(805 ILCS 317/5)

Sec. 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares all of the following:

(1) the cooperative form of doing business provides an efficient and effective method for persons to transact business, offer, and obtain goods and services, and it is in the best interests of the people of the State of Illinois to promote, foster, and encourage the utilization of cooperatives in appropriate instances;

(2) the Co-operative Act and Agricultural Co-Operative Act have provided for the promotion, fostering, and encouragement of consumer and producer cooperatives; have made distribution of agricultural products between producer and consumer more efficient; have stabilized the marketing of agricultural products; and have provided for the organization and incorporation of cooperative corporations, all as contemplated at the time of the original adoption;

(3) it is in the best interests of the people of the State of Illinois to preserve the provisions of the Co-operative Act as it has been in force and interpreted in the State and to continue the provisions thereof, but also to expand the provisions of Illinois cooperative law to provide greater direction and flexibility in its provisions and to enable all types of industries and enterprises to avail themselves of the benefits of the worker cooperative form of doing business in accordance with the provisions of this Act;

(4) a worker cooperative has the purpose of creating and maintaining sustainable jobs and generating wealth in order to improve the quality of life and economic security of its worker-members, dignify human work, allow workers' democratic self-management, and promote community and local development in this State;

(5) the purpose of this Act is to create a new business entity better suited for worker cooperatives and multi-stakeholder cooperatives, and to create more visibility and financing options for cooperatives. This Act is intended to provide a definition of worker cooperative for purposes of this Act, and not for purposes of other laws.

(Source: P.A. 101-292, eff. 1-1-20; 102-351, eff. 8-13-21.)