The state of Iowa's Republican leadership preempted local laws that prevent landlords from rejecting housing vouchers as rent payment.
"Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on Friday signed into law a new bill condemned by housing advocates and city officials that would allow landlords to turn away tenants who receive Section 8 vouchers to help them pay rent," reports Celine Castronuovo.
"The bill, which passed in both chambers of the Republican-controlled Iowa General Assembly in March, prohibits counties from adopting laws that would prohibit a landlord 'from refusing to lease or rent out a dwelling unit to a person because of the person’s use of a federal housing voucher issued by the United States department of housing and urban development.'"
Iowa's new law preempts laws in three Iowa cities: Des Moines, Iowa City, and Marion. Other states and cities have approved source of income discrimination laws in recent years as a form of tenant protection in a tight housing market with prices increasingly out of the reach of families and individuals.
A 2018 report by the Urban Institute quantified the prevalence of source of income discrimination in cities around the country.
The Iowa law attracted the attention of housing officials in the Biden administration. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge said the federal government would sue Iowa in opposition to the law during in an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid in March.
FULL STORY: Iowa governor signs law allowing landlords to refuse Section 8 vouchers
Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.
Eight Ohio Towns Ban Source of Income Discrimination in Housing
The group doesn’t include Cleveland, where landlords can explicitly exclude housing voucher recipients from rental properties.
Tenant-Led Organization Fights Back Against Discriminating Landlords
Although it’s technically illegal for landlords to deny housing voucher recipients, tenants around the country have been rejected or charged exorbitant fees for using vouchers.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
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