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HB 2957

Relating to fees collected for agricultural related special license plates to be deposited in the Agriculture Fees Fund.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Stan Adkins and 10 co-sponsors

Illinois tightens penalties for moving brokers: felonies (Class 4 first, then Class 3); civil fines up to $25,000 per broker violation; no negotiated settlements; fraud-act remedies.

To House Enviroment, Infrastructure, and Technology
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Bill Summary · HB 2957

Summary — HB 2957 (vehicle / deceptive practices; mixed document)

Note up front: the materials provided include text from two different bills with the same number in different jurisdictions — an Arizona local‑government bill (amending county powers under A.R.S. §11‑251 and §41‑1279.21) and an Illinois bill amending the Illinois Vehicle Code and Consumer Fraud Act concerning brokers of household goods. The title you supplied ("VEHICLE CD‑DECEPTIVE PRACTICES") corresponds to the Illinois content. This summary focuses on the Illinois vehicle/consumer‑protection provisions and highlights the Arizona material separately for clarity.

Purpose and intent (Illinois portion)

HB 2957 tightens criminal, civil and administrative sanctions for persons who act as brokers of household goods in Illinois and treats violations as unlawful consumer fraud. The bill aims to deter deceptive brokerage practices in the household‑goods/moving sector and to broaden enforcement/remedies available to regulators and consumers.

Key provisions (Illinois)

  • Officer/employee liability

    • Clarifies that when a business entity is charged with violating the Transportation/Vehicle Code, the entity is the named respondent. An officer, employee or agent of that entity is not personally liable for the violation unless that person personally profited from it.

  • Criminal penalties for acting as a broker of household goods (apparently subsection (13) of 625 ILCS 5/18c‑510)

    • First violation: Class 4 felony.
    • Each subsequent violation: Class 3 felony.

  • Civil penalties (Illinois Commerce Commission / Commission authority)

    • General civil penalty range for most violations: $100 to $1,000 per violation (existing framework remains).
    • For violations that consist of acting as a broker of household goods: civil penalty range raised to $1,000 to $25,000 per violation.

  • Settlement and disposition limitations

    • For violations that consist of acting as a broker of household goods, the Commission may not accept stipulated settlements consisting of a reasonable monetary settlement, license suspension/revocation, or other reasonable terms between respondent and staff. (In other words, the usual practice of accepting negotiated settlements is prohibited for this specific violation.)

  • Consumer protection

    • Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act so that violating the prohibition on acting as a broker of household goods constitutes an unlawful practice and unfair competition under that Act — enabling consumer civil claims and Attorney General enforcement remedies.

Who is affected

  • Brokers of household goods (moving brokers) and motor carriers involved in household‑goods transactions.
  • Companies employing officers/agents: entities will face increased exposure for broker violations; individuals are shielded from liability unless they personally profited.
  • Illinois Commerce Commission (or the administering Commission) — expanded penalty authority and constrained settlement discretion for this violation.
  • Consumers (household goods shippers) — gain an additional private right/remedy under the Consumer Fraud Act.
  • Industry compliance and legal counsel (will need to reassess licensing, broker practices and settlement strategies).

Procedural / timeline notes and status (from provided materials)

  • Illinois filing/first reading: introduced Feb 6, 2025 (Rep. Michael J. Kelly).
  • The provided legislative activity entries include various readings and actions (some appear duplicated or from a different jurisdiction). One record lists passage and a gubernatorial veto/transmit actions on June 25, 2025 — these entries appear inconsistent and should be verified with the Illinois legislative file for accurate status.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Stronger criminal classification (felonies) and much higher civil fines for broker violations will likely deter unlicensed or deceptive brokerage activity and encourage stricter compliance and licensing checks by firms.
  • Prohibition on negotiated settlements for broker violations reduces regulator flexibility and may increase contested hearings or prosecutions.
  • Inclusion under the Consumer Fraud Act broadens civil remedies (statutory damages, injunctive relief, treble damages / attorney’s fees where applicable) and could encourage more consumer lawsuits and class actions.
  • The officer/agent liability carve‑out protects employees unless there is proof of personal profit, which narrows individual exposure.

Arizona portion (brief)

  • The packet also contains Arizona House Bill text amending A.R.S. §11‑251 (powers of county boards of supervisors) and §41‑1279.21 and references appropriations. The Arizona text shown is largely the statutory powers list with revisions (for example, appraisal and market‑value language for county real property sales). That text is truncated in the provided document; verify the full Arizona version if that is the intended bill.

If you want, I can:
- Pull and compare the official Illinois enrolled bill and fiscal/committee analyses for exact statutory citations (e.g., confirm which subsection of 18c‑510 is targeted).
- Retrieve the official legislative status (passed, vetoed, enacted) and governor’s actions for the Illinois bill.
- Produce a one‑page one‑paragraph summary tailored to consumers, moving companies, or regulators.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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