March 7, 2025 State Capitol Report

The House and Senate were back in Springfield for a full week of committee hearings and session days. This week we saw legislative action increase , especially in the House, where the deadline to get bills out of committee to be considered on the House floor is March 21. Below are highlights of bills of interest that saw legislative action this week, including very important updates regarding the Illinois REALTORS® Housing Stability & Affordability Initiative.

Illinois REALTORS® Housing Stability & Affordability Initiative

Learn more about the “Housing Stability & Affordability Initiative” at www.illinoisrealtors.org/housing.

Through a collaboration with House Democrat Leader Rep. Kam Buckner, HB 1709 is one of the five bills included in the Illinois REALTORS® “Housing Stability & Affordability Initiative” and aims to be the first of many steps needed to remove unnecessary barriers to housing availability and development. The bill creates the “Local Accessory Dwelling Unit Act” to balance the need for more housing while ensuring safety standards. Under the direction of municipalities, ADUs offer a quick, affordable housing solution due to their size and ability to increase housing density without raising the cost of living dramatically.

HB 1709 was expected to be called for a hearing Tuesday in the House Cities and Villages Committee, but due to scheduling conflicts the committee was cancelled. A subject matter hearing on the bill is expected in the House Cities and Villages on Tuesday, March 11 at 4 pm. REALTOR® Leadership, Executives and the State Legislative Team are excited for the opportunity to present on just one component of the “Housing Stability and Affordability Initiative” and believe this small step of allowing Accessary Dwelling Units will have a great impact on boosting the inventory of affordable housing units. Please be alert of a REALTORS® member action request regarding HB 1709 in the coming weeks. Until then the message remains the same to all elected officials in Illinois, WE NEED MORE HOUSING!

Through a collaboration with chief sponsor House Leader Rep. Bob Rita, HB 1814 is one of the five bills included in the Illinois REALTORS® “Housing Stability & Affordability Initiative.” The legislation doesn’t just tackle density head-on; it combats negative gentrification and the implicit segregation that can be caused by traditional zoning practices. HB 1814 provides for moderate increases in neighborhood density, without dramatic increases in the cost of living – or positive gentrification (the type that does not displace current residents, redefine the character of neighborhoods, or cause surrounding property values to increase at an unhealthy pace). By allowing more housing types on larger lots, developers and builders can design middle housing to meet the needs of tomorrow’s home buyers, while reducing sprawl and costly land acquisition costs.

HB 1814 has a strong backing from House Democrat leaders, and several of them have signed onto the bill as “Chief Co-Sponsors”. Legislators on both sides of the aisle can see the need to remove long standing zoning barriers to allow for the long overdue “missing middle” types of housing to be built in areas that historically have only allowed for one specific type of housing. HB 1814 is expected to be heard in the House Housing Committee on Wednesday, March 12 at 10 am. Illinois REALTORS® will be presenting and testifying in SUPPORT of the passage of sensible zoning, which is HB 1814. If you receive a Call For Action for HB 1814, please reach out to your legislator and urge them to “Vote Yes” in committee for HB 1814.

Bills of Interest

The following pieces of legislation are bills your Illinois REALTORS® State Legislative Team are currently actively engaged in and saw legislative action this week.

HB 1083 amends the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, the Conveyances Act, the Joint Tenancy Act, and the Rights of Married Persons Act by inserting gender neutral descriptions showing marital status. Amends the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, the Conveyances Act, the Joint Tenancy Act, and the Rights of Married Persons Act. Inserts gender neutral descriptions showing marital status.  This bill is an initiative of the State Bar Association, amending the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act to strike the words “husband” and “wife” and replacing them with the gender-neutral term “spouse.” HB 1083 passed the House Judiciary – Civil Committee on Wednesday and will now be sent to the House floor for consideration. Illinois REALTORS® SUPPORTS this bill.

HB 1878 allows taxpayers to use a credit card to pay transfer taxes if they choose to do so instead of requiring the taxes to be paid by checks.  This is not a mandate that credit cards must be used, it is merely adding this provision as an option. This bill passed the House Counties and Townships Committee on Thursday and will be sent to the House floor for further consideration. Illinois REALTORS® SUPPORTs this bill.

The Week Ahead

As previously mentioned in the report, we are expecting legislative action to drastically increase in the next two weeks in the House of Representatives. Below are bills expected to move in the process next week that will require the attention of your State Legislative Team.

Illinois REALTORS® have historically been OPPOSED to this idea, due to the massive and blatant infringement on private property rights. HB 1873, if passed, would go against Illinois common law and an Illinois Supreme Court decision. Illinois common law has recognized the distinction between property boundaries on a lake versus a river or a stream of over 100 years. Also, the Illinois common law of “reasonable use” does not apply to the use of surface water to enter the property of another “riparian” owner but instead applies to “direct consumptive or diversionary uses of the water” of riparian owners. The circuit court, appellate court and Illinois Supreme court ruled that there is neither a precedent nor Illinois common law that grants a riparian owner on a non-navigable river or stream the right to use that waterway to cross the property of another riparian owner without that owner’s permission. HB 1873 includes provisions that allow the public, access to riparian owner’s private property, IF the original entrance to the connected waterway was done through a public access point. Illinois REALTORS® is part of a multi-organizational coalition that strongly OPPOSES HB 1873. The bill is expected to be heard on Tuesday, March 11 in the House Energy and Environment Committee.

HB 2729 is a “companion” bill to HB 1873 (Navigable Waters) and creates the Riparian Protection and Water Quality Practices Act. This new Act would require landowners who own property that is adjacent to a water body identified and mapped on a buffer-protection map to maintain a buffer to protect the state’s water resources. HB 2729 also includes provisions for the installation of specific types of buffers, as well as, timelines for the completion of installations. Illinois REALTORS® OPPOSES HB 2729. The bill is posted for the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee on Tuesday, March 11 at 2pm.

HB 1843 amends the Zoning Division of the Illinois Municipal Code by removing a provision that currently grants municipalities the authority to regulate and restrict the use of property on the basis of family relationship. HB 1843 also provides that zoning powers of a municipality may not be used in any way that violates or otherwise contradicts any other applicable state or federal law, including the federal Fair Housing Act. Illinois REALTORS® SUPPORTS this initiative. The bill is posted in the House Housing Committee.

Next Week At-A-Glance

Next week the Senate will be on a short break and only the House will convene for what is already shaping up to be a very exciting and action-packed week for housing and REALTOR® advocacy. Make sure the collective REALTOR® Voice is heard by staying up to date on all the important REALTOR® initiatives and information you will need. As always…Stay Tuned!

Thank you for reading the March 7, 2025 State Capitol Report. Click here to read previous reports.