Legislators Return to Springfield

The second session of the 103rd General Assembly officially began this week with two brief days of session and little floor action. Legislators will now work in their district offices over the next two weeks before returning to Springfield. With the deadline to introduce a bill being today, Jan. 19, your Illinois REALTORS® Legislative Team will have a complete understanding of all the challenges they will face when session returns Tuesday, Feb. 6. With the Tues., March 19 Illinois Primary six weeks after the next time the legislature is in session, we do not expect any serious movement on major legislation until after the primary. A few of the major issues that are expected to be considered this spring include:

• Migrant funding
• Abortion Constitutional amendment
• Legislative staff unions
• Wind energy
• Invest in Kids
• State budget

For Illinois REALTORS®, we expect another very busy session. Bills are beginning to be introduced and your Illinois REALTORS® Governmental Affairs team is reading each bill to examine its impact on the real estate industry. This year, we are putting forth a very deliberate offensive and as well as a defensive game plan. Part of our offensive plans includes offering:

• A blueprint to address Illinois’ housing supply crisis, which will also include a pilot project for workforce housing.
• A budget request to support the creation of the workforce housing pilot project.
• Prohibiting municipalities from enforcing crime-free housing.

Our defensive plan focuses on the continuing battle against all RENT CONTROL bills, legislation allowing for eviction and conviction records to be sealed, and all bills placing burdens on private property matters.

Again, as always, your Illinois REALTORS® Governmental Affairs team is prepared and ready for a hectic and busy session. We hope YOU are ready and prepared to respond to any Calls For Action we may need to send.

Also, please mark your calendars for Capitol Conference on April 10, 2024 in Springfield.