The goal of the bill is to make it easier for police to enforce criminal trespassing. State law does not explicitly give police the power to remove a person squatting in another person’s home without an eviction.
Photo: Juan Giraudo/Unsplash
Until new law that takes effect in January, removing squatters from a home meant homeowners would have to go through the eviction process in Cook County court, which can take months. New law makes it easier to kick squatters off an owner's property.by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - A new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday will make it easier for police to remove squatters who are illegally staying at a residence.
Squatters are people who enter and occupy a place for a long period of time with the intention of staying there, rather than a trespasser who enters without intentions to stay.
Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1563, which clarifies that a court-ordered eviction is not required for police to remove squatters from a person’s home. The bill stipulates that police can enforce criminal trespassing charges against a squatter.
“Squatters are a problem, and no one should have to get an eviction notice to remove squatters from their home,” bill sponsor Sen. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, said in a statement. “Law enforcement need to be able to do their job and return homes to their rightful owners.”
The bill passed through the General Assembly nearly unanimously, with only Sen. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, voting against it.
Law enforcement, real estate and property owner organizations supported the bill.
Collins, who represents much of the West Side of Chicago, said the bill came from concerns her constituents expressed and said the goal was to make it easier for police to enforce criminal trespassing. State law does not explicitly give police the power to remove a person squatting in another person’s home without an eviction.
A lawmaker’s encounter
Pritzker signed the bill after Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, had a first-hand encounter with squatters this summer.
ABC7 Chicago reported last week squatters moved in next door to Evans’ Avalon Park home on Chicago’s South Side. The owners of the house had put the home up for sale, but last week found strangers living inside without buying or renting the home.
According to ABC7, Chicago Police told homeowners they couldn’t remove the squatters from the home and the homeowners would have to go through the eviction process in Cook County court, which can take months. Evans told ABC7 he would call Pritzker directly to ask him to sign the bill, which was sponsored in the House by Rep. Jawaharial Williams, D-Chicago.
“My community is full of hardworking, mortgage- and rent-paying citizens who believe in working, not stealing and scheming,” Evans said in a Facebook post Monday. “We don’t support crooks who prey on hardworking people.”
The law takes effect Jan. 1.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Zach Fuchs steps in for a volley during his match against France's Antoine Ghibaudo Tuesday afternoon. Eliminated from singles at the ITF tournament, the 23-year-old will be back on court Wednesday with an eye on winning the doubles title.
CHAMPAIGN - Zach Fuchs came up just short in a gripping second-round qualifying match Tuesday at the Neitzel Family Open, falling to Antoine Ghibaudo in a decisive 10-point tiebreak at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign. The final score: 2-6, 6-4, 8-10.
Fuchs trailed 6-3 early in the breaker but fought back point by point to cut the deficit to 8-7 before Ghibaudo sealed the match with the final two points, advancing to Wednesday's first-round main draw.
The 23-year-old Fuchs, currently ranked 1376 by the ITF, opened the tournament with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Saheb Sodhi in Monday’s first round of qualifying.
The Neitzel Family Open marked the final leg of a productive summer for Fuchs, who posted a 3-3 record across three tournaments in Tunisia. His three wins overseas combined with a solid showing at the Witchita Tennis Open back in mid-June highlights the hard work he has put in to improve his singles game.
The main draw competition starts on Wedenday at 10 am with four matches.
Later in the afternoon, Fuchs teams up with Wally Thayne for a doubles match against Mikael Arseneault and Alexander Brown.
by Ben Szalinski
