June 7, 2004. The Illinois General Assembly recessed last week. Because of the failure to pass a state budget, the legislators will return June 9. Here is the status of the legislation that Protestants for the Common Good is tracking:

Amendment to Criminal Expungement Act (SB3007) – The bill, with friendly amendments, was approved by the House on May 27 and is now back in the Senate for a vote of concurrence. Since it passed the May 31 legislative deadline, the bill will now need a 3/5 majority. Advocates feel that it has the necessary votes if called for a vote before the end of session.

SB3007 will aid those ex-offenders who are trying to become productive citizens by overcoming barriers to employment in many fields where a criminal record is a life-time exclusion. The bill adds language to Public Act 93-0211 (HB788-Howard) to provide expungement of certain criminal records after three to four years so that non-violent ex-offenders, who have demonstrated good behavior, may gain access to certain licensed professions that prohibit a criminal record. Protestants for the Common Good is working with a number of organizations to pass this legislation.

Amendment to the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act (SB 2724) – The bill passed the General Assembly on May 25 as the Senate concurred on the amended version that had been approved earlier by the House. A number of changes were necessary to gain support. The bill will now go to the Governor’s desk for signature.

SB2724 ensures that the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act, passed into law last year, can be implemented efficiently and effectively. The Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act requires communities with under 10% affordable housing to create affordable housing plans, and creates a state appeals board that can overturn local decisions that discriminate against affordable housing developments. The amendment clarifies some definitions and allows municipalities more time to complete their affordable housing plans.  Protestants for the Common Good is working with Business and Professional People for the Public Interest to advance this amendment.

Source of Income Protection from Housing Voucher Tenants (HB 4439) – The bill was held at second reading by sponsors who were five votes short of passage at the April 2 deadline. Speaker Madigan agreed to extend the deadline for the bill until the fall veto session, when sponsors expect it to be brought to a vote in the House.

HB4439 will amend the Illinois Human Rights Act by including Section 8 housing vouchers in the definition of protected sources of income. With this amendment, landlords would not be able to discriminate against prospective tenants based upon their use of Section 8 housing vouchers. The bill contains amendments that address a number of concerns by exempting areas with heavy concentrations of voucher holders or areas with planned mixed-income developments. The bill also clarifies legitimate criteria for tenant selection, such as credit history and references. Protestants for the Common Good is supporting this bill whose lead advocates are Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and Lawyer’s Committee for Better Housing.

Federally Assisted Housing Preservation Act (SB2329) – This bill, having passed the Senate, was approved by the House on April 27 and will be sent to the Governor for his signature. The Governor has sixty days either to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without a signature.

SB2329 amends the Federally Subsidized Housing Act. Assisted housing is rental housing that is subsidized by either HUD or low-income housing tax credits. The bill requires the owner of an assisted housing development to give 12 (instead of 6) months notice of the owner's intent to sell or otherwise dispose of the assisted housing; also requires notice of the owner's intent to complete prepayment or complete termination of the development's participation in a federal subsidy program or termination of the development's affordability restrictions. The bill provides for representation of a tenant association by a not-for-profit corporation or private purchaser. It requires that the owner offer the property for sale to a tenant association within 60 days after the association has complied with the requirements of the Act concerning notice to the owner, and requires that a tenant association notify the owner of its intent to purchase the property within 90 (instead of 30) days after receiving the owner's offer of sale. Chicago Rehab Network has been the lead agency advancing the bill.

The Rental Housing Support Program Act (HB 4100/SB 520) – On Friday, May 28, House Speaker Michael Madigan allowed the Rental Housing Support Program Act to move using SB520, a shell bill that had already passed the Senate. Sponsors lined up the necessary votes, and it looked like it would pass when a flurry of last minute lobbying by Cook County Recorder of Deeds Eugene Moore killed the bill. The Cook County Board of Commissioners, who must approve Mr. Moore's lobbying budget, had earlier passed a resolution supporting the bill.

