Public Act 0896 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2775 Enrolled LRB102 15802 LNS 21169 b

Public Act 102-0896

AN ACT concerning housing.

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

Section 5. The Illinois Human Rights Act is amended by changing Sections 1-102, 1-103, 3-102, 3-103, and 3-106 as follows:

(775 ILCS 5/1-102) (from Ch. 68, par. 1-102)

Sec. 1-102. Declaration of Policy. It is the public policy of this State:

(A) Freedom from Unlawful Discrimination. To secure for all individuals within Illinois the freedom from discrimination against any individual because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or unfavorable discharge from military service in connection with employment, real estate transactions, access to financial credit, and the availability of public accommodations.

(B) Freedom from Sexual Harassment-Employment and Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education. To prevent sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education.

(C) Freedom from Discrimination Based on Citizenship Status-Employment. To prevent discrimination based on citizenship status in employment.

(C-5) Freedom from Discrimination Based on Work Authorization Status-Employment. To prevent discrimination based on the specific status or term of status that accompanies a legal work authorization.

(D) Freedom from Discrimination Based on Familial Status or Source of Income-Real Estate Transactions. To prevent discrimination based on familial status or source of income in real estate transactions.

(E) Public Health, Welfare and Safety. To promote the public health, welfare and safety by protecting the interest of all people in Illinois in maintaining personal dignity, in realizing their full productive capacities, and in furthering their interests, rights and privileges as citizens of this State.

(F) Implementation of Constitutional Guarantees. To secure and guarantee the rights established by Sections 17, 18 and 19 of Article I of the Illinois Constitution of 1970.

(G) Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action. To establish Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action as the policies of this State in all of its decisions, programs and activities, and to assure that all State departments, boards, commissions and instrumentalities rigorously take affirmative action to provide equality of opportunity and eliminate the effects of past discrimination in the internal affairs of State government and in their relations with the public.

(H) Unfounded Charges. To protect citizens of this State against unfounded charges of unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education, and discrimination based on citizenship status or work authorization status in employment.

(Source: P.A. 102-233, eff. 8-2-21.)

(775 ILCS 5/1-103) (from Ch. 68, par. 1-103)

Sec. 1-103. General definitions. When used in this Act, unless the context requires otherwise, the term:

(A) Age. "Age" means the chronological age of a person who is at least 40 years old, except with regard to any practice described in Section 2-102, insofar as that practice concerns training or apprenticeship programs. In the case of training or apprenticeship programs, for the purposes of Section 2-102, "age" means the chronological age of a person who is 18 but not yet 40 years old.

(B) Aggrieved party. "Aggrieved party" means a person who is alleged or proved to have been injured by a civil rights violation or believes he or she will be injured by a civil rights violation under Article 3 that is about to occur.

(B-5) Arrest record. "Arrest record" means:

(1) an arrest not leading to a conviction;

(2) a juvenile record; or

(3) criminal history record information ordered expunged, sealed, or impounded under Section 5.2 of the Criminal Identification Act.

(C) Charge. "Charge" means an allegation filed with the Department by an aggrieved party or initiated by the Department under its authority.

(D) Civil rights violation. "Civil rights violation" includes and shall be limited to only those specific acts set forth in Sections 2-102, 2-103, 2-105, 3-102, 3-102.1, 3-103, 3-102.10, 3-104.1, 3-105, 3-105.1, 4-102, 4-103, 5-102, 5A-102, 6-101, 6-101.5, and 6-102 of this Act.

(E) Commission. "Commission" means the Human Rights Commission created by this Act.

(F) Complaint. "Complaint" means the formal pleading filed by the Department with the Commission following an investigation and finding of substantial evidence of a civil rights violation.

(G) Complainant. "Complainant" means a person including the Department who files a charge of civil rights violation with the Department or the Commission.

(G-5) Conviction record. "Conviction record" means information indicating that a person has been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor or other criminal offense, placed on probation, fined, imprisoned, or paroled pursuant to any law enforcement or military authority.

(H) Department. "Department" means the Department of Human Rights created by this Act.

(I) Disability.

(1) "Disability" means a determinable physical or mental characteristic of a person, including, but not limited to, a determinable physical characteristic which necessitates the person's use of a guide, hearing or support dog, the history of such characteristic, or the perception of such characteristic by the person complained against, which may result from disease, injury, congenital condition of birth or functional disorder and which characteristic:

(a) For purposes of Article 2, is unrelated to the person's ability to perform the duties of a particular job or position and, pursuant to Section 2-104 of this Act, a person's illegal use of drugs or alcohol is not a disability;

(b) For purposes of Article 3, is unrelated to the person's ability to acquire, rent, or maintain a housing accommodation;

(c) For purposes of Article 4, is unrelated to a person's ability to repay;

(d) For purposes of Article 5, is unrelated to a person's ability to utilize and benefit from a place of public accommodation;

(e) For purposes of Article 5, also includes any mental, psychological, or developmental disability, including autism spectrum disorders.

