March 18, 2022 State Capitol Report

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This Week in Springfield

Only the House was in Springfield this week for scheduled session days and the only business for the Senate was virtual appropriation hearings. Only two bills of our “active legislation” saw legislative action this week, but your Illinois REALTORS® Legislative Team was heavily engaged in addressing our key issues behind the scenes. Spirited negotiating, vote-tallying, and amendment-drafting were the orders of the day this week, on topics including: vacant properties, electric vehicle infrastructure mandates, trespassing law clean-up, nuisance and invasive greenery, private property rights infringements, leasing issues, and other rental property owner infringements.

Below is a highlight of the bills that saw legislative action this week, bills we are still working on, and bills that we have successfully prevented from advancing in the legislative process and can be considered STOPPED.

Only the House was in Springfield this week for scheduled session days and the only business for the Senate was virtual appropriation hearings. Only two bills of our “active legislation” saw legislative action this week, but your Illinois REALTORS® Legislative Team was heavily engaged in addressing our key issues behind the scenes. Spirited negotiating, vote-tallying, and amendment-drafting were the orders of the day this week, on topics including: vacant properties, electric vehicle infrastructure mandates, trespassing law clean-up, nuisance and invasive greenery, private property rights infringements, leasing issues, and other rental property owner infringements.

Below is a highlight of the bills that saw legislative action this week, bills we are still working on, and bills that we have successfully prevented from advancing in the legislative process and can be considered STOPPED.

Bills that advanced this week

Modifies several provisions related to assessed value of residential property. This week the bill moved to 2nd Reading in the House. Illinois REALTORS® is neutral.

This bill allows HOA’s to file appeals with the Property Tax Appeal Board.  Illinois REALTORS® is neutral.

Bills still in the negotiating/amending stage

After months of negations, language has been agreed upon and an amendment to the bill is expected to be offered soon that removes the massive expansion mandating landlords to participate in all assistance programs.  We support the amendment to pare down the bill to only the traditional Source of Income language, but we remain tacitly opposed to the bill. The bill is in the Senate Assignments Committee but expected to be assigned to a standing committee soon.

Requires EPA to update data of indicators used to determine whether a community is designated as an environmental justice community and to establish a process by which communities can petition to become an environmental justice community.  The bill also increases permitting fee to an excessive amount.  The bill makes several other changes which many in the business in the community find objectional. The Illinois REALTORS® are a part of a current coalition working to make this bill more reasonable.

Bills we Negotiated and/or Offered Amendments

As a result of the Surfside Condo collapse, condo owners are asking for reserve studies to be made available to residents. This bill requires Condo HOAs to add reserve studies to the list of items that the HOA must make available upon request.  Illinois REALTORS® SUPPORTS this measure.

This bill makes clarifications in the Residential Real Property Disclosure Act. Illinois REALTORS® worked on this legislation with the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association, and we SUPPORT this legislation, as amended.

Intended to address wage theft issues across the construction industry, the bill provides that if a subcontractor failed to pay its employees, the primary contractor that hired the subs would be liable for a wage claim under the Wage Payment and Collection Act.  As originally written, the term, “primary contractor” would have included homeowners acting as the primary contractor for their own homestead. Following negotiations, the revised bill, which is now advancing, exempts homeowners acting as the primary contractor on his or her own residence. As amended with this change, Illinois REALTORS® is neutral on the bill.

Next Week At A Glance

Both the House and Senate plan to be in Springfield next week and the Illinois REALTORS® Legislative Team will have a STRONG FINISH in defending and promoting issues that are important to you and your clients. The Illinois REALTORS® input remains a critical part of every bill that affects the real estate industry and private property rights. STAY TUNED for more action next week!

Thank you for reading the March 18, 2022 State Capitol Report. Click here to read previous reports.

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