103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5237

Introduced , by Rep. Tony M. McCombie

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
225 ILCS 735/11 from Ch. 111, par. 711
225 ILCS 735/9a rep.
525 ILCS 15/5 from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9105
525 ILCS 15/7 from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9107

Amends the Timber Buyers Licensing Act. Repeals provisions that require a person buying timber from a timber grower to deduct from the payment to the timber grower an amount which equals 4% of the purchase price or 4% of the minimum fair market value and forward such amount to the Department of Natural Resources. Repeals provisions that require a timber grower who utilizes timber produced on land the timber grower owns or operates for sawing into lumber, processing, or resale to pay to the Department an amount equal to 4% of the minimum fair market value of the timber utilized during a period. Makes conforming changes.
LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b

A BILL FOR

HB5237LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1 AN ACT concerning regulation.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. The Timber Buyers Licensing Act is amended by
5changing Section 11 as follows:
6 (225 ILCS 735/11) (from Ch. 111, par. 711)
7 Sec. 11. Penalties and fines. All fines and penalties
8associated with violations of this Act or administrative rules
9thereunder, except as otherwise provided in this Act, are
10payable 50% to the Department's Conservation Police Operations
11Assistance Fund and 50% to the Department's Illinois Forestry
12Development Fund.
13 (a) Except as otherwise provided in this Act any person in
14violation of any of the provisions of this Act, or
15administrative rules thereunder, shall be guilty of a Class A
16misdemeanor.
17 (a-5) Any person convicted of violating Section 3 of this
18Act shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and fined at least
19$500 for a first offense and guilty of a Class 4 felony and
20fined at least $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense.
21 (a-10) Any person convicted of violating subsection (a) of
22Section 5 is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor if the aggregate
23value of the timber cut, caused to be cut, or appropriated is

HB5237- 2 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1equal to or less than $500.
2 (a-15) (Blank). Any person convicted of violating
3subsection (a) or (c) of Section 9a is guilty of a Class A
4misdemeanor if the aggregate value of the amount due to the
5Department is equal to or less than $500.
6 (b) Any person convicted of violating subsection (a) of
7Section 5 of this Act is guilty of a Class 4 felony if the
8aggregate value of the timber cut, caused to be cut or
9appropriated is over $500 but not more than $2,500.
10 (b-2) (Blank). Any person convicted of violating
11subsection (a) or (c) of Section 9a is guilty of a Class 4
12felony if the aggregate value of the amount due to the
13Department is over $500 but not more than $2,500.
14 (b-5) Any person convicted of violating subsection (a) of
15Section 5 of this Act is guilty of a Class 3 felony if the
16aggregate value of the timber cut, caused to be cut, or
17appropriated is over $2,500 but not more than $10,000.
18 (b-7) (Blank). Any person convicted of violating
19subsection (a) or (c) of Section 9a is guilty of a Class 3
20felony if the aggregate value of the amount due to the
21Department is over $2,500 but not more than $10,000.
22 (b-10) Any person convicted of violating subsection (a) of
23Section 5 of this Act is guilty of a Class 2 felony if the
24aggregate value of the timber cut, caused to be cut, or
25appropriated is over $10,000.
26 (b-12) (Blank). Any person convicted of violating

HB5237- 3 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1subsection (a) or (c) of Section 9a is guilty of a Class 2
2felony if the aggregate value of the amount due to the
3Department is over $10,000.
4 (b-15) The aggregate value of the timber cut, caused to be
5cut, or appropriated shall be determined as provided by
6administrative rule.
7 (c) A person convicted of violating subsection (b) of
8Section 5 of this Act is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. A
9person convicted of a second or subsequent violation is guilty
10of a Class 4 felony.
11 (c-5) A person convicted of violating subsection (c) of
12Section 5 is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
13 (c-10) A person convicted of violating subsection (d) of
14Section 5 is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and shall be
15assessed a fine of not less than $1,000. A person convicted of
16a second or subsequent violation is guilty of a Class 4 felony
17and shall be assessed a fine of not less than $2,000.
18 (c-15) A person convicted of violating subsection (f) of
19Section 5 is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.
20 (c-20) A person convicted of violating subsection (g) of
21Section 5 is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.
22 (d) All penalties issued pursuant to subsections (e) and
23(f) shall be deposited in the Illinois Forestry Development
24Fund for the purposes of the Illinois Forestry Development
25Act.
26 (e) (Blank). Failure to pay any purchase harvest fee

HB5237- 4 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1required under Section 9a of this Act on the date as required
2by regulation of the Department, there shall be added as a
3penalty an amount equal to 7.5% of the harvest fee due the
4Department for each month or fraction thereof during which
5such failure continues, not to exceed 37.5% in the aggregate.
6This penalty shall be in addition to any other penalty
7determined under this Act or by the circuit court.
8 (f) (Blank). A person convicted of violating subsection
9(b) or (d) of Section 9a shall be guilty of a Class C
10misdemeanor and shall be assessed a penalty in the amount of
11$25, which shall be added to the amount due the Department for
12each individual report. A second or subsequent offense within
13a 3-year period after the date of the first offense is a Class
14A misdemeanor.
15 (g) All fines required in this Section shall be in
16addition to any other penalty authorized under this Act, the
17Unified Code of Corrections, or imposed by the circuit court.
18 (h) Any person who knowingly or intentionally violates any
19of the provisions of this Act, or administrative rules
20thereunder, when the person's license has been revoked or
21denied or the person's ability to engage in the activity
22requiring the license has been suspended under Section 13 is
23guilty of:
24 (1) a Class 4 felony if the underlying offense that
25 was committed during a period of revocation or suspension
26 is a misdemeanor; or