(2) Discrimination based on disability includes unlawful discrimination against an individual because of the individual's association with a person with a disability.

(J) Marital status. "Marital status" means the legal status of being married, single, separated, divorced, or widowed.

(J-1) Military status. "Military status" means a person's status on active duty in or status as a veteran of the armed forces of the United States, status as a current member or veteran of any reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, including the United States Army Reserve, United States Marine Corps Reserve, United States Navy Reserve, United States Air Force Reserve, and United States Coast Guard Reserve, or status as a current member or veteran of the Illinois Army National Guard or Illinois Air National Guard.

(K) National origin. "National origin" means the place in which a person or one of his or her ancestors was born.

(K-5) "Order of protection status" means a person's status as being a person protected under an order of protection issued pursuant to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, Article 112A of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, the Stalking No Contact Order Act, or the Civil No Contact Order Act, or an order of protection issued by a court of another state.

(L) Person. "Person" includes one or more individuals, partnerships, associations or organizations, labor organizations, labor unions, joint apprenticeship committees, or union labor associations, corporations, the State of Illinois and its instrumentalities, political subdivisions, units of local government, legal representatives, trustees in bankruptcy or receivers.

(L-5) Pregnancy. "Pregnancy" means pregnancy, childbirth, or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth.

(M) Public contract. "Public contract" includes every contract to which the State, any of its political subdivisions, or any municipal corporation is a party.

(N) Religion. "Religion" includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, except that with respect to employers, for the purposes of Article 2, "religion" has the meaning ascribed to it in paragraph (F) of Section 2-101.

(O) Sex. "Sex" means the status of being male or female.

(O-1) Sexual orientation. "Sexual orientation" means actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender-related identity, whether or not traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at birth. "Sexual orientation" does not include a physical or sexual attraction to a minor by an adult.

(O-5) Source of income. "Source of income" means the lawful manner by which an individual supports himself or herself and his or her dependents.

(P) Unfavorable military discharge. "Unfavorable military discharge" includes discharges from the Armed Forces of the United States, their Reserve components, or any National Guard or Naval Militia which are classified as RE-3 or the equivalent thereof, but does not include those characterized as RE-4 or "Dishonorable".

(Q) Unlawful discrimination. "Unlawful discrimination" means discrimination against a person because of his or her actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, order of protection status, disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or unfavorable discharge from military service as those terms are defined in this Section.

(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-221, eff. 1-1-20; 101-565, eff. 1-1-20; 101-656, eff. 3-23-21; 102-362, eff. 1-1-22; 102-419, eff. 1-1-22; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; revised 9-29-21.)

(775 ILCS 5/3-102) (from Ch. 68, par. 3-102)

Sec. 3-102. Civil rights violations; real estate transactions. It is a civil rights violation for an owner or any other person engaging in a real estate transaction, or for a real estate broker or salesman, because of unlawful discrimination, familial status, source of income, or an arrest record, as defined under subsection (B-5) of Section 1-103, to:

(A) Transaction. Refuse to engage in a real estate transaction with a person or to discriminate in making available such a transaction;

(B) Terms. Alter the terms, conditions or privileges of a real estate transaction or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith;

(C) Offer. Refuse to receive or to fail to transmit a bona fide offer to engage in a real estate transaction from a person;

(D) Negotiation. Refuse to negotiate for a real estate transaction with a person;

(E) Representations. Represent to a person that real property is not available for inspection, sale, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to fail to bring a property listing to his or her attention, or to refuse to permit him or her to inspect real property;

(F) Publication of Intent. Make, print, circulate, post, mail, publish or cause to be made, printed, circulated, posted, mailed, or published any notice, statement, advertisement or sign, or use a form of application for a real estate transaction, or make a record or inquiry in connection with a prospective real estate transaction, that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on unlawful discrimination or unlawful discrimination based on familial status, source of income, or an arrest record, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination;

(G) Listings. Offer, solicit, accept, use or retain a listing of real property with knowledge that unlawful discrimination or discrimination on the basis of familial status, source of income, or an arrest record in a real estate transaction is intended.

(Source: P.A. 101-565, eff. 1-1-20.)

(775 ILCS 5/3-103) (from Ch. 68, par. 3-103)

Sec. 3-103. Blockbusting. It is a civil rights violation for any person to:

(A) Solicitation. Solicit for sale, lease, listing or purchase any residential real estate within this State, on the grounds of loss of value due to the present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person or persons of any particular race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, source of income, or disability.

(B) Statements. Distribute or cause to be distributed, written material or statements designed to induce any owner of residential real estate in this State to sell or lease his or her property because of any present or prospective changes in the race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status,source of income, or disability of residents in the vicinity of the property involved.

