SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy is championing a measure to crack down on unlicensed car dealers deceiving consumers with sales of defective cars.

“In our current financial landscape, consumer protection is more important than ever,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “Unlicensed car sellers pose significant risks to consumers, not just financially but also by putting the lives of unsuspecting customers in danger with cars that are of questionable quality.”

The goal is to make the already illegal practice of “curbstoning” — a scheme where individual sellers draw car shoppers to places like parking lots and side streets to sell used cars without a license — more difficult. The cars are sold for more money than they are worth and typically have significant issues such as water damage, mileage rollbacks, mechanical issues, or salvaged titles — which are only issued if the car has sustained enough damage to be declared a total loss.

Under the measure, vehicle dealers would not be able to park and advertise cars on public streets or highways, public parking lots or public property. Law enforcement agencies would be allowed to authorize towing services to remove a car if it is displayed for sale with a damaged, destroyed, removed, covered or altered vehicle identification number.

In addition, the legislation would create the Unlicensed Motor Vehicle Dealer Enforcement Task Force to review unlicensed car dealership enforcement in the state. The task force would recommend ways to extend additional protections to customers, investigate online sellers, and explore enhanced penalties and enforcement mechanisms.

“When buying a car, you want to know that the vehicle is reliable and will last you and your family for years to come,” Murphy said. “Cracking down on these unlicensed dealers will give consumers more peace of mind and make our roads safer.”

House Bill 2751 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.