HB3430 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 10396 LNS 20471 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB3430

Introduced 2/18/2025, by Rep. Norma Hernandez

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Nonconsensual Towing Act. Creates the Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee. Sets forth members, terms, compensation, meetings, and record keeping. Provides that the Committee shall: (1) establish rules and standards for the inclusion of a towing and recovery service on the tow list; (2) establish statewide maximum towing and storage rates for nonconsensual tows; (3) require the towing and recovery service to ban the use of per-pound billing for nonconsensual towing; (4) publish a Towing Service Standard Manual; and (5) collect and compile data and information on the number of people who have been towed nonconsensually and the areas where nonconsensual towings have occurred. Requires a towing and recovery service to allow an owner of a commercial motor vehicle or a designee of the owner of the commercial motor vehicle to access the vehicle in a reasonable manner as established by rules adopted by the Committee. Allows a law enforcement officer to use the services of the a tow list. Provides that it is unlawful for: (1) a law enforcement officer to receive compensation or receive any other incentive to select a particular towing and recovery service from the list, hold any financial interest in a towing and recovery service, and recommend any towing and recovery service in the performance of his or her duties; (2) any member or employee of the Committee, Department of Transportation, or Secretary of State to receive compensation from a towing and recovery service for the privilege of being included on the tow list; (3) a towing and recovery service to pay money or other valuable consideration for the privilege of nonconsensual towing commercial motor vehicles; and (4) a towing and recovery service to employ or otherwise compensate individuals whose primary task is to report the presence of unauthorized, improperly, or illegally parked commercial motor vehicles for the purpose of towing or removal and storage. Provides that before a towing and recovery service connects a commercial motor vehicle to a tow truck for a nonconsensual tow, the towing and recovery service shall document the vehicle's condition and the reason for the tow. Prohibits a towing and recovery service from using vehicle immobilization devices except under the direction of law enforcement. Repeals the Act on July 1, 2030. Effective July 1, 2025.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning transportation.

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 Nonconsensual Towing Act.

Section 5. Definitions.As used in this Act:

"Cargo" means goods and materials transported by a commercial motor vehicle as defined in 49 CFR Section 390.5, 75, including, but not limited to:

(1) pallets;

(2) containers;

(3) bracing;

(4) air pillows;

(5) tie-down assemblies and other securement 81 systems;

(6) cradles;

(7) chocks; and

(8) all other dunnage and packaging.

"Commercial vehicle" means any self-propelled or motored device designed to be used or used primarily for the transportation of passengers or property, or both, and have a gross vehicular weight rating of fifteen thousand (15,000) pounds or more.

"Committee" means the Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee created by this Act.

"Drop fee" means a fee that a towing and recovery service charges to unhook a commercial motor vehicle from a tow truck.

"Heavy-duty towing" means the towing of a vehicle, including trailers and semitrailers, with a gross vehicle rating over 26,000 pounds.

"Law enforcement officer" means any local law enforcement officer or Illinois State Police trooper.

"Medium-duty towing" means the towing of a vehicle, including trailers and semitrailers with a gross vehicle rating of over 15,000 pounds to 26,000 pounds.

"Motor vehicle" means a vehicle which self-propels, and is intended primarily for use and operation on public roads and highways.

"Nonconsensual towing" means the moving, transporting, or recovery of a commercial vehicle by a towing and recovery service without the prior consent or authorization of the owner or operator of the motor vehicle from private property or by police-initiated towing.

"Per pound billing" means a method of calculating a fee for towing using a formula that considers the weight of the commercial motor vehicle, equipment, or cargo that is the subject of the towing and multiplies the weight of the vehicle, equipment, or cargo by a monetary amount.

"Police initiated towing" means towing of a commercial motor vehicle which was authorized, requested, or dispatched by a law enforcement officer.

"Tow list" means a list of approved towing companies compiled, maintained and used by a law enforcement officer or his or her designee, and as authorized by the Secretary of State to perform police-initiated towing services of disabled or abandoned commercial motor vehicles.

"Towing" means the moving, transporting, or recovery from public or private property, or from a storage facility of a person's commercial motor vehicle, the moving or removing of an unclaimed commercial vehicle, or the immobilization of or preparation for moving or removing of the commercial motor vehicle, for which a fee is charged either directly or indirectly.

