Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0169 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
2	2	2025 Page 1 of 8
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5	5	VT LEG #379534 v.1
6	6	H.169 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Dodge of Essex, Christie of Hartford, Cole of 2
8	8	Hartford, Arsenault of Williston, Bartholomew of Hartland, 3
9	9	Berbeco of Winooski, Bluemle of Burlington, Bos-Lun of 4
10	10	Westminster, Burke of Brattleboro, Carris-Duncan of 5
11	11	Whitingham, Casey of Montpelier, Chapin of East Montpelier, 6
12	12	Charlton of Chester, Cina of Burlington, Cordes of Bristol, 7
13	13	Duke of Burlington, Goodnow of Brattleboro, Harple of Glover, 8
14	14	Headrick of Burlington, Hooper of Randolph, Hooper of 9
15	15	Burlington, Howard of Rutland City, Keyser of Rutland City, 10
16	16	Krasnow of South Burlington, LaMont of Morristown, Logan of 11
17	17	Burlington, Masland of Thetford, McCann of Montpelier, 12
18	18	McGill of Bridport, Minier of South Burlington, Mrowicki of 13
19	19	Putney, Olson of Starksboro, Pezzo of Colchester, Pouech of 14
20	20	Hinesburg, Priestley of Bradford, Rachelson of Burlington, 15
21	21	Sibilia of Dover, Surprenant of Barnard, Sweeney of Shelburne, 16
22	22	Tomlinson of Winooski, Torre of Moretown, Waszazak of 17
23	23	Barre City, and Waters Evans of Charlotte 18
24	24	Referred to Committee on 19
25	25	Date: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
26	26	2025 Page 2 of 8
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29	29	VT LEG #379534 v.1
30	30	Subject: Commerce and trade; residential rental application; prohibited acts; 1
31	31	public accommodations; unfair housing practices; discrimination 2
32	32	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit a 3
33	33	landlord from requesting a Social Security number on a residential rental 4
34	34	application and to accept all forms of government issued identification. This 5
35	35	bill also proposes to add citizenship and immigration status to the existing 6
36	36	discrimination prohibitions in public accommodations and unfair housing 7
37	37	practices. 8
38	38	An act relating to amending the prohibitions against discrimination in 9
39	39	public accommodations and housing 10
40	40	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11
41	41	Sec. 1. 9 V.S.A. § 4456a is amended to read: 12
42	42	§ 4456a. RESIDENTIAL RENTAL APPLICATION FEES; PROHIBITED 13
43	43	ACTS 14
44	44	(a) A landlord or a landlord’s agent shall not: 15
45	45	(1) charge an application fee to any individual in order to apply to enter 16
46	46	into a rental agreement for a residential dwelling unit; or 17
47	47	(2) request the Social Security number of an individual or a member of 18
48	48	an individual’s household in order to apply to enter into a rental agreement for 19
49	49	a residential dwelling unit or to conduct a criminal background or credit check. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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54	54	(b) This section shall not be construed to prohibit a person from charging a 1
55	55	fee to a person in order to apply to rent commercial or nonresidential property. 2
56	56	(c) If required during the application process, a landlord or a landlord’s 3
57	57	agent shall accept an original or a copy of any form of government-issued 4
58	58	identification. 5
59	59	Sec. 2. 9 V.S.A. § 4501 is amended to read: 6
60	60	§ 4501. DEFINITIONS 7
61	61	As used in this chapter: 8
62	62	* * * 9
63	63	(12)(A) “Harass” means to engage in unwelcome conduct that detracts 10
64	64	from, undermines, or interferes with a person’s: 11
65	65	(i) use of a place of public accommodation or any of the 12
66	66	accommodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges of a place of public 13
67	67	accommodation because of the person’s race, creed, color, national origin, 14
68	68	citizenship, immigration status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender 15
69	69	identity, or disability; or 16
70	70	(ii) terms, conditions, privileges, or protections in the sale or rental 17
71	71	of a dwelling or other real estate, or in the provision of services or facilities in 18
72	72	connection with a dwelling or other real estate, because of the person’s race, 19
73	73	sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, 20
74	74	color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or disability, or because 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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79	79	the person intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or 1
80	80	because the person is a recipient of public assistance, or because the person is a 2
81	81	victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 3
82	82	* * * 4
83	83	Sec. 3. 9 V.S.A. § 4502 is amended to read: 5
84	84	§ 4502. PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS 6
85	85	(a) An owner or operator of a place of public accommodation or an agent 7
86	86	or employee of such owner or operator shall not, because of the race, creed, 8
87	87	color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, marital status, sex, 9
88	88	sexual orientation, or gender identity of any person, refuse, withhold from, or 10
89	89	deny to that person any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and 11
90	90	privileges of the place of public accommodation. 12
91	91	* * * 13
92	92	Sec. 4. 9 V.S.A. § 4503 is amended to read: 14
93	93	§ 4503. UNFAIR HOUSING PRACTICES 15
94	94	(a) It shall be unlawful for any person: 16
95	95	(1) To refuse to sell or rent, or refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental 17
