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.

Both agencies devalued property or refused to make loans secured by property in communities of color. The harmful consequences of this discrimination is still evident today.

“This is more than a historical issue – people are still being denied housing opportunities because of their skin color,” Hunter said. “I am confident that the task force will identify trends so we can put an end to housing discrimination in Illinois.”

Anyone who has experienced housing discrimination can file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Human Rights.

House Bill 4410 moves to the House for concurrence.