BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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VT LEG #379534 v.1
H.169 1
Introduced by Representatives Dodge of Essex, Christie of Hartford, Cole of 2
Hartford, Arsenault of Williston, Bartholomew of Hartland, 3
Berbeco of Winooski, Bluemle of Burlington, Bos-Lun of 4
Westminster, Burke of Brattleboro, Carris-Duncan of 5
Whitingham, Casey of Montpelier, Chapin of East Montpelier, 6
Charlton of Chester, Cina of Burlington, Cordes of Bristol, 7
Duke of Burlington, Goodnow of Brattleboro, Harple of Glover, 8
Headrick of Burlington, Hooper of Randolph, Hooper of 9
Burlington, Howard of Rutland City, Keyser of Rutland City, 10
Krasnow of South Burlington, LaMont of Morristown, Logan of 11
Burlington, Masland of Thetford, McCann of Montpelier, 12
McGill of Bridport, Minier of South Burlington, Mrowicki of 13
Putney, Olson of Starksboro, Pezzo of Colchester, Pouech of 14
Hinesburg, Priestley of Bradford, Rachelson of Burlington, 15
Sibilia of Dover, Surprenant of Barnard, Sweeney of Shelburne, 16
Tomlinson of Winooski, Torre of Moretown, Waszazak of 17
Barre City, and Waters Evans of Charlotte 18
Referred to Committee on 19
Date: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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VT LEG #379534 v.1
Subject: Commerce and trade; residential rental application; prohibited acts; 1
public accommodations; unfair housing practices; discrimination 2
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit a 3
landlord from requesting a Social Security number on a residential rental 4
application and to accept all forms of government issued identification. This 5
bill also proposes to add citizenship and immigration status to the existing 6
discrimination prohibitions in public accommodations and unfair housing 7
practices. 8
An act relating to amending the prohibitions against discrimination in 9
public accommodations and housing 10
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11
Sec. 1. 9 V.S.A. § 4456a is amended to read: 12
§ 4456a. RESIDENTIAL RENTAL APPLICATION FEES; PROHIBITED 13
ACTS 14
(a) A landlord or a landlord’s agent shall not: 15
(1) charge an application fee to any individual in order to apply to enter 16
into a rental agreement for a residential dwelling unit; or 17
(2) request the Social Security number of an individual or a member of 18
an individual’s household in order to apply to enter into a rental agreement for 19
a residential dwelling unit or to conduct a criminal background or credit check. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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(b) This section shall not be construed to prohibit a person from charging a 1
fee to a person in order to apply to rent commercial or nonresidential property. 2
(c) If required during the application process, a landlord or a landlord’s 3
agent shall accept an original or a copy of any form of government-issued 4
identification. 5
Sec. 2. 9 V.S.A. § 4501 is amended to read: 6
§ 4501. DEFINITIONS 7
As used in this chapter: 8
* * * 9
(12)(A) “Harass” means to engage in unwelcome conduct that detracts 10
from, undermines, or interferes with a person’s: 11
(i) use of a place of public accommodation or any of the 12
accommodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges of a place of public 13
accommodation because of the person’s race, creed, color, national origin, 14
citizenship, immigration status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender 15
identity, or disability; or 16
(ii) terms, conditions, privileges, or protections in the sale or rental 17
of a dwelling or other real estate, or in the provision of services or facilities in 18
connection with a dwelling or other real estate, because of the person’s race, 19
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, 20
color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or disability, or because 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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VT LEG #379534 v.1
the person intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or 1
because the person is a recipient of public assistance, or because the person is a 2
victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 3
* * * 4
Sec. 3. 9 V.S.A. § 4502 is amended to read: 5
§ 4502. PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS 6
(a) An owner or operator of a place of public accommodation or an agent 7
or employee of such owner or operator shall not, because of the race, creed, 8
color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, marital status, sex, 9
sexual orientation, or gender identity of any person, refuse, withhold from, or 10
deny to that person any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and 11
privileges of the place of public accommodation. 12
* * * 13
Sec. 4. 9 V.S.A. § 4503 is amended to read: 14
§ 4503. UNFAIR HOUSING PRACTICES 15
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person: 16
(1) To refuse to sell or rent, or refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental 17
of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling or other real estate to 18
any person because of the race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 19
marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration 20
status, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of 1
public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 2
stalking. 3
(2) To discriminate against, or to harass, any person in the terms, 4
conditions, privileges, and protections of the sale or rental of a dwelling or 5
other real estate, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with 6
a dwelling or other real estate, because of the race, sex, sexual orientation, 7
gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, 8
citizenship, immigration status, or disability of a person, or because a person 9
intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a 10
person is a recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of 11
abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 12
(3) To make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published 13
any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a 14
dwelling or other real estate that indicates any preference, limitation, or 15
discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 16
marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration 17
status, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a 18
dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of 19
public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 20
stalking. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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(4) To represent to any person because of the race, sex, sexual 1
orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national 2
origin, citizenship, immigration status, or disability of a person, or because a 3
person intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or 4
because a person is a recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a 5
victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, that any dwelling or other real 6
estate is not available for inspection, sale, or rental when the dwelling or real 7
estate is in fact so available. 8
* * * 9
(6) To discriminate against any person in the making or purchasing of 10
loans or providing other financial assistance for real-estate-related transactions 11
or in the selling, brokering, or appraising of residential real property, because 12
of the race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, 13
religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or 14
disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a dwelling with 15
one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of public 16
assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. 17
(7) To engage in blockbusting practices, for profit, which may include 18
inducing or attempting to induce a person to sell or rent a dwelling by 19
representations regarding the entry into the neighborhood of a person or 20
persons of a particular race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration 1
status, or disability of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a 2
dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of 3
public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual assault, or 4
stalking. 5
(8) To deny any person access to or membership or participation in any 6
multiple listing service, real estate brokers’ organization, or other service, 7
organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings, 8
or to discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of such access, 9
membership, or participation, on account of race, sex, sexual orientation, 10
gender identity, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin, 11
citizenship, immigration status, or disability of a person, or because a person is 12
a recipient of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual 13
assault, or stalking. 14
* * * 15
(12) To discriminate in land use decisions or in the permitting of 16
housing because of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital 17
status, religious creed, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, 18
disability, the presence of one or more minor children, income, or because of 19
the receipt of public assistance, or because a person is a victim of abuse, sexual 20
assault, or stalking, except as otherwise provided by law. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.169
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* * * 1
(d) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section with respect to 2
discrimination in the sales and rentals of dwellings on the basis of citizenship 3
or immigration status shall not preclude the verification of immigration status 4
if required by federal law. 5
Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE 6
This act shall take effect on passage. 7