New law pushed by Sen. Hunter will bring new data to ongoing debate

A newly signed law sponsored by State Sen. Mattie Hunter sets the state on course to begin a comprehensive examination of the race and ethnicity of every person arrested and entering the state’s prison system.

Hunter, a Democrat who represents the 3rd Senate District in Chicago, said the new law will provide a better idea of who is being arrested and allow for statistical analysis in determining whether minorities are unfairly targeted.

“It’s time to bring some solid data to this ongoing debate,” said Hunter. “We can’t solve problems until we know where, how and why they exist.”

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State Senator Mattie Hunter recently saw legislation she sponsored, Senate Bill 56, signed into law. The new law provides protections for tenants living in foreclosed buildings.

“Tenants shouldn’t be forced from their homes because of an irresponsible landlord,” Hunter said. “This measure gives families rights if the property they are renting is repossessed by the bank or sold.”

Currently, tenants living in foreclosed properties are protected under federal law, but those protections are set to sunset in 2014. An owner who acquires a property in a foreclosure proceeding can evict a tenant only at the end of the lease or, if there is no lease, with 90 days’ notice. If the new owner intends to use the property as his or her primary residence, he or she may terminate the lease but must give 90 days’ notice. A bank foreclosing on a rental property also must inform tenants of where they should pay their rent.

The new law takes effect immediately.

An outspoken proponent of eliminating gun violence in her community, State Senator Mattie Hunter supported a measure aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and gives law enforcement another tool to stop gun smugglers. The new law requires anyone who sells or transfers a firearm to verify that the recipient has a valid FOID Card; it also establishes that gun owners must report lost or stolen weapons within 72 hours of discovering the loss.

“If your gun is stolen and someone commits a crime with it, then the original owner is the suspected criminal,” Hunter said. “A firearm that is reported lost or stolen has a better chance of being returned to its owner.”

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In her continued efforts to reduce youth violence in Chicago, State Senator Mattie Hunter’s legislation to create the Youth Violence Prevention Task Force was signed into law. House Bill 2879 authorizes the task force to increase awareness by providing job opportunities, social and education initiatives, safe havens and other opportunities for violence prevention for at-risk youth.

“Youth violence has devastated our nation as homicide is now the 2nd leading cause of death for youth ages 15 to 29, and the epidemic is particularly rampant in Chicago,” State Senator Mattie Hunter said. “We must act now because more adolescents are killed in Chicago than any other U.S. city is simply unacceptable. We owe it to our children to do our best to protect them.”