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91_HB2492enr
HB2492 Enrolled LRB9104209SMmb
1 AN ACT to create a demonstration grant program to build
2 accessible housing.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
6 Accessible Housing Demonstration Grant Program Act.
7 Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
8 "Authority" means the Illinois Housing Development
9 Authority.
10 "Spec home" means a private single-family residence
11 constructed by a builder or individual for sale on the open
12 market and not built for an individual for immediate
13 occupancy.
14 Section 10. Accessibility demonstration grant program.
15 Subject to appropriation for this purpose, the Authority
16 shall establish a demonstration grant program to encourage
17 the building of spec homes that are accessible to the
18 disabled. Through the program the Authority shall provide
19 grants to builders who build spec homes meeting the basic
20 access standards described in Section 15. The goal of the
21 demonstration program shall be that at least 10% of all new
22 spec homes within a development participating in the
23 demonstration grant program for which construction begins 6
24 or more months after the effective date of this Act meet the
25 minimum standards for basic access as described in Section
26 15.
27 Builders who wish to participate in the demonstration
28 grant program shall submit a grant application to the
29 Authority in accordance with rules promulgated by the
30 Authority. The Authority shall prescribe by rule standards
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1 and procedures for the provision of demonstration grant funds
2 in relation to each grant application.
3 Section 15. Basic access standards. Every spec home
4 for which a builder is eligible to receive a grant under this
5 Act shall include the following features:
6 (1) The home shall have at least one no-step exterior
7 entrance with a 36-inch-wide entrance door to allow for
8 wheelchair access into the home.
9 (2) All interior passage doors in the home shall allow
10 at least 32 inches of clearance in width.
11 (3) No electrical outlet in the home shall be lower than
12 15 inches from the finished floor and no light switch in the
13 home shall be more than 48 inches from the finished floor.
14 All environmental controls in the home shall be in accessible
15 locations.
16 (4) In each bathroom or other room containing a toilet,
17 bathtub, shower stall, or shower seat, the walls adjacent to
18 those fixtures shall be reinforced in a manner that will
19 allow the later installation of grab bars around those
20 fixtures.
21 Section 20. Task Force on Housing Accessibility. There
22 is created a Task Force on Housing Accessibility. The Task
23 Force shall consist of 7 members who shall be appointed by
24 the Governor as follows: the executive vice president of the
25 Illinois Association of Realtors or his or her designee, the
26 executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of
27 Illinois or his or her designee, an architect with expertise
28 and experience in designing accessible housing for persons
29 with disabilities, a senior citizen, a person with
30 disabilities, a representative from the Attorney General's
31 Office, and the Director of the Authority or his or her
32 designee. The terms of the Task Force members shall last 4
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1 years and shall begin 60 days after the effective date of
2 this Act, or as soon thereafter as all members of the Board
3 have been appointed. At the expiration of the term of each
4 Task Force member, and of each succeeding Task Force member,
5 or in the event of a vacancy, the Governor shall appoint a
6 Task Force member to hold office, in the case of a vacancy,
7 for the unexpired term, or in the case of expiration, for a
8 term of 4 years or until a successor is appointed by the
9 Governor. The members shall receive no compensation for
10 their services on the Task Force but shall be reimbursed by
11 the Authority for any ordinary and necessary expenses
12 incurred in the performance of their duties.
13 The Task Force shall provide recommendations to builders
14 regarding the types of accommodations needed in new housing
15 stock for disabled persons. The recommendations shall
16 include provisions on how to build homes that will retain
17 their resale and aesthetic value.
18 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19 becoming law.
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