August 26, 2003

To the Honorable Members of the

Illinois House of Representatives

93^rd General Assembly

Pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(b) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby veto and return House Bill 2345, entitled “AN ACT in relation to housing.”  

            This legislation is an excellent first step towards creating a comprehensive housing plan for the State.  However, the legislation creates a request-for-proposal process for public funds for housing that may be in conflict with state and federal law.  Therefore, in order to implement the spirit of the legislation, I have worked with the sponsors of the bill and with housing advocates from across the state to draft an Executive Order.  This Executive Order will create a Task Force to focus on state housing issues and to create an Annual Comprehensive Housing Plan for the State.  

Sincerely,

ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH

Governor