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HB 65ILLINOISSession 104thState Billin committee
High Impact

Illinois Bill Establishes Law Enforcement Removal Procedure for Unauthorized Residential Occupants

Original title: UNLAWFUL POSSESSION PROPERTY

Last action · January 9, 2025: Referred to Rules CommitteeSponsor: Sonya Harper

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

Illinois House Bill 65 allows property owners or authorized agents to request immediate law enforcement removal of unlawful residential occupants by submitting a verified complaint form. Under the measure, verified occupants must vacate within three business days of receiving notice, and officers may stand by during lock changes or make arrests for related crimes. Additionally, the bill creates new criminal penalties for fraudulent property advertising and unlawful squatting.

Why it matters

Property owners gain an expedited administrative path to clear unauthorized occupants without traditional eviction proceedings, while individuals improperly removed can sue for triple fair market rent and actual damages.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

property owners

Property owners can utilize an expedited law enforcement procedure to remove unlawful occupants and request officers to keep the peace during lock changes.

Directly affected

law enforcement officers

Law enforcement officers must verify property removal complaints, serve notices to vacate, optionally stand by during property removal, and issue citations or make arrests for unlawful squatting.

Directly affected

unlawful occupants

Unlawful occupants face mandatory removal within three business days of receiving notice, potential arrest for trespassing or squatting, and civil liability or fines.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What conditions must be met for a property owner to request law enforcement removal?
The requesting person must be the owner or authorized agent, the property must include a residential dwelling not open to the public, unauthorized persons must have entered and remained without consent, the occupants must not be current or former tenants under a valid lease or immediate family members, and there must be no pending litigation between the parties regarding the property.
What penalties apply to someone who lists or advertises a property for sale without legal title?
A person who lists or advertises residential real property for sale or lease knowing they have no legal title, ownership, or leasehold interest commits a .
What recourse does a person have if they are wrongfully removed from a property?
A person who is wrongfully removed may bring a civil action by filing a complaint and affidavit to be restored to possession, recovering actual costs and damages, court costs, reasonable attorney's fees, and statutory damages equal to triple the fair market rent.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

3 actions
  1. Jan 9, 2025HouseCommittee
    Referred to Rules Committee
  2. Jan 9, 2025HouseIntroduced
    First Reading
  3. Dec 12, 2024HouseIntroduced
    Prefiled with Clerk by Rep. Sonya M. Harper

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Sonya HarperHouse · District 6DemocraticPrimary sponsor

Connected Entities

Sonya Harper
PersonSonya Harper“Representative who introduced HB 65 in the Illinois House of Assembly.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

ftp.ilga.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz45
    Current news / social attention level

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