101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB5779

 

Introduced , by Rep. Tim Butler

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
See Index

    Creates the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Act. Establishes the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (program) to be administered by the Executive Director (Director) of the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). Permits the Director to direct an existing office or program within IHDA to implement the Act and to contract with one or more private entities to accelerate implementation of the Act. Provides that a household shall be eligible for rental assistance under the program if: (1) the household demonstrates an inability to pay rent between April 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020 due to COVID-19 or a State, local, or federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and (2) the owner of the dwelling unit rented by the household agrees to participate in the program. Requires IHDA to develop: (i) a process to confirm whether a household demonstrates an inability to pay rent; and (ii) a process to obtain the owner's consent to participate in the program after confirming a household's inability to pay rent. Provides that an owner who participates in the program shall: (a) not increase the gross rental rate for the dwelling unit between the date the owner consents to participate in the program and December 31, 2020; (b) not charge or attempt to collect a late fee for any rent payment due between April 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020; and (c) accept the payment provided under the program as full payment of the missed or insufficient rent payments for which the program provides assistance. Provides that each payment made under the program shall equal at least 80% of the amount of rent owed by a household; and that rental assistance shall cover no more than 7 months of a household's unpaid rent. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program for the purposes of the Act. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning housing.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings and intent.
7    (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
8        (1) The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has
9    upended the lives of millions of Illinois residents.
10        (2) The United States Congress has enacted several
11    relief packages to address the economic fallout of the
12    pandemic, but most Illinois residents who rent their homes
13    still need help.
14    (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to create a
15temporary rental assistance program that provides rental
16payments directly to rental housing providers to cover at least
1780% of unpaid rent owed by tenants who could not pay rent
18because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
19    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
20    "Department" means the Illinois Housing Development
21Authority.
22    "Director" means the Executive Director of the Illinois

 

 

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1Housing Development Authority.
2    "Dwelling unit" means a structure or the part of a
3structure that is used as a home, residence, or sleeping place
4by one person who maintains a household or by 2 or more persons
5who maintain a common household. "Dwelling unit" does not
6include transient occupancy in a hotel, motel, or other similar
7facility.
8    "Household" means the individual or individuals occupying
9a dwelling unit rented by the owner.
10    "Owner" means any person, acting as principal or through an
11agent, having the right to offer residential real property for
12rent, and includes a predecessor in interest to the owner,
13except that this term does not include the owner or operator of
14a mobile home park, or the owner of a mobile home or his or her
15agent.
16    "Program" means the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance
17Program.
 
18    Section 15. COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
19    (a) There is hereby established the COVID-19 Emergency
20Rental Assistance Program, which shall be administered by the
21Director in accordance with this Act.
22    (b) The Director may, as deemed necessary, direct an
23existing office or program within the Department to implement
24this Act and may contract with one or more private entities in
25order to accelerate the implementation of this Act.
 

 

 

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1    Section 20. Eligibility. A household shall be eligible for
2rental assistance under the program if both of the following
3criteria are satisfied:
4        (1) The household demonstrates, in a manner deemed
5    acceptable by the Director, an inability to pay rent due to
6    COVID-19 or a State, local, or federal response to the
7    COVID-19 pandemic. For purposes of this paragraph,
8    "inability to pay rent" shall include the inability to pay
9    all or any part of the household's rent due between April
10    1, 2020 and October 31, 2020.
11        (2)(A) The owner of the dwelling unit rented by the
12    household agrees to participate in the program under
13    Section 25 of this Act.
14        (B) Nothing in this paragraph or any other provision of
15    law shall be construed to require an owner to participate
16    in the program.
 
17    Section 25. Participation by owner.
18    (a) The Department shall develop and the program shall
19include a process to confirm whether a household demonstrates
20an inability to pay rent under paragraph (1) of Section 20.
21    (b) The Department shall develop a process to obtain the
22owner's consent to participate in the program after the
23Department confirms a household's inability to pay rent.
24    (c) An owner who consents to participate in the program

 

 

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1shall be subject to all of the following:
2        (1) The owner shall not increase the gross rental rate
3    for the dwelling unit of the household between the date the
4    owner consents to participate in the program and December
5    31, 2020.
6        (2) The owner shall not charge or attempt to collect a
7    late fee for any rent payment due between April 1, 2020 and
8    October 31, 2020.
9        (3) The owner shall accept the payment provided in
10    accordance with Section 30, or existing funds from a city,
11    county, or city and county, as full payment of the missed
12    or insufficient rent payments for which the program
13    provides assistance. This paragraph shall not be construed
14    as a change to the gross rental rate for the dwelling unit.
 
15    Section 30. Payments.
16    (a) Each payment to an owner under the program shall equal
17at least 80% of the amount of rent owed by the household to the
18owner.
19    (b) The rental assistance provided by the program shall
20cover no more than 7 months of a household's missed or
21insufficient rent payments.
 
22    Section 35. Fund. The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance
23Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury.
24Subject to appropriation, all moneys in the fund shall be

 

 

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1distributed to the Department to carry out the purposes of this
2Act. Any repayments, interest, or new appropriations shall be
3deposited into the fund. Moneys in the fund shall not be
4subject to transfer to the General Revenue Fund or to any other
5fund. Federal funds made available to the states as a result of
6the COVID-19 pandemic may be deposited into the fund. It is the
7intent of the General Assembly to prioritize the use of
8available federal funds before using General Revenue funds.
 
9    Section 40. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
10Section 5.930 as follows:
 
11    (30 ILCS 105/5.930 new)
12    Sec. 5.930. The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Fund.
 
13    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
14becoming law.

 

 

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1 INDEX
2 Statutes amended in order of appearance
3    New Act
4    30 ILCS 105/5.930 new