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Backyard Vehicle Restoration Jobs Under Siege Again In Illinois


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URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Backyard Vehicle Restoration Jobs Under Siege Again In Illinois

A bill (H.B. 367) has been introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives by Rep. Jack Franks (jack@jackfranks.org) that would further restrict the ability of Illinois vehicle hobbyists from maintaining inoperable vehicles on private property. H.B. 367 would redefine ?inoperable motor vehicles? to include vehicles incapable of being lawfully driven on state highways in full accordance with Illinois vehicle laws. The bill would also expand the definition of inoperable vehicles to include dismantled and unlicensed vehicles. Under current law, localities may authorize fines and disposal of inoperable vehicles on public and private property.

Contact House Executive Committee Members (List Below) Immediately To Request Their Opposition to H.B. 367

H.B. 367 would give local authorities an inordinate amount of power in determining the disposition of inoperable historic project cars.

H.B. 367 would make it virtually impossible for Illinois hobbyists to maintain inoperable collector vehicles on private property.

H.B. 367 demonstrates a clear disregard and lack of understanding of the vehicle hobby and the rights of hobbyists.

H.B. 367 makes no legal distinction between an owner using private property as a dumping ground and a vehicle enthusiast working to maintain, restore or construct a vehicle.

Please contact members of the Illinois House Executive Committee immediately by phone, fax or e-mail to request their opposition to H.B. 367.

Please e-mail a copy of your letter to stevem@sema.org. Thank you for your assistance.

Illinois House Executive Committee

Daniel J. Burke

Email: burkedj@legis.state.il.us

Phone: 217/782-1117

Fax: 217/782-0927

Joseph M. Lyons

Phone: 217/782-8400

Fax: 217/557-1934

Dan Brady

Email: dan@rep-danbrady.com

Phone: 217/782-1118

Fax: 2147/558-6271

Edward J. Acevedo

Email: eacevedo@hdsmail.state.il.us

Phone: 217/782-2855

Fax: 217/782-7762

Maria Antonia Berrios

Email: rep_berrios@yahoo.com

Phone: 217/558-1032

Fax: 217/558-7112

Robert A.Biggins

Email: bobbiggins@comcast.net

Phone: 217/782-6578

Fax: 217/782-5257

Richard T. Bradley

Email: rbradley@hdsmail.state.il.us

Phone: 217/782-8117

Fax: 217/558-6369

Brent Hassert

Phone: 217/782-4179

Fax: 217/782-5257

James H.Meyer

Email: jhmeyer@msn.com

Phone: 217/782-8028

Fax: 217/557-0571

Robert S. Molaro

Phone: 217/782-5280

Fax: 708/354-0743

Robert Rita

Email: robertbobrita@aol.com

Phone: 217/558-1000

Fax: 217/558-1091

Angelo Saviano

Email: skip@saviano.com

Phone: 217/782-3374

Fax: 217/557-7211

Arthur L. Turner

Phone: 217/782-8116

Fax: 217/782-0888

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  • 1 year later...

Just a quick note to let you know municipalities in Maine are doing everything in their power (and beyond) to kill our hobby. While the Maine legislature did pass a bill which says the following:

A. "Automobile graveyard" does not include:

(2) An area used by an automobile hobbyist to store, organize, restore or display antique autos, antique motorcycles, classic vehicles, horseless carriages, reconstructed vehicles, street rods or parts of these vehicles as these vehicles are defined in Title 29-A, section 101 as long as the hobbyist's activities comply with all applicable federal and state statutes and rules and municipal ordinances, other than ordinances that are more restrictive than this subsection regarding the storage of vehicles or vehicle parts that are collected by a hobbyist, except that a municipal ordinance may require areas used by an automobile hobbyist to comply with the screening requirements in section 3754-A, subsection 1, paragraph A and the standards in section 3754-A, subsection 5, paragraph A, paragraph B, subparagraph (1) and paragraph C. For the purposes of this subparagraph, an automobile hobbyist is a person who is not primarily engaged in the business of selling any of those vehicles or parts from those vehicles;

Title 29-A: MOTOR VEHICLES HEADING: PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (new); Pt. B, §5 (aff)

Chapter 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS HEADING: PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (new); Pt. B, §5 (aff)

§101. Definitions

As used in this Title, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [1993

3. Antique auto. "Antique auto" means an automobile or truck manufactured in or after model year 1916 that is:

A. More than 25 years old; [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]

B. Equipped with an engine manufactured either at the same time as the vehicle or to the specifications of the original engine; [1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]

C. Substantially maintained in original or restored condition primarily for use in exhibitions, club activities, parades or other functions of public interest; [1997, c. 653, §2 (AMD).]