"Towing and recovery service" means an individual or business entity that provides towing and recovery services at the direction of a law enforcement officer or private property owner in exchange for a fee or charge.

"Vehicle immobilization device" means a mechanical device that is designated or adapted to be attached to a wheel, tire, or other part of a parked commercial motor vehicle to prohibit the vehicle's usual manner of movement or operation.

Section 10. Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee.

(a) The Secretary of State shall create within the Department of Transportation a Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee. The Committee shall consist of the following members:

(1) the Secretary of State, or his or her designee;

(2) the Director of the Illinois State Police, or his or her designee;

(3) two members, the President of the Professional Towing & Recovery Operators of Illinois and his or her appointee, to represent the towing and recovery services within the State;

(4) two members, appointed by the President of the Illinois Trucking Association, to represent the commercial motor carriers within the State; and

(5) one member, appointed by the Governor, to represent the local police jurisdictions.

(b) Members of the Committee shall serve for a term of 2 years. Members may serve consecutive terms. Members shall serve without compensation.

(c) At the first meeting, the Committee shall elect a chairperson from its membership to serve for a term of 2 years. A chairperson may serve consecutive terms.

(d) The Committee shall hold its first meeting no later than September 1, 2025, at a time and location within the State to be determined by the Secretary of State. Thereafter, meetings shall be held on dates and at times and locations within the State and selected by the chairperson in consultation with the other members or by the Secretary of State, if the most recent chairperson's term has expired.

(e) The Committee shall keep and maintain a record of all proceedings of the Committee, and copies of all orders or recommendations issued by the Committee.

Section 15. Committee's duties. The Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee shall:

(1) Establish rules and standards for the inclusion of a towing and recovery service on the tow list, including application procedures and minimum qualification requirements.

(2) Establish statewide maximum towing and storage rates for nonconsensual tows, including those for private property. The established maximum rates shall include maximum rates for administrative fees, provided as follows:

(A) a towing and recovery service may charge less than, but may not charge more than the approved statewide rates;

(B) the towing and recovery service shall not charge or retain any fees not indicated by the Committee for the maximum rates for towing and storage of a commercial motor vehicle after the nonconsensual tow from private property; and

(C) the statewide maximum towing and storage rates for nonconsensual tows shall be reviewed annually. Market fluctuations within the towing industry may be considered along with current consensual towing market rates and their relationship to nonconsensual towing rates.

(3) Require the towing and recovery service to ban the use of per-pound billing for nonconsensual towing.

(4) Publish a Towing Service Standard Manual, with rules governing the use of towing and recovery services for nonconsensual towing of commercial vehicles no later than January 1, 2026. At a minimum, the rules shall include the following provisions to:

(A) establish the information required to be included on any invoice associated with the towing of a commercial motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, requiring that the invoice be itemized;

(B) establish factors that shall be considered in determining whether a charge levied by a towing and recovery service is fair, equitable, and reasonable;

(C) establish a process the Committee shall use to receive, investigate, and adjudicate complaints against a towing and recovery service;

(D) establish a service charge dispute resolution process that includes, at a minimum, provisions requiring completion of a written complaint form, deadlines for initiating a complaint after receiving an itemized invoice, deadlines for responding to a complaint, cessation of storage fees during the complaint resolution process, a hearing on the complaint, and deadlines for issuing a formal decision adjudicating the service charge dispute;

(E) establish an appeals process for the appeal of any determination of order of the Committee under this subsection;

(F) establish a disciplinary procedure for violations of the rules by the towing and recovery service, including the suspension or removal of a towing and recovery service from the tow list; and

(G) establish a process that the Secretary of State may use to suspend or remove a towing and recovery service from any tow list.

(5) Collect and compile data and information on the number of people who have been towed nonconsensually and the areas where nonconsensual towings have occurred.

Section 20. Access to towed vehicle.

(a) Upon nonconsensual towing and recovery of a commercial towing vehicle and movement of the commercial motor vehicle to a storage facility, a towing and recovery service shall allow an owner of a commercial motor vehicle or a designee of the owner of the commercial motor vehicle to access the vehicle in a reasonable manner as established by rules adopted by the Committee. Any vehicle towed nonconsensually in this State must be stored in the State.

(b) The towing and recovery services shall provide a commercial vehicle owner or operator or owner's designee with reasonable access to the vehicle so that the vehicle owner and operator or the owner's designee may access and collect any personal property contained in the vehicle, regardless of whether any payment has been made for the towing and recovery service charges.

