Bill Seeks Addition of Income to Housing Discrimination Ban
Lincoln – Source of income would be a protected category in state housing discrimination law under a bill heard by the Judiciary Committee Jan. 29.
Under the bill, lawful source of income would include, but would not be limited to, income derived from Social Security, child support, foster care subsidies, alimony, veteran benefits or any other form of federal, state or local public general assistance or housing assistance.
LB 1020, sponsored by Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas, would prohibit housing discrimination based on lawful sources of income.
The effects of redlining still can be seen in Omaha, Vargas said. Minority populations remain concentrated in northeast and south Omaha, he said, but some areas in west Omaha are over 90% white.
“This is what intergenerational poverty is,” Vargas said. “And the state of Nebraska is perpetuating it by allowing (housing) discrimination based on source of income.”
Supporting the measure was Taylor Hayes, a University of Nebraska College of Law student who specializes in tenants’ rights.
“(Where someone lives matters) because a parent needs to know their child can safely walk to school each morning. It matters because city buses only stop in certain locations. It matters because in some towns, there’s only one landlord and if that landlord won’t accept your source of income, you can’t rent (in that town),” Hayes said.
Attorney Gene Eckelof, representing the Nebraska Association of Commercial Property Owners, spoke in opposition. Mandating that landlords accept housing assistance and follow stringent inspection standards only would increase costs for landlords, Eckelof said, which then would create fewer affordable housing options.
– Nebraska Unicameral Information Office
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