(C) Creating Alarm. Intentionally create alarm, among residents of any community, by transmitting communications in any manner, including a telephone call whether or not conversation thereby ensues, with a design to induce any owner of residential real estate in this state to sell or lease his or her property because of any present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person or persons of any particular race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, source of income, or disability.

(Source: P.A. 97-877, eff. 8-2-12.)

(775 ILCS 5/3-106) (from Ch. 68, par. 3-106)

Sec. 3-106. Exemptions. Nothing contained in Section 3-102 shall prohibit:

(A) Private Sales of Single Family Homes.

(1) Any sale of a single family home by its owner so long as the following criteria are met:

(a) The owner does not own or have a beneficial interest in more than three single family homes at the time of the sale;

(b) The owner or a member of his or her family was the last current resident of the home;

(c) The home is sold without the use in any manner of the sales or rental facilities or services of any real estate broker or salesman, or of any employee or agent of any real estate broker or salesman;

(d) The home is sold without the publication, posting or mailing, after notice, of any advertisement or written notice in violation of paragraph (F) of Section 3-102.

(2) This exemption does not apply to paragraph (F) of Section 3-102.

(B) Apartments. Rental of a housing accommodation in a building which contains housing accommodations for not more than 4 families living independently of each other, if the owner resides in one of the housing accommodations. This exemption does not apply to paragraph (F) of Section 3-102.

(C) Private Rooms. Rental of a room or rooms in a private home by an owner if he or she or a member of his or her family resides therein or, while absent for a period of not more than twelve months, if he or she or a member of his or her family intends to return to reside therein.

(D) Reasonable local, State, or Federal restrictions regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted to occupy a dwelling.

(E) Religious Organizations. A religious organization, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society, from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of a dwelling which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, or national origin.

(F) Sex. Restricting the rental of rooms in a housing accommodation to persons of one sex.

(G) Persons Convicted of Drug-Related Offenses. Conduct against a person because such person has been convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance as defined in Section 102 of the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802).

(H) Persons engaged in the business of furnishing appraisals of real property from taking into consideration factors other than those based on unlawful discrimination or familial status or source of income in furnishing appraisals.

(H-1) The owner of an owner-occupied residential building with 4 or fewer units (including the unit in which the owner resides) from making decisions regarding whether to rent to a person based upon that person's sexual orientation.

(I) Housing for Older Persons. No provision in this Article regarding familial status shall apply with respect to housing for older persons.

(1) As used in this Section, "housing for older persons" means housing:

(a) provided under any State or Federal program that the Department determines is specifically designed and operated to assist elderly persons (as defined in the State or Federal program); or

(b) intended for, and solely occupied by, persons 62 years of age or older; or

(c) intended and operated for occupancy by persons 55 years of age or older and:

(i) at least 80% of the occupied units are occupied by at least one person who is 55 years of age or older;

(ii) the housing facility or community publishes and adheres to policies and procedures that demonstrate the intent required under this subdivision (c); and

(iii) the housing facility or community complies with rules adopted by the Department for verification of occupancy, which shall:

(aa) provide for verification by reliable surveys and affidavits; and

(bb) include examples of the types of policies and procedures relevant to a determination of compliance with the requirement of clause (ii).

These surveys and affidavits shall be admissible in administrative and judicial proceedings for the purposes of such verification.

(2) Housing shall not fail to meet the requirements for housing for older persons by reason of:

(a) persons residing in such housing as of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989 who do not meet the age requirements of subsections (1)(b) or (c); provided, that new occupants of such housing meet the age requirements of subsections (1)(b) or (c) of this subsection; or

(b) unoccupied units; provided, that such units are reserved for occupancy by persons who meet the age requirements of subsections (1)(b) or (c) of this subsection.

(3) (a) A person shall not be held personally liable for monetary damages for a violation of this Article if the person reasonably relied, in good faith, on the application of the exemption under this subsection (I) relating to housing for older persons.

(b) For the purposes of this item (3), a person may show good faith reliance on the application of the exemption only by showing that:

(i) the person has no actual knowledge that the facility or community is not, or will not be, eligible for the exemption; and

(ii) the facility or community has stated formally, in writing, that the facility or community complies with the requirements for the exemption.

(J) Child Sex Offender Refusal to Rent. Refusal of a child sex offender who owns and resides at residential real estate to rent any residential unit within the same building in which he or she resides to a person who is the parent or guardian of a child or children under 18 years of age.

(K) Arrest Records. Inquiry into or the use of an arrest record if the inquiry or use is otherwise authorized by State or federal law.

(L) Financial Institutions. A financial institution as defined in Article 4 from considering source of income in a real estate transaction in compliance with State or federal law.

(Source: P.A. 101-565, eff. 1-1-20.)