D. Not used as its owner's primary mode of transportation of passengers or goods; [2005, c. 314, §1 (AMD).]

E. Not a reconstructed vehicle; and [2005, c. 314, §2 (AMD).]

F. Not an altered vehicle. [2005, c. 314, §3 (NEW).]

Towns are saying that if a vehicle is not fully restored it does not meet thaT EXCEPTION EVEN THOUGH THE STATUTE CLEARLY STATES THE VEHICLES CAN BE KEPT FOR RESTORATION.

I had the job of defending in York County District Court a lawsuit from the town Of Old orchard Beach, Maine to physically remove my antique trucks under restoration from my property despite the fact they were properly shielded from the highway. If it happen to me it can happen to you. I'm not sure what the answer is to force distrct court judges to enforce statutes as they are written instead of favoring blindly with the miunicipalities. Just one more hard fought for right we have being caliously taken away. Did I mentioon the fact I had to pay the town's legal expenses on top of this BS?

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  • 1 year later...
Guest FordoFilez

this has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read.. I'm going to buy another car just because! and I'm going to make sure it doesn't run!!!!!!!

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Guest Jim_Edwards
orginal post is 3 yrs old

The original post is indeed three years old but this is a problem that just seems to be getting worse all across the country as a certain age group of airhead nit-wits seem dead set on telling everyone how to enjoy their lives and/or the use of their property.

Granted, few people want to see their neighborhood turned into a junk yard or become ghetto land, but realistically this trend has gotten totally out of hand. The same people to who "ooh and aah" at looking at vintage cars at a local gathering or car show are the same idiots that want to limit your use of your property and think every neighborhood should look like something out of "House Beautiful." The same nit-wits that think life is great in ticky-tack look-a-like houses on postage stamp size lots in a planned community that is destined within ten years to be the ghetto atmosphere they so fear.

Of course one can do as I did, get the heck out of any city limits and move to the country far enough away from the nit-wits you'll never be under their thumb. Life is good when no one can interfere with your enjoyment of it and what you own.

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Agreed. This type thing has to be watched closely and carefully ALL THE TIME.

Jim, don't count on moving to the country solving the problem. My 8 acres in the country is on the way to a major attraction in this county, and local ninnies and powers that be are always traveling past it on their way to some "official" function that's supposed to improve things here.

When my garage was under construction, some zoning-board types drove by and immediately assumed it was to be a race garage for the aforementioned attraction and would therefore require a zoning variance complete with hearing and special-use permits. All in the name of increasing the property's tax value, of course.

I finally had to turn the lawyer loose on them after failing to convince them myself it was to be a private garage for storage of my antique cars and parts. "But you MIGHT do that in the future!" they said. Yah, and I MIGHT call the whole thing off, sell all the old cars and you not get a dime of tax money.

Right now they're trying to change a decades-old business district on the south end of the county seat into a wetlands park simply because it's in a flood plain, and one of those powers that be considers the whole mile-long strip an eyesore. No one can understand why they want to close tax-paying businesses that have been in place for 60-some years and change it into a wetlands park that will produce no tax revenue but will require tax money to keep up.

Yup. Nitwits who make their living off other peoples' taxes.

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Guest Jim_Edwards

Glenn when I say out in the country I meant way out in the country. Gave up the big city and moved 85 miles away from anything with a population over 4,000 and even that community is some nine miles away. Our nearest neighbors are Coyotes, Raccoons, possums, deer, and wild hogs....(g) We only had one taxing authority that was interested in taxing "personal property", which included automobiles of any nature, but they gave up on the idea about two years ago because it was a huge pain in the neck, not to mention they found themselves constantly having to deal with valid challenges. So for now, my eight vintage autos and three parts cars are safe and I can do what I damn well please without any Jug heads interfering.

Life is good! :D

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Trouble is there really is two sides to the argument. I can much relate to the hobby restorer that parks his parts car(s) next to the garage until he finishes his project. I can also very much see the point of the guy who lives in a nice area where his neighbor's "parts" cars ever seem to go away as they slowly sink into the ground. There needs to be a realistic middle ground but finding it is hard to do. I opted for Jim's solution by surroudng myself by 100 acres of MY land. I have all of the 4 legged varmints that Jim has (except the hogs) and enough land to keep the 2 legged official type varmints at bay. It's too bad we can't all be so blessed. Everyone elses only hope is to be active in local politics and/or just live with it. It's not going to get any better..........Bob

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