Work, Welfare & Families  
An Illinois Coalition Working to End Poverty

www.workwelfareandfamilies.org
wwf@workwelfareandfamilies.org
312.658.0225 (phone)
312.658.0227 (fax)
166 W. Washington
Suite 700
Chicago, IL 60602

January 11, 2005                                                                  WEEKLY REVIEW
 Provided through the Generous Support of the McCormick Tribune Foundation

ACTION ALERT: IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

To contact Speaker Madigan, call 217-782-5350

To find your legislator's contact information, click here. and enter your address.

 FINAL PUSH TO PASS HB 626, THE RENTAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE BILL

With just hours left in the 2005 legislative session, an amended House Bill 626 has been passed by the Senate. House Speaker Madigan currently refuses to allow the bill out of the House Rules Committee for a vote. 

THERE IS STILL TIME TO CALL: 

1) Speaker Madigan's office to ask him to release House Bill 626 as amended for a vote. It is important to the low income families of Illinois. Remember, 70% of those who benefit from this legislation will be from outside the Chicago area, so this is legislation important to every part of Illinois. 

2) Your legislator in his or her Springfield office. Ask them to request that Speaker Madigan release the bill for a vote, and that they support the bill. 

To view the full text of the Rental Housing Support Bill and Senate Amendments 1 and 2, click here. 

For more information on the program it would create, click here. 

The amendments to the bill are as follows:

1) Puts a cap on administrative costs for local administering agencies that will run the rental support programs. Caps administrative costs at 7% of the grant for agencies receiving grants over $500,000 and 10% for agencies receiving grants under $500,000.

2) Reduces the surcharge from $11 to $10 with $1 of each surcharge remaining in counties (instead of $2) and $9 going to the Rental Housing Support Program Fund. The dollar that remains in the counties will cover any costs incurred by the recorder or clerk for collecting the surcharge. 

3) Exempts public utilities from paying the additional $10 charge when filing an easement. This addresses the concern raised by the Illinois Rural Water Association regarding a project that required the filing of 600 easements. 

These documents will also be accessible through our website. 

For any questions on information contained in this Weekly Review,
or to JOIN OUR MAILING LIST, please contact Ben Rubenstein at:
312.658.0225x203, wwf@workwelfareandfamilies.org