99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB0742

 

Introduced 2/3/2015, by Sen. Iris Y. Martinez

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
310 ILCS 105/7
310 ILCS 105/10
310 ILCS 105/25

    Amends the Rental Housing Support Program Act. In a provision concerning the Rental Housing Support Program, provides that the Illinois Housing Development Authority shall distribute amounts for the Program solely from annual receipts on deposit in the Rental Housing Support Program Fund that are appropriated in each year for distribution by the Authority for the Program, and not from any other source of funds for the Authority (rather than the Authority shall distribute amounts appropriated for the Program from the Rental Housing Support Program Fund and any other appropriations provided for the Program). Defines "annual receipts" to mean revenue derived from the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge from July 1 to June 30. Provides that the Authority shall perform annual reconciliations of all distributions made in connection with the Program and may offset future distributions to balance geographic distribution requirements. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning housing.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Rental Housing Support Program Act is
5amended by changing Sections 7, 10, and 25 as follows:
 
6    (310 ILCS 105/7)
7    Sec. 7. Definitions. In this Act:
8    "Annual receipts" means revenue derived from the Rental
9Housing Support Program State surcharge from July 1 to June 30.
10    "Authority" means the Illinois Housing Development
11Authority.
12    "Developer" means any entity that receives a grant under
13Section 20.
14    "Program" means the Rental Housing Support Program.
15    "Real estate-related document" means any recorded document
16that affects an interest in real property excluding documents
17which solely affect or relate to an easement for water, sewer,
18electricity, gas, telephone or other public service.
19    "Unit" means a rental apartment unit receiving a subsidy by
20means of a grant under this Act. "Unit" does not include
21housing units intended as transitional or temporary housing.
22(Source: P.A. 94-118, eff. 7-5-05.)
 

 

 

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1    (310 ILCS 105/10)
2    Sec. 10. Creation of Program and distribution of funds.
3    (a) The Rental Housing Support Program is created within
4the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The Authority
5shall administer the Program program and adopt rules for its
6implementation.
7    (b) The Authority shall distribute amounts for the Program
8solely from annual receipts on deposit in the Rental Housing
9Support Program Fund that are appropriated in each year for
10distribution by the Authority for the Program, and not from any
11other source of funds for the Authority, The Authority shall
12distribute amounts appropriated for the Program from the Rental
13Housing Support Program Fund and any other appropriations
14provided for the Program as follows:
15        (1) A proportionate share of annual receipts the annual
16    appropriation, as determined under subsection (d) of
17    Section 15 of this Act, shall be distributed to
18    municipalities with a population greater than 2,000,000.
19    Those municipalities shall use at least 10% of those funds
20    in accordance with Section 20 of this Act, and all
21    provisions governing the Authority's actions under Section
22    20 shall govern the actions of the corporate authorities of
23    a municipality under this Section. As to the balance of the
24    annual distribution, the municipality shall designate a
25    non-profit organization that meets the specific criteria
26    set forth in Section 25 of this Act to serve as the "local

 

 

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1    administering agency" under Section 15 of this Act.
2        (2) Of the remaining annual receipts appropriation
3    after the distribution in paragraph (1) of this subsection,
4    the Authority shall designate at least 10% for the purposes
5    of Section 20 of this Act in areas of the State not covered
6    under paragraph (1) of this subsection.
7        (3) The remaining annual receipts appropriation after
8    the distributions in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this
9    subsection shall be distributed according to Section 15 of
10    this Act in areas of the State not covered under paragraph
11    (1) of this subsection.
12(Source: P.A. 94-118, eff. 7-5-05.)
 
13    (310 ILCS 105/25)
14    Sec. 25. Criteria for awarding grants. The Authority shall
15adopt rules to govern the awarding of grants and the continuing
16eligibility for grants under Sections 15 and 20. Requests for
17proposals under Section 20 must specify that proposals must
18satisfy these rules. The rules must contain and be consistent
19with, but need not be limited to, the following criteria:
20        (1) Eligibility for tenancy in the units supported by
21    grants to local administering agencies must be limited to
22    households with gross income at or below 30% of the median
23    family income for the area in which the grant will be made.
24    Fifty percent of the units that are supported by any grant
25    must be set aside for households whose income is at or

 

 

