SB3461 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 18900 JRC 32345 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3461

Introduced 2/5/2026, by Sen. Graciela Guzmán

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

775 ILCS 5/3-101	from Ch. 68, par. 3-101
775 ILCS 5/3-102	from Ch. 68, par. 3-102

Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act. Provides that it is a civil rights violation in the Real Estate Article to unlawfully discriminate because of a person's history of experiencing domestic or sexual violence. Defines "domestic violence" and "sexual violence".

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning civil law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Human Rights Act is amended by changing Sections 3-101 and 3-102 as follows:

(775 ILCS 5/3-101) (from Ch. 68, par. 3-101)

Sec. 3-101. Definitions. The following definitions are applicable strictly in the context of this Article:

(A) Real Property. "Real property" includes buildings, structures, real estate, lands, tenements, leaseholds, interests in real estate cooperatives, condominiums, and hereditaments, corporeal and incorporeal, or any interest therein.

(B) Real Estate Transaction. "Real estate transaction" includes the sale, exchange, rental or lease of real property, or any act that otherwise makes available such a transaction or alters a person's rights to real property. "Real estate transaction" also includes the brokering or appraising of residential real property and the making or purchasing of loans or providing other financial assistance:

(1) for purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling; or

(2) secured by residential real estate.

(C) Housing Accommodations. "Housing accommodation" includes any improved or unimproved real property, or part thereof, which is used or occupied, or is intended, arranged or designed to be used or occupied, as the home or residence of one or more individuals.

(D) Real Estate Broker or Salesman. "Real estate broker or salesman" means a person, whether licensed or not, who, for or with the expectation of receiving a consideration, lists, sells, purchases, exchanges, rents, or leases real property, or who negotiates or attempts to negotiate any of these activities, or who holds oneself out as engaged in these.

(E) Familial Status. "Familial status" means one or more individuals (who have not attained the age of 18 years) being domiciled with:

(1) a parent or person having legal custody of such individual or individuals; or

(2) the designee of such parent or other person having such custody, with the written permission of such parent or other person.

The protections afforded by this Article against discrimination on the basis of familial status apply to any person who is pregnant or is in the process of securing legal custody of any individual who has not attained the age of 18 years.

(F) Conciliation. "Conciliation" means the attempted resolution of issues raised by a charge, or by the investigation of such charge, through informal negotiations involving the aggrieved party, the respondent and the Department.

(G) Conciliation Agreement. "Conciliation agreement" means a written agreement setting forth the resolution of the issues in conciliation.

(H) Covered Multifamily Dwellings. As used in Section 3-102.1, "covered multifamily dwellings" means:

(1) buildings consisting of 4 or more units if such buildings have one or more elevators; and

(2) ground floor units in other buildings consisting of 4 or more units.

(I) Immigration Status. "Immigration status" means a person's actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status.

(J) "Domestic violence" means "abuse", as defined in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, by a "family or household member", as defined in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.

(K) "Sexual violence" means any act of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or stalking of an adult or minor child, including, but not limited to, non-consensual sexual conduct or non-consensual sexual penetration as defined in the Civil No Contact Order Act and the offenses of stalking, aggravated stalking, criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual abuse, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse as those offenses are described in the Criminal Code of 2012.

(Source: P.A. 103-232, eff. 1-1-24; 103-859, eff. 1-1-25.)

(775 ILCS 5/3-102) (from Ch. 68, par. 3-102)

Sec. 3-102. Civil rights violations; real estate transactions and other prohibited acts. It is a civil rights violation for an owner or any other person, or for a real estate broker or salesman, because of unlawful discrimination, familial status, immigration status, source of income, history of experiencing domestic or sexual violence, or an arrest record, as defined under subsection (B-5) of Section 1-103, to:

(A) Transactions. Refuse to engage in a real estate transaction or deny real property, or to discriminate in making available such a transaction;

(B) Terms. Alter the terms, conditions or privileges of a real estate transaction or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith;

(C) Offers. Refuse to receive or to fail to transmit a bona fide offer in a real estate transaction from a person;

(D) Negotiation. Refuse to negotiate a real estate transaction with a person;

(E) Representations. Represent to a person that real property is not available for inspection, sale, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to fail to bring a property listing to the person's attention, or to refuse to permit the person to inspect real property;

(F) Publication of Intent. Make, print, circulate, post, mail, publish or cause to be made, printed, circulated, posted, mailed, or published any notice, statement, advertisement or sign, or use a form of application for a real estate transaction, or make a record or inquiry in connection with a prospective real estate transaction, that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on unlawful discrimination or unlawful discrimination based on familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination;

(G) Listings. Offer, solicit, accept, use or retain a listing of real property with knowledge that unlawful discrimination or discrimination on the basis of familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record in a real estate transaction is intended.

(H) Criteria. Use criteria or methods that have the effect of subjecting individuals to unlawful discrimination or discrimination based on familial status, immigration status, source of income, or an arrest record in a real estate transaction. Such criteria or methods are unlawful under this subsection if they are not necessary to achieve a substantial, legitimate, non-discriminatory interest; or if the substantial, legitimate, non-discriminatory interest could be served by another practice that has a less discriminatory effect.

(Source: P.A. 102-896, eff. 1-1-23; 103-232, eff. 1-1-24; 103-859, eff. 1-1-25.)