HB4100 creates a state-funded rental assistance program that provides rental subsidies directly to qualifying landlords who, in turn, would set affordable rents for low-income tenants earning less than 30% of the area median income. A $10 state fee for the recording of any real estate-related document filed with the local county recorder of deeds would provide a dedicated funding stream that could generate up to $30 million annually. Protestants for the Common Good is working with Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and others to advance this bill.

Human Rights Amendment for Sexual Orientation (SB2597) – SB2597 is the new vehicle for the proposed act, replacing SB101. The bill has not been allowed to move out of Senate Rules, which prevents it from being heard by a committee. Equality Illinois and Protestants for the Common Good sponsored a clergy lobby day on May 5 to build support for the bill.

SB2597 would amend the Illinois Human Rights Act and provide that discrimination against a person because of his or her sexual orientation constitutes unlawful discrimination. It specifically addresses discrimination in employment and housing. Also allows employers to enforce gender-appropriate dress codes. The bill is being promoted by Equality Illinois with the support of Protestants for the Common Good.

Federal Budget As the first step in the federal budget process, both the House and the Senate must agree upon a budget resolution. Right now they are at an impasse due to a fundamental disagreement over the federal deficit and “pay as you go” rules. The CGN wrote about the issues at stake in this debate.

In the 2005 budget now before Congress, the President is proposing a significant reduction in Section 8 Vouchers. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has estimated that the President's proposal falls $1 billion short of full funding for all current Section 8 Vouchers. The result would be a loss of 250,000 vouchers nationally and 10,540 vouchers in Illinois next year.

Block-granting of Section 8 Housing Voucher Program – The "Flexible Voucher Program" is the name for the Administration's attempt to convert the nation's largest housing assistance program into a block grant to local housing authorities. Currently, the federal government is committed to funding a set number of housing vouchers, with the budget increasing as the cost of housing increases. By converting the program to a block grant, the government will save money over the long term as block grants generally stay at level funding or receive small increases. This savings, however, will result in a reduction in the number of vouchers available; thus fewer and fewer families over time would be able to use the program.

The Section 8 Voucher (also called Housing Choice Voucher) program is the primary federal program that meets the housing needs of our country's working poor. There are about 2 million families nationally who use the program, and it is estimated that another 4 to 6 million families would be eligible if there were more vouchers available. The voucher covers the difference between what the tenant can afford to pay and the actual cost of the apartment. With a voucher, the tenant's cost is limited to 30% of family income.

Welfare (TANF) Reform The House and Senate failed to agree on a new welfare bill which means that the TANF legislation will likely be renewed for 2005 in its current form. The House earlier this year passed a bill that was labeled “cruel” by family advocates, while the Senate approved a version that was seen as an improvement that–none the less–fell short in key areas. It is still possible that either the House or Senate versions could be revived before the end of June. The CGN covered the topic in its April 28 issue.

CHICAGO, IL. On May 5, twenty-three aldermen (out of a total of fifty) introduced an ordinance that would require a mandatory 15% set-aside of affordable housing in all new housing developments of 10 units or greater. This proposal, also known as inclusionary housing, is modeled on similar ordinances enacted in cities such as Boston, Denver and San Diego. The ordinance does not yet have the support of the Mayor, but enjoys growing support by a wide group of African American, Latino and white Lakefront aldermen. The recent support of powerful alderman Richard Mell (the Governor's father-in-law) has boosted hopes of supporters that Mayor Daley will agree to give the ordinance a fair hearing before the City Council.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

To find out about a bill before the Illinois General Assembly go to www.legis.state.il.us and search by the bill’s number. That will tell you who is sponsoring the bill, its status, the chamber it is currently before (i.e. House or Senate), and the actual language in the bill. You should contact your state Representative or Senator to express your position on the bill. You can use this website to get contact information (address, telephone, email) for your legislator.

To find out about a bill before the U.S. Congress go to www.thomas.loc.gov and search by either the bill number or a key phrase. You can also look up the status of different bills and read summaries. Additionally, you can find out how to contact your Senator or Representative, find out how they voted on legislation, or visit their websites.

For local issues, contact Protestants for the Common Good at cgn@thecommongood.org.