Public Act 95-0971 was effective January 1, 2009. As a result, certain business entities were required to register with the State Board of Elections. If a business had existing contracts, had bid on contracts not yet awarded, or had a combination of existing contracts or bids which in aggregate exceeded more than $50,000, it was required to register with the Board within 30 days of the date of the law’s implementation. In addition, if a business entity not initially required to register, subsequently exceeds the $50,000 threshold in aggregate annually, it must register prior to submitting to a State Agency the bid or proposal whose value causes the business entity to register. The law requires disclosure of the name of the Business Entity, the names of all affiliated businesses, and the names of all affiliated persons.

Initially, the State Board of Elections provided the capability to register by paper until such time as it was able to fully implement the provisions of this Act by providing for electronic registration. Emergency rules that deal solely with the registration requirements of the business entities were adopted to allow for paper filing until August 1, 2009. These rules became effective on June 29, 2009, for a maximum of 150 days, or until the adoption of the proposed rules, whichever occurs first. The Board anticipates the adoption of the proposed rules prior to the expiration of the emergency rules. The electronic registration system required by the Act is now fully operational.

All businesses that have registered previously must re-register electronically by September 30, 2009. This includes those that are no longer required to update their registrations; for example, a business which registered and bid on a contract valued at more than $50,000 during the first seven months of 2009, but which was not awarded the contract, still must re-register electronically. This is necessary to ensure a complete record of all businesses which have registered since the law became effective on January 1, 2009.

Beginning August 1, 2009, a business may register electronically by going to https://BEREP.elections.il.gov or by accessing the Board website at http://www.elections.il.gov and clicking on the Business Registration tab. The first step in the registration process is to create a user account. The user account must be activated by clicking on the link in the e-mail which will be sent from the Board to the person registering the user account. After the account has been created and activated, the user will enter the business name, address, identification number, phone number, and e-mail address. At the time of submission, the business name and identification number will be verified by the Illinois Department of Revenue. If verified, the user may begin entering affiliated entities and affiliated persons. An updated certificate of registration is produced upon registration as well as each time any required information is changed by the user, and may be printed at any time.