Party Line Emergency Act (220 ILCS 66/)

Chapter 220 — Utilities

This text is maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau for legislative drafting purposes and is NOT the official text of the Illinois Compiled Statutes; the only official copy is the printed copy maintained by the Secretary of State.

Sec. 0.01. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Party Line Emergency Act.

(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)

Sec. 1.

"Party Line" means a subscribers' line telephone circuit, consisting of 2 or more main telephone stations connected therewith, each station with a distinctive ring or telephone number.

"Emergency" means a situation in which property or human life are in jeopardy and the prompt summoning of aid is essential.

(Source: Laws 1959, p. 682.)

Sec. 2.

Any person who wilfully refuses to yield or surrender the use of a party line to another person for the purpose of permitting such other person to report a fire or summon police, medical or other aid in case of emergency, is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.

(Source: P.A. 77-2621.)

Sec. 3.

Any person who asks for or requests the use of a party line on the pretext that an emergency exists, knowing that no emergency in fact exists, is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.

(Source: P.A. 77-2621.)

Sec. 4.

After the 90th day following the effective date of this act, every telephone directory thereafter published for distribution to the members of the general public shall contain a notice which explains this law, such notice to be printed in type which is no smaller than any other type on the same page and to be preceded by the word "WARNING". The provisions of this section shall not apply to those directories distributed solely for business advertising purposes, commonly known as classified directories.

(Source: Laws 1959, p. 682.)