Chicago REALTOR® Mabél Guzmán testified virtually before a committee of the Illinois House of Representatives Tuesday on behalf of Illinois REALTORS®.

Guzmán, of Coldwell Banker Realty in Chicago, advocated for homeownership as a means of wealth building and presented information to the Housing Committee to reinforce the importance of making the American Dream of homeownership available to all. She also provided the committee with key insights from the perspective of a REALTOR® with 24 years of experience in the real estate market. Watch the entire committee meeting.

Illinois REALTORS® Senior Vice President Government Affairs Greg St. Aubin introduced Guzmán, noting her involvement in national, state and local real estate issues and many years of community involvement. Their testimony begins at the 28-minute mark of the video and ends at the 40-minute mark.

The theme of Tuesday’s meeting was homeownership, said State Rep. Will Guzzardi of Chicago, the Housing Committee chair. Since homeownership is one way for Illinoisans to build wealth, and people of color have historically been discriminated against through redlining and other means, he wanted the committee to be well informed before deciding how to spend the $75 million of American Rescue Plan funding that’s earmarked to achieve solutions for sustainable, long-term, lasting change in housing. Guzzardi explains more starting at the 2:15-minute mark.

Seventeen of the 23 members of the committee were present at the beginning of the virtual meeting.

The vice chair is State Rep. Delia C. Ramirez of Chicago, and the Republican Spokesperson is State Rep. Deanne M. Mazzochi of Westmont. For a complete list of committee members visit the Illinois General Assembly’s website.