Cook County Board Committee Postpones Action On Just Housing Amendment Interpretive Rules

Cook County Board of Commissioners Committee Meetings
September 4, 2019

Rules Committee
Chair Larry Suffredin announced at the beginning of the meeting that the Committee would hear all the public comments, but would not take any action on the proposed Just Housing Amendment Interpretive Rules from the Department of Human Rights and Ethics.  Instead, the Department and Committee would consider all the comments, written and verbal, and consider whether any changes were warranted.  (Agenda Item 19-4770)

• These Rules are to provide guidance in interpreting the requirements of the recently passed Amendment to the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance which prohibits discrimination in housing based on criminal history.  The Human Relations Committee separately met and voted to postpone the effective date of this Amendment until December 31, 2019, to allow time for the Interpretive Rules to be finalized and disseminated to landlords and other people involved with housing.  (Agenda Item 19-4848)
• There were over 20 speakers and the main concerns were with
  • The exemption in complying with the Rules for public housing.
  • The inclusion in the Rules of categories of convictions; instead speakers urged that these be eliminated so that each person would be treated individually.
  • The look-back period for convictions, with realtors and landlords wanting a 7-year period and others wanting the proposed 5-year period reduced to 3 years.
  • The requirements that anyone denied housing based on a criminal background has 5 business days to notify the housing provider of the intent to dispute the denial and an additional 5 business days to provide evidence that disputes the accuracy or relevancy of the basis for the denial; landlords and realtors urged that the time periods be reduced to 48 hours to notify and 72 hours to provide the evidence disputing the bases of the denial.

Chair Suffredin stated that he hopes to have the Proposed Interpretive Rules on the September 25 agenda of the Committee, so they can be approved by the Board on September 26.

Legislation & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee

• The League of Women Voters of Cook County provided written and verbal comments pointing out that the 2nd Quarter Report from the Clerk and Recorder on the planning for the upcoming merger in December 2020 did not include a timeline of benchmarks as required by the Board resolution from 2017 requiring these quarterly reports.  The Clerk’s representative stated that future reports would contain such a timeline. (Agenda Item 19-4656)
• Voted to recommend the Board approve the Ordinance Amendment which would require all boards, commissions, advisory committees, and task forces created by the Cook County Board to post a notice of its meetings with the Secretary to the Board. (Agenda Item 19-4820)  (The Cook County Board did approve this at their September 5 meeting.)

Finance Committee

• Voted to recommend the Board approve the Substitute for the proposed Surviving Spouse Tax Abatement, which provides for applications to the Board of Review for a reduction in property taxes for the surviving spouse of policeman, soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan, or rescue worker who dies during the performance of his/her duties. (Agenda Item 19-4797) (The Cook County Board did approve this at their September 5 meeting.)  See the LWVCC Observer Report from the July 25 Board meeting for more information.

Observer - Priscilla Mims