No provisions of this Act shall be construed to make illegal:
(1) the activities of any labor organization or of individual members thereof which are directed solely to labor objectives which are legitimate under the laws of either the State of Illinois or the United States;(2) the activities of any agricultural or horticultural cooperative organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, or of individual members thereof, which are directed solely to objectives of such cooperative organizations which are legitimate under the laws of either the State of Illinois or the United States;(3) the activities of any public utility, as defined in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act to the extent that such activities are subject to a clearly articulated and affirmatively expressed State policy to replace competition with regulation, where the conduct to be exempted is actively supervised by the State itself;(4) the activities of a telecommunications carrier, as defined in Section 13-202 of the Public Utilities Act, to the extent those activities relate to the provision of noncompetitive telecommunications services under the Public Utilities Act and are subject to the jurisdiction of the Illinois Commerce Commission or to the activities of telephone mutual concerns referred to in Section 13-202 of the Public Utilities Act to the extent those activities relate to the provision and maintenance of telephone service to owners and customers;(5) the activities (including, but not limited to, the making of or participating in joint underwriting or joint reinsurance arrangement) of any insurer, insurance agent, insurance broker, independent insurance adjuster or rating organization to the extent that such activities are subject to regulation by the Director of Insurance of this State under, or are permitted or are authorized by, the Illinois Insurance Code or any other law of this State;(6) the religious and charitable activities of any not-for-profit corporation, trust or organization established exclusively for religious or charitable purposes, or for both purposes;(7) the activities of any not-for-profit corporation organized to provide telephone service on a mutual or cooperative basis or electrification on a cooperative basis, to the extent such activities relate to the marketing and distribution of telephone or electrical service to owners and customers;(8) the activities engaged in by securities dealers who are (i) licensed by the State of Illinois or (ii) members of the National Association of Securities Dealers or (iii) members of any National Securities Exchange registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in the course of their business of offering, selling, buying and selling, or otherwise trading in or underwriting securities, as agent, broker, or principal, and activities of any National Securities Exchange so registered, including the establishment of commission rates and schedules of charges;(9) the activities of any board of trade designated as a "contract market" by the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States pursuant to Section 5 of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended;(10) the activities of any motor carrier, rail carrier, or common carrier by pipeline, as defined in the Common Carrier by Pipeline Law of the Public Utilities Act, to the extent that such activities are permitted or authorized by the Act or are subject to regulation by the Illinois Commerce Commission;(11) the activities of any state or national bank to the extent that such activities are regulated or supervised by officers of the state or federal government under the banking laws of this State or the United States;(12) the activities of any state or federal savings and loan association to the extent that such activities are regulated or supervised by officers of the state or federal government under the savings and loan laws of this State or the United States;(13) the activities of any bona fide not-for-profit association, society or board, of attorneys, practitioners of medicine, architects, engineers, land surveyors or real estate brokers licensed and regulated by an agency of the State of Illinois, in recommending schedules of suggested fees, rates or commissions for use solely as guidelines in determining charges for professional and technical services;(14) conduct involving trade or commerce (other than import trade or import commerce) with foreign nations unless: (a) such conduct has a direct, substantial, and reasonably foreseeable effect: (i) on trade or commerce which is not trade or commerce with foreign nations, or on import trade or import commerce with foreign nations; or(ii) on export trade or export commerce with foreign nations of a person engaged in such trade or commerce in the United States; and(b) such effect gives rise to a claim under the provisions of this Act, other than this subsection (14). If this Act applies to conduct referred to in this subsection (14) only because of the provisions of paragraph (a)(ii), then this Act shall apply to such conduct only for injury to export business in the United States which affects this State;
(15) the activities of a unit of local government or school district and the activities of the employees, agents and officers of a unit of local government or school district; or(16) the activities of a manufacturer, manufacturer clearinghouse, or any entity developing, implementing, operating, participating in, or performing any other activities related to a manufacturer e-waste program approved pursuant to the Consumer Electronics Recycling Act, to the extent that such activities are permitted or authorized by this Act or are subject to regulation by the Consumer Electronics Recycling Act and are subject to the jurisdiction of and regulation by the Illinois Pollution Control Board or the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; this paragraph does not limit, preempt, or exclude the jurisdiction of any other commission, agency, or court system to adjudicate personal injury or workers' compensation claims.Amended by P.A. 101-0081,§ 720, eff. 7/12/2019.Amended by P.A. 100-0863,§ 600, eff. 8/14/2018.Amended by P.A. 100-0592,§ 15, eff. 6/22/2018. P.A. 90-185, eff. 7/23/1997; 90-561, eff. 12/16/1997.