Illinois Legislative Updates
by Charles Perry, CMCA, AMS, Lieberman Management Services Co-Chair – Illinois Legislative Action Committee
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2014 was an extremely busy year for the Illinois Legislative Action Committee (ILAC). From bills involving developer legislation, to electronic voting and notification, to the Palm II ruling and of course SB2664, it seems as though the State Legislature has had Community Associations on their minds. Not a week went by this year without the ILAC committee fighting in the interest of homeowners across the State. Regardless of the onslaught of movement within the condominium association industry, the 15-member committee has handled each issue with grace, determination, and efficiency.
2014 can best be summed up with one central theme: persistence. “
When new legislation is called in Springfield, the ILAC Committee assumes the often monumental task of evaluating each bill and determining its overall impact on the Community Association Industry - and most importantly, on the over three million homeowners who choose Association living. As with any bill, powerful and influential lobbies often support or combat proposed legislation based on their own interests, and not necessarily what is good for our industry.
tasked not only with staying on top of current bills, but also actively communicating with legislators to ensure that all of our voices are heard.
Perhaps our greatest (and unfinished) accomplishment this year has been stopping SB2664 (“the foreclosure bill”) in its tracks. The efforts of the ILAC members, CAI, business partners, and thousands of involved homeowners has resulted in Governor Pat Quinn issuing an amendatory veto of the bill – over the loud and forceful objections of groups larger than ours. Several members of the committee were able to make multiple trips to Springfield to lobby for our industry and on behalf of homeowners. We also met with the Governor’s staff, and facilitated calls-to-action when necessary. The fight continued on this bill through the veto session in late November.
In addition to the SB2664 battle, ILAC has been instrumental in drafting and collaborating on several other bills that were eventually passed, such as electronic notices and voting implementation, insurance requirements, and developer litigation reform. We also continue to be directly involved in the rules review process for manager licensing. It is clear from all of the positive feedback we have received, and all that we have accomplished in 2014 that the legislators in Springfield have begun to listen to us and value our input as experts in our field.
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Whereas “success” is often measured by wins and losses, this year’s achievements can most accurately be summed up and quantified by our growth, maturity, and scale of influence within the legislative process and lobbying efforts. One thing is for certain - the Illinois Legislative Action Committee (and more broadly, the Community Associations Institute) has begun to establish a reputation of strength and noticeable influence in Springfield. This effort should not be underestimated. There are a large number of extremely powerful and very influential lobbies in Springfield that are well-funded, well-established, and have their own agendas that sometimes are in direct conflict with our industry. It is only with the help of our members and the ever increasing number of homeowners who are willing to become involved that we will achieve our ultimate goal of growing and gaining respect in the legislative process.
The ILAC Committee is
We continue to ask for your support in responding to our call-to-action emails. They are sent only when necessary, and are important in having all of our voices heard collectively as we begin to drown out some of the more aggressive and louder voices that have been pushing their agenda in Springfield for decades.
The Illinois Legislative Action Committee would like to once again thank all of you for your continued support both monetarily and through your legislative Action Alert responses. We are looking forward to 2015 and all the promise that a new year will bring to our committee, CAI, and the Community Association industry as a whole.
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