Illinois Valley Times

Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) appreciated the aim of revising the Rental House Support Program but has voted against it, requesting the bill include an enhanced process for transparency and an explanation how it would benefit his constituents.

House Bill 3878, filed by Rep. Curtis J. Tarver (D-Chicago), was debated at the House floor, Friday.

“I would like to remind everybody with this we are going to be increasing — doubling — the fee for this,” Welter said. “I reached out to my local clerks and recorders to understand at a local level how are these programs being used, and folks I was shocked to find that the counties that I represent have been sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to this program, and benefiting $0, so taxpayers are sending money to this program … you're going to be doubling this fee on your residents when they record fees in your courthouse and they are going to benefitting from it zero.”

Welter said further that many are frustrated by the lack of transparency. He told Tarver that it is a great program and he is willing to maybe even join them if he saw that there was a more transparent process and that his community would benefit.

HB 3878 “Amends the Counties Code. Changes the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge a county recorder must collect on each real-estate related document from $9 to $18. Increases the fee a county may charge for recording documents.” It would also create “the Illinois Rental Housing Support Program Funding Allocation Task Force, which shall study and make recommendations regarding the equitable distribution of rental housing support funds across the State.”

The Rental Housing Support Fee bill passed out of the Housing Committee with 67 yeas and 42 nays.