96	96	of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling or other real estate to 18
97	97	any person because of the race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 19
98	98	marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration 20
99	99	status, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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102	102
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104	104	dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of 1
105	105	public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 2
106	106	stalking. 3
107	107	(2) To discriminate against, or to harass, any person in the terms, 4
108	108	conditions, privileges, and protections of the sale or rental of a dwelling or 5
109	109	other real estate, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with 6
110	110	a dwelling or other real estate, because of the race, sex, sexual orientation, 7
111	111	gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, 8
112	112	citizenship, immigration status, or disability of a person, or because a person 9
113	113	intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a 10
114	114	person is a recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of 11
115	115	abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 12
116	116	(3) To make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published 13
117	117	any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a 14
118	118	dwelling or other real estate that indicates any preference, limitation, or 15
119	119	discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 16
120	120	marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration 17
121	121	status, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a 18
122	122	dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of 19
123	123	public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 20
124	124	stalking. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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129	129	(4) To represent to any person because of the race, sex, sexual 1
130	130	orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national 2
131	131	origin, citizenship, immigration status, or disability of a person, or because a 3
132	132	person intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or 4
133	133	because a person is a recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a 5
134	134	victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, that any dwelling or other real 6
135	135	estate is not available for inspection, sale, or rental when the dwelling or real 7
136	136	estate is in fact so available. 8
137	137	* * * 9
138	138	(6) To discriminate against any person in the making or purchasing of 10
139	139	loans or providing other financial assistance for real-estate-related transactions 11
140	140	or in the selling, brokering, or appraising of residential real property, because 12
141	141	of the race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, 13
142	142	religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or 14
143	143	disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a dwelling with 15
144	144	one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of public 16
145	145	assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 17
146	146	(7) To engage in blockbusting practices, for profit, which may include 18
147	147	inducing or attempting to induce a person to sell or rent a dwelling by 19
148	148	representations regarding the entry into the neighborhood of a person or 20
149	149	persons of a particular race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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153	153	VT LEG #379534 v.1
154	154	marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration 1
155	155	status, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a 2
156	156	dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of 3
157	157	public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 4
158	158	stalking. 5
159	159	(8) To deny any person access to or membership or participation in any 6
160	160	multiple listing service, real estate brokers’ organization, or other service, 7
161	161	organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings, 8
162	162	or to discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of such access, 9
163	163	membership, or participation, on account of race, sex, sexual orientation, 10
164	164	gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, 11
165	165	citizenship, immigration status, or disability of a person, or because a person is 12
166	166	a recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual 13
167	167	assault, or stalking. 14
168	168	* * * 15
169	169	(12) To discriminate in land use decisions or in the permitting of 16
170	170	housing because of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital 17
171	171	status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, 18
172	172	disability, the presence of one or more minor children, income, or because of 19
173	173	the receipt of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual 20
174	174	assault, or stalking, except as otherwise provided by law. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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179	179	* * * 1
180	180	(d) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section with respect to 2
181	181	discrimination in the sales and rentals of dwellings on the basis of citizenship 3
182	182	or immigration status shall not preclude the verification of immigration status 4
183	183	if required by federal law. 5
184	184	Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE 6
185	185	This act shall take effect on passage. 7