HB5237- 5 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1 (2) one classification higher if the underlying
2 offense that was committed during a period of revocation
3 or suspension is a felony.
4(Source: P.A. 103-218, eff. 1-1-24.)
5 (225 ILCS 735/9a rep.)
6 Section 5. The Timber Buyers Licensing Act is amended by
7repealing Section 9a.
8 Section 10. The Illinois Forestry Development Act is
9amended by changing Sections 5 and 7 as follows:
10 (525 ILCS 15/5) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9105)
11 Sec. 5. A forest development cost share program is created
12and shall be administered by the Department of Natural
13Resources.
14 A timber grower who desires to participate in the cost
15share program shall devise a forest management plan. To be
16eligible to submit a proposed forest management plan, a timber
17grower must own or operate at least 10 contiguous acres of land
18in this State on which timber is produced, except that, no acre
19on which a permanent building is located shall be included in
20calculations of acreage for the purpose of determining
21eligibility. Timber growers with Department approved forest
22management plans covering less than 10 acres in effect on or
23before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th

HB5237- 6 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1General Assembly shall continue to be eligible under the
2Illinois Forestry Development Act provisions. The proposed
3forest management plan shall include a description of the land
4to be managed under the plan, a description of the types of
5timber to be grown, a projected harvest schedule, a
6description of forest management practices to be applied to
7the land, an estimation of the cost of such practices, plans
8for afforestation, plans for regenerative harvest and
9reforestation, and a description of soil and water
10conservation goals and wildlife habitat enhancement which will
11be served by implementation of the forest management plan.
12 Upon receipt from a timber grower of a draft forest
13management plan, the Department shall review the plan and, if
14necessary, assist the timber grower to revise the plan. The
15Department shall officially approve acceptable plans. Forest
16management plans shall be revised as necessary and all
17revisions must be approved by the Department. A plan shall be
18evaluated every 2 years for reapproval.
19 The eligible land shall be maintained in a forest
20condition for a period of 10 years or until commercial
21harvest, whichever last occurs, as required by the plan.
22 The Department shall enter into agreements with timber
23growers with approved forest management plans under which the
24Department shall agree to pay a share of the total cost of
25acceptable forest management plans and practices implemented
26under the plan. The cost share amount is up to 80% of the total

HB5237- 7 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1cost of the forest management practices for such practices
2approved to be funded from monies appropriated for this
3purpose for subsequent fiscal years. Cost share funds shall be
4paid from monies appropriated to the Department by the General
5Assembly for that purpose from the Illinois Forestry
6Development Fund or any other fund in the State Treasury.
7 The Department, upon recommendations made to it by the
8Council, may provide for the categorization of forest
9management practices and determine an appropriate cost share
10percentage for each such category. Forest management practices
11submitted by timber growers on whose timber sales fees of 4% of
12the sale amount were paid as provided in Section 9a of the
13"Timber Buyers Licensing Act before the effective date of this
14amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly ", approved
15September 1, 1969, may be accorded a priority for approval
16within the assigned category. Such timber growers may receive
17a cost share amount which is increased above the amount for
18which they would otherwise qualify by an amount equal to the
19fees paid by the timber grower on sales occurring in the 2
20fiscal years immediately preceding the fiscal year in which
21the forest management practices are approved and funded;
22provided, however, that the total cost share amount shall not
23exceed the total cost of the approved forest management
24practices.
25 Upon transfer of his or her right and interest in the land
26or a change in land use, the timber grower shall forfeit all

HB5237- 8 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b
1rights to future payments and other benefits resulting from an
2approved plan and shall refund to the Department all payments
3received therefrom during the previous 10 years unless the
4transferee of any such land agrees with the Department to
5assume all obligations under the plan.
6(Source: P.A. 96-217, eff. 8-10-09; 96-545, eff. 8-17-09.)
7 (525 ILCS 15/7) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9107)
8 Sec. 7. The Illinois Forestry Development Fund, a special
9fund in the State Treasury, is hereby created. The Department
10of Natural Resources shall pay into the Fund all fees and fines
11collected from timber buyers and landowners and operators
12pursuant to the "Timber Buyers Licensing Act", and the "Forest
13Products Transportation Act", all gifts, contributions,
14bequests, grants, donations, transfers, appropriations and all
15other revenues and receipts resulting from forestry programs,
16forest product sales, and operations of facilities not
17otherwise directed by State law and shall, except for the
18additional moneys deposited under Section 805-550 of the
19Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the
20Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, pay such moneys
21appropriated from the Fund to timber growers for
22implementation of acceptable forest management practices as
23provided in Section 5 of this Act. Moneys may be appropriated
24from the Fund for the expenses of the Illinois Forestry
25Development Council. Ordinary operating expenses of the Forest

HB5237- 9 -LRB103 38625 RTM 68762 b