ryan signed legislation unanimously approved by the General Assembly to level the playing field for retailers of all alcoholic beverages. House Bill 335 requires liquor distributors to service all retailers located in their area which meet minimum purchase requirements. This provision protects retailers by ending "high spotting" -- the practice by which distributors only service or sell to customers producing high volume or high profit sales. Under this legislation, smaller, independently-owned retailers are entitled to service from area distributors.

Currently, beer distributors are regulated by the Liquor Control Act. House Bill 335 expands that coverage to include all alcoholic beverages, not just beer.

House Bill 335, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2000, was sponsored by Representatives, Steve Davis, D-Bethalto; Skip Saviano, R-Elmwood Park; Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville; Bill Black, R-Danville; and Art Tenhouse, R-Liberty, and Senator Frank Watson, R-Greenville.