HB4116eng 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4116 Engrossed LRB093 16254 DRJ 41888 b

AN ACT in relation to homeless persons.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act.

Section 5. Legislative intent. It is the long-standing policy of this State that no person should suffer unnecessarily from cold or hunger, or be deprived of shelter or the basic rights incident to shelter. At the present time, many persons have been rendered homeless as a result of economic adversity, a severe shortage of affordable housing, and increased stress due to the complexity of daily living that has created an inability on the part of those persons to interact in society. It is the intent of this Act to lessen the adverse effects and conditions caused by the lack of residence or a home.

Section 10. Bill of Rights.

(a) No person's rights, privileges, or access to public services may be denied or abridged solely because he or she is homeless. Such a person shall be granted the same rights and privileges as any other citizen of this State. These rights include but are not limited to the following:

(1) The right to live in any community in this State in which he or she can afford to live.

(2) The right to choose a type of living arrangements in accordance with local regulations without harassment or interference from any other citizen or from any public or private entity.

(3) The right to employment and training opportunities in accordance with his or her interests and abilities.

(4) The right to access emergency medical health services in any health care facility doing business in this State.

(5) The right to manage his or her own personal finances notwithstanding his or her living arrangements, unless (i) the person voluntarily signs a written agreement, sworn to and witnessed before a notary public, authorizing an individual or agency to manage his or her finances, (ii) the person resides in a shelter for homeless persons and has enrolled in a savings program designed to provide rent money upon the person's departure from the shelter, or (iii) the person has been ruled or adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to be incompetent to manage his or her financial affairs.

(6) The right to not be coerced or penalized in any way for not taking any medication or for not undergoing any medical treatment that has not been authorized by a qualified physician.

(7) In the case of a group living arrangement or long-term care facility, the right to receive and sign any check, voucher, or other warrant or legal tender issued in his or her name before the moneys may be expended by the person's landlord or a public or private agency, unless the person waives the right in a writing sworn to before a notary public. If the person is unable to sign his or her name, the person may make his or her signature with an "X" that is witnessed by 2 other persons not employed or directly associated with the landlord or agency, preferably a relative or guardian of the person or someone designated by the person beforehand.

(8) The right to vote, which may not be denied solely because the person does not have a permanent residence, notwithstanding any provision of the Election Code.

(9) The right of visitation with family members, friends, clergy, and professional or public consultants notwithstanding the person's living arrangements, as long as the visitation does not interfere with the smooth operation of the person's place of residence.

(10) The right to receive public services or accommodations offered to any other citizen of this State in accordance, with established eligibility guidelines for those services.

(11) The right to confidentiality of records. Homeless shelters shall obtain a voluntary written release from a homeless person prior to disclosing any personal information regarding the homeless person, including, but not limited to, name, social security number, and birth date, except in aggregate form. The right to confidentiality of records includes the dissemination of materials to other agencies, either private or public. The homeless person shall be given the option of whether to release records via informed consent, based on guidelines from the Office of Human Research Protections, United States Department of Health and Human Services, including:

(A) the expected duration of the subject's participation;

(B) an explanation of whom to contact for answers to pertinent questions about the research and research subjects' rights, and whom to contact in the event of a research-related injury to the subject;

(C) a statement that participation in releasing records is voluntary, refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled, and the subject may discontinue participation in the record release at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled;

(D) a description of any reasonably foreseeable risks or discomforts to the subject; and

(E) a statement describing the extent, if any, to which confidentiality of records identifying the subject will be maintained.

(b) The Department of Human Rights shall enforce the rights of homeless persons set forth in subsection (a) in accordance with the Illinois Human Rights Act.

Section 15. DCEO; housing assistance. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may establish priorities of eligibility for temporary rental or other housing assistance among the various categories of persons needing assistance in obtaining or retaining housing, including, without limitation, persons subject to immediate eviction for nonpayment of rent or subject to foreclosure for nonpayment of mortgage installments or property taxes, when nonpayment is attributable to illness, unemployment, underemployment, or any other failure of lack of resources beyond the person's control.

Section 90. The Illinois Human Rights Act is amended by changing Sections 1-102 and 1-103 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, marital status, physical or mental handicap, housing status, military status, 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 Higher Education. To prevent sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in higher education.

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

(D) Freedom from Discrimination Based on Familial Status-Real Estate Transactions. To prevent discrimination based on familial status 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 higher education, and discrimination based on citizenship status in employment.

(Source: P.A. 87-579; 88-178.)

(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.

(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, 3-103, 3-104, 3-104.1, 3-105, 4-102, 4-103, 5-102, 5A-102 and 6-101 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.

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

(I) Handicap. "Handicap" 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:

(1) 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 handicap;

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

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

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

(I-5) Housing status. "Housing status" means (i) the type of housing in which an individual resides or (ii) the status of having or not having a fixed or regular residence, including the status of living on the streets, in a shelter, or in a temporary residence.

(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 the armed forces of the United States.

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

(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.

(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.

(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 race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, handicap, housing status, military status, or unfavorable discharge from military service as those terms are defined in this Section.

(Source: P.A. 88-178; 88-180; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94.)