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1    below 15% of the area median family income for the area in
2    which the grant will be made, provided that local
3    administering agencies may negotiate flexibility in this
4    set-aside with the Authority if they demonstrate that they
5    have been unable to locate sufficient tenants in this lower
6    income range. Income eligibility for units supported by
7    grants to local administering agencies must be verified
8    annually by landlords and submitted to local administering
9    agencies. Tenants must have sufficient income to be able to
10    afford the tenant's share of the rent. For grants awarded
11    under Section 20, eligibility for tenancy in units
12    supported by grants must be limited to households with a
13    gross income at or below 30% of area median family income
14    for the area in which the grant will be made. Fifty percent
15    of the units that are supported by any grant must be set
16    aside for households whose income is at or below 15% of the
17    median family income for the area in which the grant will
18    be made, provided that developers may negotiate
19    flexibility in this set-aside with the Authority or
20    municipality as defined in subsection (b) of Section 10 if
21    it demonstrates that it has been unable to locate
22    sufficient tenants in this lower income range. The
23    Authority shall determine what sources qualify as a
24    tenant's income.
25        (2) Local administering agencies must include
26    2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, and 4-bedroom units among those

 

 

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1    intended to be supported by grants under the Program
2    program. In grants under Section 15, the precise number of
3    these units among all the units intended to be supported by
4    a grant must be based on need in the community for larger
5    units and other factors that the Authority specifies in
6    rules. The local administering agency must specify the
7    basis for the numbers of these units that are proposed for
8    support under a grant. Local administering agencies must
9    make a good faith effort to comply with this allocation of
10    unit sizes. In grants awarded under Section 20, developers
11    and the Authority or municipality, as defined in subsection
12    (b) of Section 10, shall negotiate the numbers and sizes of
13    units to be built in a project and supported by the grant.
14        (3) Under grants awarded under Section 15, local
15    administering agencies must enter into a payment contract
16    with the landlord that defines the method of payment and
17    must pay subsidies to landlords on a quarterly basis and in
18    advance of the quarter paid for.
19        (4) Local administering agencies and developers must
20    specify how vacancies in units supported by a grant must be
21    advertised and they must include provisions for outreach to
22    local homeless shelters, organizations that work with
23    people with disabilities, and others interested in
24    affordable housing.
25        (5) The local administering agency or developer must
26    establish a schedule for the tenant's rental obligation for

 

 

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1    units supported by a grant. The tenant's share of the rent
2    must be a flat amount, calculated annually, based on the
3    size of the unit and the household's income category. In
4    establishing the schedule for the tenant's rental
5    obligation, the local administering agency or developer
6    must use 30% of gross income within an income range as a
7    guide, and it may charge an additional or lesser amount.
8        (6) The amount of the subsidy provided under a grant
9    for a unit must be the difference between the amount of the
10    tenant's obligation and the total amount of rent for the
11    unit. The total amount of rent for the unit must be
12    negotiated between the local administering authority and
13    the landlord under Section 15, or between the Authority or
14    municipality, as defined in subsection (b) of Section 10,
15    and the developer under Section 20, using comparable rents
16    for units of comparable size and condition in the
17    surrounding community as a guideline.
18        (7) Local administering agencies and developers,
19    pursuant to criteria the Authority develops in rules, must
20    ensure that there are procedures in place to maintain the
21    safety and habitability of units supported under grants.
22    Local administering agencies must inspect units before
23    supporting them under a grant awarded under Section 15.
24        (8) Local administering agencies must provide or
25    ensure that tenants are provided with a "bill of rights"
26    with their lease setting forth local landlord-tenant laws

 

 

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1    and procedures and contact information for the local
2    administering agency.
3        (9) A local administering agency must create a plan
4    detailing a process for helping to provide information,
5    when necessary, on how to access education, training, and
6    other supportive services to tenants living in units
7    supported under the grant. The plan must be submitted as a
8    part of the administering agency's proposal to the
9    Authority required under Section 15.
10        (10) Local administering agencies and developers may
11    not use funding under the grant to develop or support
12    housing that requires that a tenant has a particular
13    diagnosis or type of disability as a condition of
14    eligibility for occupancy unless the requirement is
15    mandated by another funding source for the housing. Local
16    administering agencies and developers may use grant
17    funding to develop integrated housing opportunities for
18    persons with disabilities, but not housing restricted to a
19    specific disability type.
20        (11) In order to plan for periodic fluctuations in
21    annual receipts program revenue, the Authority shall
22    establish by rule a mechanism for establishing a reserve
23    fund and the level of funding that shall be held in reserve
24    either by the Authority or by local administering agencies.
25        (12) The Authority shall perform annual
26    reconciliations of all distributions made in connection

 

 

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1    with the Program and may offset future distributions to
2    balance geographic distribution requirements of this Act.
3(Source: P.A. 97-892, eff. 8-3-12.)
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5becoming law.