(c) If there is no dispute as to the charges assessed by the towing and recovery service for the nonconsensual towing of the commercial motor vehicle, the vehicle owner or operator or the owner's designee shall pay the towing service invoice and the towing and recovery service shall release the vehicle immediately.

Section 25. Use of tow list. In authorizing a towing and recovery service to perform towing services, any law enforcement officer may use the services of a tow list, as long as:

(1) they are under no obligation to include or retain the services of any towing and recovery service in any contract or agreement with respect to any tow list established pursuant to this Act. A towing and recovery service is subject to removal from a towing list at any time; and

(2) an owner or operator of a commercial motor vehicle may request a specific towing and recovery service and that request shall be honored by the law enforcement officer unless the requested towing and recovery service cannot perform the requested towing and recovery service or does not respond in a reasonable time, as determined by the law enforcement officer.

Section 30. Prohibitions; nonconsensual tows on private property.

(a) It shall be unlawful for:

(1) a law enforcement officer to:

(A) receive compensation or receive any other incentive, monetary or otherwise, to select a particular towing and recovery service from the list;

(B) hold any financial interest in a towing and recovery service; and

(C) recommend any towing and recovery service in the performance of his or her duties;

(2) any member or employee of the Committee, Department of Transportation, or Secretary of State to receive compensation from a towing and recovery service for the privilege of being included on the tow list;

(3) a towing and recovery service to pay money or other valuable consideration for the privilege of nonconsensual towing commercial motor vehicles; and

(4) a towing and recovery service to employ or otherwise compensate individuals, commonly referred to as "spotters," whose primary task is to report the presence of unauthorized, improperly, or illegally parked commercial motor vehicles for the purpose of towing or removal and storage.

(b) Nonconsensual tows for unauthorized, illegally parked commercial motor vehicles on private property must be performed by State-based towers. Towed vehicles must be stored within the State.

Section 35. Documentation; authorization.

(a) Before a towing and recovery service connects a commercial motor vehicle to a tow truck for a nonconsensual tow, the towing and recovery service shall document the vehicle's condition and the reason for the tow by:

(1) taking at least 4 photographs of the vehicle, with at least one photograph taken from the front, one photograph taken from the rear, one photograph taken from the driver's side and one taken from the passenger's side. These photographs must:

(A) show the entire vehicle from the required angle; and

(B) have the vehicle fill at least three-fourths of the photograph, measured from side to side; and

(2) taking a photograph that shows the reason the vehicle is being towed nonconsensually. The photograph must show the portion of the vehicle in relation to the reason, including any sign that the vehicle was towed.

(b) Upon demand of the owner or operator of the commercial motor vehicle or the owner's designee, the Secretary of State or the Committee, the towing and recovery service shall provide copies of the photographs.

(c) A towing and recovery service's failure to produce the photographs shall create a rebuttable presumption that the towing and recovery service did not have the authority to tow a vehicle from either a private property owner or operator or a law enforcement officer.

(d) Before a towing and recovery service connects a commercial motor vehicle to a tow truck for a nonconsensual tow, the towing and recovery service shall have authorization to nonconsensually tow a commercial motor vehicle. Authorization shall be found if:

(1) a law enforcement officer requests a police-initiated tow and requests that a towing and recovery service from the tow list provide towing;

(2) the towing and recovery service has received permission to tow the commercial motor vehicle from the owner of the private property;

(3) a towing service shall not tow a commercial motor vehicle from private property without the owner or operator of the private property giving the tower service written permission; or

(4) in order for the towing and recovery service to conduct a nonconsensual tow, the private property owner must have posted signage visible and facing the driver at each entryway into the property stating that vehicles parked on the property without authorization or inappropriately or illegally parked are subject to being towed. The sign must also contain the international towing symbol no smaller than 4 inches by 4 inches and be permanently mounted in a position that is no lower than 5 feet and no higher than 8 feet.

(e) The towing and recovery service shall not assess a drop fee to release the commercial motor vehicle after the vehicle is hooked up to the tow truck but before the vehicle is removed from the private property.

Section 40. Vehicle immobilization devices prohibited. A towing and recovery service shall not use vehicle immobilization devices except under the direction of law enforcement.

Section 90. Repeal. This Act is repealed on July 1, 2030.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2025.