Anti-landlord property rights grab finally filed
I blogged two weeks ago about the COVID-19 Emergency and Economic Recovery Renter and Homeowner Protection Act, a law that, much to the chagrin of Mayor Lightfoot I am sure, gives very little grace to landlords. The law, allegedly drafted by folks from the Lawyer’s Committee for Better Housing, a tenant advocacy group, was filed by Representative Delia Ramirez not as a standalone bill, but instead, as an amendment to House Bill 5574. Before the amendment, House Bill 5574 was an amendment introduced by Rep. Ramirez to the Illinois Housing Authorities Act regarding a tenant’s criminal background history. I’m not a state legislator, so I wonder, why in the world would a totally unrelated bill for sweeping changes to the landlord-tenant law of Illinois be filed as an amendment to a totally unrelated law?
UPDATE: I’ve been schooled by someone smarter than me that bringing this legislation as an amendment to another bill is a tactic used to introduce new legislation after the traditional timeframe for doing so has passed. This bill might not have been able to be presented until the Fall veto session of the Illinois legislature without being presented as an amendment. In any event, I’ll be breaking down the law, but for now, just know that it is out there.