A new bill introduced by state representatives Emanuel Chris Welch, Theresa Mah, and Juliana Stratton would automatically seal eviction records filed in county courts. In cases ultimately decided in favor of the landlord, records would be unsealed and made available to the public after 30 days. If the law went into effect it would also mandate that all eviction cases be sealed after five years.
Mah, whose Second District encompasses Pilsen and parts of Chinatown, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, and Back of the Yards, says the proposed legislation would protect tenants from the stigma of an eviction filing without interfering with landlords’ ability to evict or evaluate applicants. “I represent areas that are undergoing rapid gentrification. Displacement is an issue for many of my constituents,” Mah says. Sealing eviction records until they’re resolved would make it easier for people evicted through no fault of their own to find a new place to rent. “In the end we’ll have more accurate public information and a situation where people are treated with more fairness and don’t have to be prejudiced by these records. . . . This is really not something that’s meant to penalize landlords or business owners but to make sure the process is fair for everybody.”
