97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5454

 

Introduced 2/15/2012, by Rep. Luis Arroyo

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act
30 ILCS 105/5.811 new
815 ILCS 505/2Z  from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 262Z

    Creates the Vacant Residential Building Database Act. Provides that a Vacant Residential Building Database Program shall be established and administered by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Provides that within 10 days after obtaining information that a residential building is vacant, a lender, real estate broker, title insurance company, municipality, or county shall report that building and that the United States Postal Service and the Department of Housing and Urban Development may also submit information online to the Department's database of vacant residential buildings. Provides that the Department shall send regular periodic reports concerning vacant residential buildings to those municipalities and counties within whose jurisdiction any newly reported vacant residential buildings are located, but that no building need be reported to a county in which the building is located if the Department knows that the building is located within the jurisdiction of a municipality. Provides that the Department shall organize and maintain the database and report a summary of the data, by county, to the General Assembly and the Governor semi-annually. Contains provisions regarding confidentiality, violations, and other matters. Creates the Vacant Residential Building Database Fund. Amends the State Finance Act and the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to make conforming changes.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Vacant
5Residential Building Database Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
7    "Department" means the Department of Financial and
8Professional Regulation.
9    "Lender" has the meaning that is ascribed to that term in
10subsection (g) of Section 1-4 of the Residential Mortgage
11License Act of 1987.
12    "Program" means the Vacant Residential Building Database
13Program.
14    "Real estate broker" has the meaning ascribed to the terms
15real estate broker, real estate salesperson, or leasing agent
16in Section 1-10 of the Real Estate License Act of 2000.
17    "Residential building" means any type of permanent
18residential dwelling unit, including detached single family
19structures, townhouses, condominium units, multifamily rental
20apartments, and manufactured homes treated under Illinois law
21as real estate and not as personal property.
22    "Title insurance company" means any domestic company
23organized under the laws of this State for the purpose of

 

 

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1conducting the business of guaranteeing or insuring titles to
2real estate and any title insurance company organized under the
3laws of another state, the District of Columbia, or a foreign
4government and authorized to transact the business of
5guaranteeing or insuring titles to real estate in this State.
6    "Vacant residential building" means a residential building
7at which substantially all lawful construction operations or
8residential occupancy has ceased, or which is substantially
9devoid of content. In determining whether a structure is a
10vacant residential building, it is relevant to consider, among
11other factors, if known: the percentage of the overall
12residential square footage of the building compared to the
13occupied residential space; the condition and value of any
14items in the residential space; and the presence of rental or
15for sale signs on the property on which the building is
16located. A multiple unit residential building shall be
17considered vacant when 80% or more of the dwelling units are
18unoccupied.
 
19    Section 10. Vacant Residential Building Database Program.
20    (a) A Vacant Residential Building Database Program shall be
21established and administered in accordance with this Act. The
22inception date of the program shall be July 1, 2013. Until the
23inception date, none of the duties, obligations,
24contingencies, or consequences of or from the program shall be
25imposed. The program shall apply to all vacant residential

 

 

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1buildings that are subject to this Act and that are or become
2vacant after the inception of the program.
3    (b) The database created under the program shall be
4maintained and administered by the Department. The database
5shall be designed to allow the United States Postal Service,
6the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and any
7lender, real estate broker, title insurance company,
8municipality, or county to submit information to the database
9online. The database shall not be designed to allow those
10entities to retrieve information from the database, except as
11to avoid duplicate entries for the same vacant residential
12building or as otherwise provided in this Act.
13    (c) Within 10 days after obtaining information that a
14residential building is vacant, a lender, real estate broker,
15title insurance company, municipality, or county must submit
16online or by other means to the vacant residential building
17database so much of the information listed under Section 15
18that the person or entity has, along with any other information
19required by the Department by rule.
20    (d) All information provided to the vacant residential
21building database under the program is confidential and is not
22subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act,
23except as otherwise provided in this Act. Information or
24documents obtained by employees of the Department in the course
25of maintaining and administering the program are deemed
26confidential. Employees are prohibited from making disclosure

 

 

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1of such confidential information or documents. Any request for
2production of information from the program, whether by
3subpoena, notice, or any other source, shall be referred to the
4Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Any owner
5of property on which a vacant residential building is located
6may authorize in writing the release of database information.
7The Department may use the information in the database without
8the consent of the owner: (i) for the purposes of administering
9and enforcing the program; (ii) to provide relevant information
10to municipalities and counties if a vacant residential building
11is located in a place that is subject to the zoning
12jurisdiction of the municipality or the jurisdiction of the
13county; or (iii) to provide information to the appropriate law
14enforcement agency or the applicable administrative agency if
15the database information demonstrates criminal, fraudulent, or
16otherwise illegal activity. There shall be regular periodic
17reports furnished to each municipality and county about the
18existence of any vacant residential building that has been
19reported since the prior regular periodic report within the
20zoning jurisdiction of the municipality or within the
21jurisdiction of the county. If a vacant residential building is
22known to the Department to exist within the zoning jurisdiction
23of a municipality, the Department need not include that
24building in the Department's periodic report to the county in
25which the building is located.
26    (e) Any person who violates any provision of this Act

