BILL SUMMARIES
H.B. 5208, An Act Concerning Housing Opportunities for Justice-Impacted Persons has come out of the work of the 2019 Council on the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record and if enacted will protect housing applicants with criminal records from discrimination and denials. This approach regulates and limits landlord’s review and use of criminal background checks to screen rental applicants or tenants, prevents blanket denial by landlords of applicants with criminal records. This bill also requires landlords to conduct an individualized assessment that considers such factors as the time passed since the conviction, the age at the time of the offense, and any evidence of mitigating circumstances such as rehabilitation, good behavior, or employment.
S.B. 168, An Act Establishing a Right to Housing is a piece of legislation that expresses the need to progressively implement policies to respect, protect, and fulfill a right to affordable, decent, safe, and stable housing. This legislation would mobilize the Department of Housing to bring together experts on housing issues to analyze how the state can best implement a right to housing. This group will be comprised of appointees who have expertise in – or direct experience with – housing instability due to factors such as domestic violence, immigrant or refugee status, veteran status, as well as with gender or racial discrimination.
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