HB4945 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB101 18724 KTG 68179 b

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4945

Introduced 2/18/2020, by Rep. William Davis

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

315 ILCS 5/Act rep.

Repeals the Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act of 1947. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning urban problems.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Findings.

(1) The General Assembly finds that in the 20th Century African-American communities in Illinois were substantially economically disadvantaged due to the policy of "redlining", whereby mortgage opportunities were denied to African-Americans or provided at greater than average interest rates.

(2) The General Assembly finds that through these policies, the African-American population of Illinois became concentrated in certain neighborhoods in Illinois cities. Due to the lack of access to capital, many of the renters in these neighborhoods were at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords, who failed to provide the proper maintenance and improvements to their properties. African-American homeowners in these neighborhoods often lacked the funds for proper upkeep. As a result, these neighborhoods began to become rundown and dilapidated. Soon thereafter these neighborhoods were deemed "blighted". Policymakers began to look for solutions to the problem of "blighted areas".

(3) The Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act of 1947 was enacted in an attempt to address the blighted areas problem. However, the General Assembly finds that the ultimate effect of this Act was to codify discriminatory housing practices by declaring large swaths of African-American neighborhoods blighted areas. This resulted in these areas being condemned and demolished and the residents being forced to move without affordable housing readily available. The ultimate result was that the condemned areas were not redeveloped with affordable housing, but rather converted to mixed industrial or highway use, effectively serving as a "moat" between African-American neighborhoods and the rest of the city.

(4) The General Assembly finds that the stain of the discriminatory effects of the Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act of 1947 cannot be erased. However, the effects can be recognized and with the repeal of the Act, the path toward healing can begin.

(315 ILCS 5/Act rep.)

Section 5. The Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act of 1947 is repealed.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.