Yednock Senior Protection Measure Passes General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Legislation passed by state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, that will protect seniors from fraudulent scams and door-to-door contracts is making its way to the governor for approval.

“Seniors across Illinois are targets for scams that are sold to them by fast-talking salesmen trying to bilk people out of their money and lock them into fraudulent contracts,” said Yednock. “The legislation I supported will give local seniors much more time to review these deals and decide to cancel if they feel they have been cheated.”

Yednock supported House Bill 2643 would give seniors aged 65 and older up to 15 days to cancel unsolicited home remodeling contracts made on the homeowner’s property, raising it from the current 3 days seniors have to cancel. Scammers are constantly targeting seniors, especially after natural disasters and accidents occur. Seniors should contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-243-0618 to report their instances or suspicions.

Yednock’s legislation recently passed the Illinois General Assembly with bipartisan support and now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his signature.

“I want to provide our seniors with enough time to review anything someone else is trying to persuade them to buy or agree to, especially when it comes to door-to-door solicitations,” said Yednock. “This is a commonsense measure that I urge the governor to sign into law, so we can tell seniors across Illinois that they can live better lives and not be locked into scams.”