 

 

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1commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of the Consumer
2Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
3    (f) During the existence of the program, the Department
4shall submit semi-annual reports to the Governor and to the
5General Assembly by May 1 and November 1 of each year detailing
6its findings regarding the program. Each report shall include,
7by county, at least the following information for each
8reporting period:
9        (1) the number of vacant residential buildings
10    registered with the program;
11        (2) the number of vacant residential buildings removed
12    from the database since the last report because the
13    residential buildings are occupied by residents, the
14    buildings no longer exist, or the buildings can no longer
15    be characterized as vacant residential buildings;
16        (3) the number of lenders, real estate brokers, title
17    insurance companies, municipalities, and counties entering
18    information into the database;
19        (4) a summary of the types of vacant residential
20    buildings listed on the database; and
21        (5) a summary of how the Department, municipalities,
22    and counties are actively utilizing the program to combat
23    the existence of vacant residential buildings.
 
24    Section 15. Required information. As part of the program,
25the Department must gather from the reporting person or entity

 

 

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1so much of the following information that is available about a
2vacant residential building for inclusion in the database:
3        (1) The address, permanent index number, and a
4    description of the building.
5        (2) The owner's name, present address, social security
6    number or taxpayer identification number, date of birth,
7    and present location.
8        (3) Information about the vacant residential building
9    including the condition of doors, windows, and fencing; the
10    status of utility services; and the presence and condition
11    of electrical, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning
12    systems.
13        (4) Information about the mortgagor, or title holder,
14    affiliated or third party service provider, including the
15    applicable name, address, and telephone number.
16        (5) Annual real estate taxes for the property on which
17    the building is located, together with any assessments
18    payable in connection with the property.
19        (6) Information concerning any notices issued as to the
20    building or any foreclosure proceedings initiated or
21    concluded as to the property on which the building is
22    located.
 
23    Section 20. Vacant Residential Building Database Program
24Fund. The Vacant Residential Building Program Fund is created
25as a special fund in the State treasury. Subject to

 

 

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1appropriation, moneys in the Fund shall be appropriated to the
2Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for the
3purpose of the implementation and development of the program.
 
4    Section 900. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
5Section 5.811 as follows:
 
6    (30 ILCS 105/5.811 new)
7    Sec. 5.811. The Vacant Residential Building Program Fund.
 
8    Section 905. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
9Practices Act is amended by changing Section 2Z as follows:
 
10    (815 ILCS 505/2Z)  (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 262Z)
11    Sec. 2Z. Violations of other Acts. Any person who knowingly
12violates the Automotive Repair Act, the Automotive Collision
13Repair Act, the Home Repair and Remodeling Act, the Dance
14Studio Act, the Physical Fitness Services Act, the Hearing
15Instrument Consumer Protection Act, the Illinois Union Label
16Act, the Job Referral and Job Listing Services Consumer
17Protection Act, the Travel Promotion Consumer Protection Act,
18the Credit Services Organizations Act, the Automatic Telephone
19Dialers Act, the Pay-Per-Call Services Consumer Protection
20Act, the Telephone Solicitations Act, the Illinois Funeral or
21Burial Funds Act, the Cemetery Oversight Act, the Cemetery Care
22Act, the Safe and Hygienic Bed Act, the Pre-Need Cemetery Sales

 

 

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1Act, the High Risk Home Loan Act, the Payday Loan Reform Act,
2the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, subsection (a) or (b) of Section
33-10 of the Cigarette Tax Act, subsection (a) or (b) of Section
43-10 of the Cigarette Use Tax Act, the Electronic Mail Act, the
5Internet Caller Identification Act, paragraph (6) of
6subsection (k) of Section 6-305 of the Illinois Vehicle Code,
7Section 11-1431, 18d-115, 18d-120, 18d-125, 18d-135, 18d-150,
8or 18d-153 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, Article 3 of the
9Residential Real Property Disclosure Act, the Automatic
10Contract Renewal Act, the Vacant Residential Building Database
11Act, or the Personal Information Protection Act commits an
12unlawful practice within the meaning of this Act.
13(Source: P.A. 96-863, eff. 1-19-10; 96-1369, eff. 1-1-11;
1496-1376, eff. 7-29-10; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11.)