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A five-bill package prohibiting landlords from using a renter’s source of income as a reason to deny them occupancy is on its way to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after the final two bills passed the Michigan Senate this week.
Senate Bills 205, 206 and 207, along with House Bills 4062 and 4063 prohibit landlords with five or more rental units from denying prospective renters because of their use of housing vouchers or other subsidies to pay rent, with options to file for damages as well as a discrimination complaint.
The Senate bills had previously been approved by both chambers, but were tie-barred to the two House bills, which passed the upper chamber late Wednesday afternoon during a lengthy day of deliberations, conferences and floor debate during the final days of the lame duck session.
HB 4062, sponsored by state Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor Twp.), allows landlords who use source of income as a determinant to be subject to civil litigation, while HB 4063, sponsored by state Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), added “source of income” to the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) so that a complaint could then be filed with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
Bills prohibiting landlords from income-based discrimination pass House committee
Prior to passage, state Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake Twp.) spoke in opposition, saying the bills would place landlords in the position of being forced to rent to people that he asserted would not necessarily be as responsible as those who used earned wages to pay their rent.
“Adding source of income means that you cannot discriminate if you have a government check that is going to pay for this, for somebody who may never have paid a rent in their life, who may never have paid a utility in their life. And you think, ‘That can’t happen.’ Oh, yes it does. There’s a lot of these vouchers, a person has never paid a dime,’’ Runestad said.
“ And if you’ve ever handed your keys to a brand new car to your 16-year-old, they just have their driver’s license and they don’t pay for the maintenance and the insurance and the wrecks and all of that stuff, and think they’re going to maintain that car the way the kid does who goes out and earns the money and takes care of that car, you’d understand what these landlords are going through,” said Runestad.
State Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) rose and vociferously condemned those remarks as being out of touch with the plight of many Michiganders.
“Listen to how he [Runestad] talks about people who are struggling to pay their bills in a tough economic environment. We’re talking about kids. We’re talking about single moms who might need to reach out and get a little bit of support from the state to help pay their rent. But what do we hear on the floor of the Senate from Republicans? What we hear is people talking down to folks who are struggling, people trying to push them down further. people trying to contribute to this false and destructive narrative,” said Irwin. “ The people who aren’t winning in this winner take all economy are somehow unworthy or somehow not good enough to enjoy shelter, food on their table and a decent life.
“We should be fighting for the dignity of every Michiganander and it’s these kind of comments that caused me to rise and say, think about how we’re looking at the others around us. Think about how we’re taking care of the least among us and then check your heart and see if what you’re doing aligns with the values that you tell people when you’re out running for election,” Irwin said.
Also speaking in support was the Michigan League for Public Policy, whose president and CEO, Monique Stanton, issued a statement following passage.
“People think of housing discrimination as being only a part of our history, but it’s very much alive and well when landlords can turn potential tenants away from safe and affordable housing based solely on the way they plan to pay their rent,” said Stanton.
Stanton added that rejection rates for Housing Choice Vouchers and other non-wage sources of income have been shown to be highest in more affluent neighborhoods.
“…it’s clear that a lack of statewide regulations on source-of-income discrimination has made it difficult for families with low incomes to secure housing in areas with higher-performing schools and fewer environmental threats. With these new, much-needed statewide regulations in place, we can ensure that more Michigan families are able to raise their kids in environments where they can grow up strong and be successful later on in life,” she said.
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