20 ILCS 692/ Small Business Advisory Act.
(20 ILCS 692/1)
Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Small Business Advisory Act.
(Source: P.A. 93‑318, eff. 1‑1‑04.) |
(20 ILCS 692/5)
Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:
"Agency" means the same as in Section 1‑20 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.
"Joint Committee" means the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
"Small business" means any for profit entity, independently owned and operated, that grosses less than $4,000,000 per year or that has 50 or fewer full‑time employees. For the purposes of this Act, a "small business" has its principal office in Illinois.
"Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
(Source: P.A. 93‑318, eff. 1‑1‑04; 94‑793, eff. 5‑19‑06.)
(20 ILCS 692/10)
Sec. 10. Small business advisory web pages site.
(a) Within 6 months after the effective date of this Act, each Agency must create and make available on the World Wide Web a small business advisory page.
(b) Each agency that (i) has adopted or is preparing to adopt any rule affecting small businesses or (ii) is designated to administer legislation affecting small businesses that has become law must prepare and post on its small business advisory page a plain language explanation of the rule or legislation. The explanation must indicate the effective date of the rule or legislation. The explanation must remain posted for a minimum of 6 months after the effective date of the rule or legislation. Agencies shall consult with the Department and small businesses in developing uniform web page standards.
If a rule has been proposed but not adopted, an explanation of the rule must be posted as soon as possible in order to allow input and comment from affected small businesses. The State agency must, in addition to posting a plain language explanation of the rule, post notice of the time, date, and place of any public hearings, together with the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the agency rulemaking contact; what must be done by members of the public who wish to provide testimony on the rulemaking; and the names and Springfield and district office addresses and telephone numbers of the members of the Joint Committee.
(c) When each agency updates its small business advisory web page, it shall notify the Department. The Department, through its First Stop Business Information Center, shall serve as a central clearinghouse notifying the small business community of each agency's rulemakings and changes in requirements. Furthermore, the Department shall seek input from the small business community on the changes and inform the appropriate agency and where applicable, the Joint Committee, of the input.
The Department, as a part of its clearinghouse function, shall maintain a central small business advisory web page that shall serve as a coordinated point of access to all agencies' business advisory web pages.
(Source: P.A. 93‑318, eff. 1‑1‑04.) |
(20 ILCS 692/15)
Sec. 15. Advisory opinions and interpretations. Each agency must post plain language versions of all advisory opinions and interpretations of rules and statutes affecting small businesses issued by the agency on its small business advisory web page. No person who acts or fails to act in reasonable reliance in the advisory opinions and interpretations may be held liable in any civil, criminal, or regulatory action because of that act or failure to act.
(Source: P.A. 93‑318, eff. 1‑1‑04.) |