HB4333ham003 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Cynthia Soto

Filed: 3/27/2012

09700HB4333ham003 LRB097 15327 JLS 68144 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4333

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4333 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Housing Authorities Act is amended by adding Section 8.24 as follows:

(310 ILCS 10/8.24 new)

Sec. 8.24. Housing Ombudsman.

(a) A Housing Authority located within a municipality having a population of 1,000,000 or more shall establish a Housing Ombudsman to mediate disputes between housing authority residents and housing developments under the jurisdiction of the Housing Authority. The Housing Ombudsman shall have specific oversight over all housing complaints from housing authority residents, including housing complaints from residents residing in family developments, senior developments, and scattered site developments and residents enrolled in a voucher program under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937.

(b) The Housing Ombudsman shall be hired by and report to the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners, not the Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Commissioners may hire additional staff necessary to carry out the duties of the Housing Ombudsman. The Housing Ombudsman, or his or her staff, shall be fluent in Spanish in order to communicate with Spanish-speaking residents. The Housing Ombudsman must also have a process in place to communicate with and address the housing complaints of residents who speak languages other than English or Spanish.

(c) The Housing Ombudsman shall publish a quarterly report and present it to the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners at a public meeting. The report shall include and detail the following:

(1) The number of housing complaints made during the reporting period.

(2) The types of housing complaints.

(3) The locations of the housing complaints.

(4) Any increase or decrease in the number of housing complaints made in comparison to those made during the previous reporting period.

(5) The manner in which the reported housing complaints were addressed.

(6) The Housing Ombudsman's recommendations for improvements in operations to address housing complaints.

(d) The Housing Authority's Asset Management Services Department and all property managers, including contractual property managers, shall comply with the recommendations set forth in the Housing Ombudsman's report.

(e) The Housing Authority shall operate a hotline for the purpose of receiving phone calls from residents with housing complaints.

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