99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB1447

Introduced 2/20/2015, by Sen. Dan Kotowski

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
735 ILCS 5/3-107 from Ch. 110, par. 3-107

Amends the Administrative Review Law of the Code of Civil Procedure. Provides that, as used in a Section concerning required parties in an action for administrative review, "parties of record" does not include a private citizen who was not acting in an official capacity or whose participation in the agency proceedings was limited to his or her attendance or testimony at a public hearing.
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A BILL FOR

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1 AN ACT concerning civil law.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Code of Civil Procedure is amended by
5changing Section 3-107 as follows:
6 (735 ILCS 5/3-107) (from Ch. 110, par. 3-107)
7 Sec. 3-107. Defendants.
8 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) or (c), in any
9action to review any final decision of an administrative
10agency, the administrative agency and all persons, other than
11the plaintiff, who were parties of record to the proceedings
12before the administrative agency shall be made defendants. The
13method of service of the decision shall be as provided in the
14Act governing the procedure before the administrative agency,
15but if no method is provided, a decision shall be deemed to
16have been served either when a copy of the decision is
17personally delivered or when a copy of the decision is
18deposited in the United States mail, in a sealed envelope or
19package, with postage prepaid, addressed to the party affected
20by the decision at his or her last known residence or place of
21business. The form of the summons and the issuance of alias
22summons shall be according to rules of the Supreme Court. As
23used in this Section, "parties of record" does not include a

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1private citizen who was not acting in an official capacity or
2whose participation in the agency proceedings was limited to
3his or her attendance or testimony at a public hearing.
4 No action for administrative review shall be dismissed for
5lack of jurisdiction based upon the failure to name an
6employee, agent, or member, who acted in his or her official
7capacity, of an administrative agency, board, committee, or
8government entity, where the administrative agency, board,
9committee, or government entity, has been named as a defendant
10as provided in this Section. Naming the director or agency
11head, in his or her official capacity, shall be deemed to
12include as defendant the administrative agency, board,
13committee, or government entity that the named defendants
14direct or head. No action for administrative review shall be
15dismissed for lack of jurisdiction based upon the failure to
16name an administrative agency, board, committee, or government
17entity, where the director or agency head, in his or her
18official capacity, has been named as a defendant as provided in
19this Section.
20 If, during the course of a review action, the court
21determines that an agency or a party of record to the
22administrative proceedings was not made a defendant as required
23by the preceding paragraph, then the court shall grant the
24plaintiff 35 days from the date of the determination in which
25to name and serve the unnamed agency or party as a defendant.
26The court shall permit the newly served defendant to

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1participate in the proceedings to the extent the interests of
2justice may require.
3 (b) With respect to actions to review decisions of a zoning
4board of appeals in a municipality with a population of 500,000
5or more inhabitants under Division 13 of Article 11 of the
6Illinois Municipal Code, "parties of record" means only the
7zoning board of appeals and applicants before the zoning board
8of appeals. The plaintiff shall send a notice of filing of the
9action by certified mail to each other person who appeared
10before and submitted oral testimony or written statements to
11the zoning board of appeals with respect to the decision
12appealed from. The notice shall be mailed within 2 days of the
13filing of the action. The notice shall state the caption of the
14action, the court in which the action is filed, and the names
15of the plaintiff in the action and the applicant to the zoning
16board of appeals. The notice shall inform the person of his or
17her right to intervene. Each person who appeared before and
18submitted oral testimony or written statements to the zoning
19board of appeals with respect to the decision appealed from
20shall have a right to intervene as a defendant in the action
21upon application made to the court within 30 days of the
22mailing of the notice.
23 (c) With respect to actions to review decisions of a
24hearing officer or a county zoning board of appeals under
25Division 5-12 of Article 5 of the Counties Code, "parties of
26record" means only the hearing officer or the zoning board of

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1appeals and applicants before the hearing officer or the zoning
2board of appeals. The plaintiff shall send a notice of filing
3of the action by certified mail to each other person who
4appeared before and submitted oral testimony or written
5statements to the hearing officer or the zoning board of
6appeals with respect to the decision appealed from. The notice
7shall be mailed within 2 days of the filing of the action. The
8notice shall state the caption of the action, the court in
9which the action is filed, and the name of the plaintiff in the
10action and the applicant to the hearing officer or the zoning
11board of appeals. The notice shall inform the person of his or
12her right to intervene. Each person who appeared before and
13submitted oral testimony or written statements to the hearing
14officer or the zoning board of appeals with respect to the
15decision appealed from shall have a right to intervene as a
16defendant in the action upon application made to the court
17within 30 days of the mailing of the notice. This subsection
18(c) applies to zoning proceedings commenced on or after the
19effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General
20Assembly.
21 (d) The changes to this Section made by this amendatory Act
22of the 95th General Assembly apply to all actions filed on or
23after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th
24General Assembly.
25(Source: P.A. 95-321, eff. 8-21-07; 95-831, eff. 8-14-08.)