Hunter measure to create task force to resolve discrimination in the housing industry

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) to create the Real Estate Valuation Task Force to combat discrimination in the housing industry passed the Senate Thursday.

“Discrimination in the housing industry goes back decades, and it has yet to be rectified today,” Hunter said. “Black and Brown people won’t have a fair chance at renting and owning a home until discrimination is addressed on a systemic level.”

The Real Estate Valuation Task Force is a response to an unresolved history of federal housing agencies, including the Federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation and the Federal Housing Administration, discriminating against Black and Brown people when underwriting real estate loans.

Read more: Hunter measure to create task force to resolve discrimination in the housing industry

Villivalam moves housing accessibility measure

­SPRINGFIELD – To make housing more accessible to low-income families, State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) advanced legislation from the Senate Executive Committee to prevent property owners from discriminating against a prospective renter’s source of income.

“No one should be denied housing when they have the means to make the rent,” Villivalam said. “Too often, individuals on government assistance, single mothers receiving child support or seniors on fixed incomes are turned away solely based on where they receive their income each month.”

Read more: Villivalam moves housing accessibility measure

Peters measure to expand access to fentanyl testing advances

SPRINGFIELD – A measure to help medical professionals get more tests into the hands of individuals who battle opioid addiction cleared an important hurdle thanks to State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).

“This measure will help get more tests into the hands of more patients and it will save lives,” Peters said. “We still have a long way to go, but removing these penalties is a responsible way to address the opioid crisis and to create real public safety for all instead of continuing the misguided policies of the past.”

Read more: Peters measure to expand access to fentanyl testing advances

Koehler leads effort to outlaw fertility fraud in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – When Bloomington resident Curt Richardson got his DNA test results back from Ancestry.com, his life – and those of his parents – changed forever when they learned they had been victims of fertility fraud.

Richardson’s story is similar to hundreds of others across the state and nation who have lived most of their lives thinking the very people who raised them were their biological parents. State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) is working to bring awareness to fertility fraud and provide justice to the families who fall victim to the heinous act.

Read more: Koehler leads effort to outlaw fertility fraud in Illinois