After many months of work, we are glad to let you know that House Bill 2877, the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Act, passed the Senate on April 29, 2021 by a vote of 39-13. The bill now goes to Governor Pritzker for his consideration.

Many thanks to our champions in the General Assembly, including Representatives Delia Ramirez and Lindsey LaPointe in the House and Senators Omar Aquino and Robert Peters in the Senate. Thanks, too, to all the legislators who co-sponsored the bill and voted in support.

We also want to express our appreciation to everyone who contacted their legislators, filed witness slips, posted info on social media and/or took other actions in support.

HB 2877 creates rules for distribution of federal emergency rent assistance and foreclosure prevention resources for homeowners and “mom and pop” owners of small residential rental properties. The bill also creates automatic and mandatory eviction sealing provisions in state law, both for cases filed during the pandemic and older cases. Finally, the bill restricts tenant screening companies from reporting on sealed eviction court records and establishes penalties for companies that violate the law. At a time when so many have not been able to pay the rent through no fault of their own, the eviction sealing provisions will keep the mere filing of an eviction case from being an obstacle to a person finding housing in the future.

As the provisions of HB 2877 are time sensitive, we are asking Governor Pritzker to sign the bill as soon as possible.

We’ve drafted a sign-on letter asking Governor Pritzker to sign HB 2877 into law. You can read the letter here. The deadline to sign the letter is Monday, May 3 at noon.

Please complete the form below to sign the letter.

Thank you!