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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Constitution of the State of Illinois has as
3 goals the elimination of poverty and of inequality; and
 
4     WHEREAS, The U.S. Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil
5 Rights Act of 1968, as amended, enunciates a national policy of
6 fair housing without regard to race, color, religion, national
7 origin, sex, familial status, and handicap, and encourages fair
8 housing opportunities for all citizens; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The Illinois Human Rights Act further safeguards
10 the rights of all citizens of this state to freedom from
11 housing discrimination due to race, color, religion, sex,
12 national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or
13 mental handicap, military status, sexual orientation, or
14 unfavorable discharge from military service in connection with
15 employment, real estate transactions, access to financial
16 credit, and the availability of public accommodations; and
 
17     WHEREAS, It is the policy of the State of Illinois to
18 establish Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in all of
19 its decisions, programs, and activities and to eliminate the
20 effects of past discrimination; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The State of Illinois' Annual Housing Plan

 

 

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1 identifies fair housing as a principal goal; and
 
2     WHEREAS, The U.S. Fair Housing Act calls for affirmative
3 action to further equal access to housing opportunities; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Provisions to affirmatively further fair housing
5 are principal and long-standing components of the United States
6 Department of Housing and Urban Development, including the
7 Community Development Block Grant program, and require that
8 recipients, including the State of Illinois, certify that they
9 conduct an analysis of impediments to fair housing and
10 affirmatively further fair housing; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In spite of modest progress, segregation in
12 housing, due in large measure to ongoing discrimination, is
13 well-documented in the Chicago region and throughout Illinois,
14 and research finds that opportunities to access the Chicago
15 regional housing market varies for different racial and
16 minority groups, including those with disabilities; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Other problems of poverty and inequality that the
18 State wishes to ameliorate are exacerbated or reinforced by
19 existing patterns of segregation; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Illegal barriers to equal opportunity in housing,
21 no matter how subtle, that diminish the rights of some of our

 

 

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1 citizens diminish the rights of all of our citizens; therefore,
2 be it
 
3     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in
5 the pursuit of the goal and responsibility of providing fair
6 and equal housing opportunities for all, the State of Illinois,
7 in all housing, community development, and economic
8 development grants and programs, shall promote fair housing,
9 enforce fair housing laws, and apply an affirmative standard to
10 assure compliance with state and federal requirements.