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Pending Legislation

Illinois General Assembly: Capital Budget Campaign
Impact:	Housing advocates have been calling for the unprecedented inclusion of affordable housing in the state’s capital budget. Governor Blagojevich included affordable housing in his $25 billion capital budge proposal (February 2008) designating a modest $300 million (“Illinois Community Assets Fund”) for economic development activities, affordable housing and health care development.
Get Involved!	Read the excellent briefing book prepared by policy makers to make the case: Illinois Housing Roundtable 2008 Briefing Book Read more about the capital budget campaign at www.housingactionil.org. Encourage Governor Blagojevich and members of the General Assembly to negotiate a capital budget in a good faith, including identifying a revenue source that does not further harm the state’s long-term fiscal situation and does not unduly burden low-income households.
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: Implementing the Good Schools Act
Impact:	To implement the Good Housing, Good Schools Act, passed in 2007, $3 million would be appropriated to the State Board of Education to reimburse school districts for additional expenses associated with the development of new affordable multi-family housing in certain high-income areas.
Get Involved!	(House: Soto/Senate: Martinez): passed the House and will be considered by the Senate.
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: Manufactured/Mobile Home Park Owners and Fire Department Agreements Senate Bill 2434 (Koehler):
Impact:	Requires an agreement between mobile home park owners and fire departments regarding how the mobile home park provides an adequate and reliable water supply for fire mitigation needs.
Get Involved!	This bill passed the Senate Housing and Community Affairs Committee and will be considered by the full Senate
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: SB2287: Safe Homes Act Amendment
Impact:	Restricts landlords from disclosing identity of tenants who make use of the Safe Homes Act (2006) including to other landlords. (See notes under enacted legislation)
Get Involved!	The bill passed the Judiciary-Civil Law Committee and will be considered by the full Senate. Read Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault are Fair Housing Issues for fair housing guidelines.
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: HB 5123: Amendment to the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act
Impact:	Establishes clear standards of review for the State Housing Appeals Board.
Get Involved!	Learn more about the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act at http://www.ihda.org/ViewPage.aspx?PageID=32 Inquire of your village/city officials how it is working to comply with this Act.
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: HB5170: Relocation Assistance Act/Slumlords Accountability Act
Impact:	Requires landlords to provide relocation assistance to tenants forced from their homes when there is a court order to vacate a building due to dangerous and unhealthy conditions caused by the landlord. Allows municipalities to recover their costs when relocating these tenants and fine property owners who fail to pay these expenses. Provides displaced tenants with the right to recover relocation costs.
Get Involved!	Ask Your State Senator to Support the Relocation Assistance Act. This bill passed the Housing and Urban Development Committee and will be considered by the full House.
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: SB2007: Tax Scavenger Legislation
Impact:	Creates additional notice requirements and remedies for homeowners, particularly for elderly and disabled homeowners, who lose their home to tax purchasers and tax scavengers that purchase homes for unpaid property taxes.
Get Involved!	This bill is co-sponsored by Silverstein, Clayborne, and Collins. Due to powerful opposition from the Illinois Tax Purchasers Association and others, this bill did not receive a majority of votes in the Revenue Committee and was re-referred to the Rules Committee. Advocates, however, will continue to work on this issue.
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: HB5189: Condo Renters Protection Act
Impact:	This bill, which is still being negotiated, would guarantee that owners of condominiums and town homes who currently rent their homes when they need or want to -just as other property owners do -would continue to be able to do so even if their association bans future rentals.
Get Involved!	This bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Pihos and Graham. Contact your State Representative and ask him/her to consider co-sponsors. This bill passed the Judiciary I-Civil Law Committee and will be considered by the full House.
Illinois General Assembly Pending Bill: HB4352: 48 Hour Notice to Tenants
Impact:	Requires a landlord to provide tenant with at least 48 hours notice before entering leased premises, except that the landlord or their representative may enter without notice in an emergency.
Get Involved!	This bill is co-sponsored by Representative Jakobsson. The bill passed the Housing and Urban Development Committee and will be considered by the full House. Contact your State Representative and ask him/her to consider co-sponsorship.
U.S. Congress: H.R. 2895 and S. 2523: The National Housing Trust Fund
Impact:	The goal of the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund is to provide a source of revenue for the production, rehabilitation, and preservation of 1,500,000 units of rental housing affordable to the lowest income people over the next 10 years
Get Involved!	Contact the National Low-Income Housing Coalition to learn more about the campaign to promote the NAHTF at www.nhtf.org. Encourage your senator and other elected officials to endorse the campaign. You or your organization can also become endorsers at http://www.nlihc.org/endorsers/signup.cfm
U.S. Congress : S. 1078 and H.R. 1850: Housing America’s Workforce Act
Impact:	Provides incentives to employers to expand programs for their employee that would provide increase quality housing options near jobs, transit, retail, and good schools through new private sector partnerships and resources.
Get Involved!	Learn more at www.metroplanning.org for details.

Recently Enacted Legislation

Find out how new housing policies are benefiting your community and help educate others about the impact of the legislation.

The Housing Opportunity Tax Incentive
Impact	Provides a property tax incentive to landlords in low-poverty areas who rent to Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) recipients.
Get Involved!	Read the fact sheet. Find out how landlords can participate. Also, find out more about Section 8 Occupancy.
The Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act:
Impact	Requires certain local governments to approve an affordable housing plan by April 1, 2005, and creates a State Housing Appeals Board to hear appeals of denied affordable housing proposals. Most of IHCNS's service area is affected by this act.
Get Involved!	Read the fact sheet.

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