RAC-IL Celebrates Signing of Fair Housing Legislation

May 24, 2022, Springfield, IL -- Yesterday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 2775, a historic bill that prohibits source of income discrimination in housing. The Illinois Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-IL), encompassing 50,000 Reform Jews in 25 congregations, worked with the Illinois Coalition for Fair Housing to secure passage of this bill.

In celebration of the signing of HB 2775, RAC-IL Core Team member Jack Kaplan released the following statement on behalf of RAC-IL:

"We applaud the signing of HB 2775, which establishes strong statewide source of income protections in housing across Illinois. For too long, housing providers in most areas of the state have been permitted to turn away renters simply because they use housing vouchers or other public benefits rather than traditional wage income to pay rent. Continuing a long history of redlining and housing segregation, source of income discrimination is often used as a pretext for racial discrimination and disproportionately affects Communities of Color whose members are more likely to use rental assistance. With this law, Illinois becomes the twentieth state (plus Washington DC) to enact source of income protections.

"Guided by Jewish text and tradition, the Reform Jewish Movement has long advocated for fair housing. Beginning when God tells Abraham to go forth ( lech lecha) from his native land and continuing during the Israelites' 40 year journey through the desert, the Jewish story is one of wandering. More recent Jewish history, with its exiles and expulsions, is a powerful reminder of our obligation to provide for those who need housing.

"After an earlier version of HB 2775 passed the Illinois House of Representatives last spring, RAC-IL leaders mobilized in just six weeks to push the bill through the Illinois Senate to Governor Pritzker's desk. That HB 2775 passed the Senate with zero votes to spare is a testament to the important role RAC-IL played in this campaign. RAC-IL will continue to advocate for policies that build a more just Land of Lincoln for all."

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The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the social justice office of the Union for Reform Judaism, whose 850 congregations across North America encompass approximately 1.8 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, whose membership includes more than 2,000 Reform rabbis. Visit RAC.org for more.