| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. |
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| 4 | 4 | | [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. |
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| 5 | 5 | | *sb0635* |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | SENATE BILL 635 |
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| 8 | 8 | | N1 4lr0954 |
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| 9 | 9 | | CF 4lr0953 |
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| 10 | 10 | | By: Senator West |
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| 11 | 11 | | Introduced and read first time: January 29, 2024 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A BILL ENTITLED |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | AN ACT concerning 1 |
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| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | Landlords and Prospective Tenants – Residential Leases – Criminal History 2 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Review 3 |
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| 20 | 20 | | (Maryland Fair Chance in Housing Act ) 4 |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | FOR the purpose of altering the number of years of criminal history that are reviewed in a 5 |
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| 23 | 23 | | certain reusable tenant screening report; establishing certain prohibitions and 6 |
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| 24 | 24 | | limitations on the review and consideration of a prospective tenant’s criminal 7 |
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| 25 | 25 | | history; requiring a landlord that denies the lease application of a prospective tenant 8 |
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| 26 | 26 | | to provide the individual with a certain document stating the reasons for the denial; 9 |
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| 27 | 27 | | and generally relating to landlords and prospective tenants and criminal history. 10 |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11 |
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| 30 | 30 | | Article – Real Property 12 |
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| 31 | 31 | | Section 8–218(a) 13 |
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| 32 | 32 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 14 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2023 Replacement Volume) 15 |
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| 34 | 34 | | |
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| 35 | 35 | | BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | Article – Real Property 17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | Section 8–218(b)(2)(i) 18 |
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| 38 | 38 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 19 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2023 Replacement Volume) 20 |
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| 40 | 40 | | |
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| 41 | 41 | | BY adding to 21 |
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| 42 | 42 | | Article – Real Property 22 |
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| 43 | 43 | | Section 8–220 23 |
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| 44 | 44 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 24 |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2023 Replacement Volume) 25 |
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| 46 | 46 | | |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 26 |
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| 48 | 48 | | That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 27 2 SENATE BILL 635 |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | |
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| 51 | 51 | | |
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| 52 | 52 | | Article – Real Property 1 |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | 8–218. 2 |
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| 55 | 55 | | |
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| 56 | 56 | | (a) In this section, “reusable tenant screening report” means a report prepared 3 |
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| 57 | 57 | | within the previous 30 days by a consumer reporting agency at the request and expense of 4 |
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| 58 | 58 | | a prospective tenant and made directly available to a prospective landlord at no charge for 5 |
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| 59 | 59 | | use in the rental application process. 6 |
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| 60 | 60 | | |
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| 61 | 61 | | (b) A reusable tenant screening report shall contain the following information 7 |
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| 62 | 62 | | regarding a prospective tenant: 8 |
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| 63 | 63 | | |
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| 64 | 64 | | (2) For each jurisdiction indicated as a prior residence of the prospective 9 |
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| 65 | 65 | | tenant, regardless of whether the residence is reported by the prospective tenant or by a 10 |
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| 66 | 66 | | consumer reporting agency preparing a consumer report: 11 |
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| 67 | 67 | | |
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| 68 | 68 | | (i) A comprehensive criminal history records check for all federal, 12 |
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| 69 | 69 | | state, and local charges against and convictions of the prospective tenant over the previous 13 |
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| 70 | 70 | | [7] 3 years; and 14 |
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| 71 | 71 | | |
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| 72 | 72 | | 8–220. 15 |
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| 73 | 73 | | |
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| 74 | 74 | | (A) (1) EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A 16 |
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| 75 | 75 | | LANDLORD MAY NOT REQ UIRE A PROSPECTIVE T ENANT TO DISCLOSE AN Y CRIMINAL 17 |
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| 76 | 76 | | HISTORY IN AN APPLIC ATION FOR A LEASE . 18 |
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| 77 | 77 | | |
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| 78 | 78 | | (2) A LANDLORD MAY REQUIRE A PROSPECTIVE TENANT TO 19 |
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| 79 | 79 | | DISCLOSE WHETHER THE INDIVIDUAL I S REQUIRED TO REGIST ER AS A SEX 20 |
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| 80 | 80 | | OFFENDER UNDER FEDER AL OR STATE LAW. 21 |
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| 81 | 81 | | |
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| 82 | 82 | | (B) A LANDLORD MAY NOT REV IEW OR REQUEST A THI RD PARTY TO REVIEW 22 |
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| 83 | 83 | | MORE THAN THE PREVIO US 3 YEARS OF ANY CRIMINA L HISTORY OF A PROSP ECTIVE 23 |
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| 84 | 84 | | TENANT. 24 |
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| 85 | 85 | | |
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| 86 | 86 | | (C) A LANDLORD MAY NOT PUB LISH OR CAUSE TO BE PUBLISHED AN Y ORAL 25 |
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| 87 | 87 | | OR WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT WOULD REASONABL Y DISCOURAGE A PROSP ECTIVE 26 |
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| 88 | 88 | | TENANT WITH A CRIMIN AL HISTORY FROM APPL YING FOR A LEASE. 27 |
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| 89 | 89 | | |
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| 90 | 90 | | (D) A LANDLORD THAT DENIES THE LEASE APPLICATIO N OF A PROSPECTIVE 28 |
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| 91 | 91 | | TENANT SHALL PROVIDE THE INDIVIDUAL WITH A PHYSICAL DOCU MENT STATING 29 |
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| 92 | 92 | | WITH PARTICULARITY E ACH REASON FOR THE D ENIAL. 30 |
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| 93 | 93 | | |
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| 94 | 94 | | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 31 |
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| 95 | 95 | | 1, 2024. 32 |
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