Michigan housing advocates achieved a major victory on December 11, when the Michigan Senate passed House Bills 4062 and 4063, the final two bills in a five-bill package intended to promote housing security for renters in the state. Together with Senate Bills 205, 206, and 207, the two House bills address source-of-income discrimination, prohibiting landlords of five or more rental units from engaging in housing discrimination against current or prospective tenants who rely on housing vouchers or other government assistance, like Social Security Income or veterans’ benefits, to pay rent. The package permits civil actions for damages, as well as the use of court orders (“injunctive relief”), to address violations. The package will now be sent to Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) to be signed into law.
Passage of the package was the result of a months-long effort by a coalition led by Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH), one of NLIHC’s state partners. MCAH testified in favor of HB 4062 and HB 4063 in April, and another NLIHC partner in Michigan, the Community and Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM), also supported the package. Though the Senate bills passed both chambers of the state legislature in September, they were “tie-barred” to the House bills and could not move forward to be signed by the governor until all five bills passed both chambers.
Building on its earlier success securing additional housing investments in the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget (see Memo 9/30/24), MCAH joined with the Rent Is Too Damn High Coalition in a “Housing Homestretch” campaign to push for passage of a suite of tenant protection bills introduced in the legislature that included the source-of-income protection package ,as well as an eviction record expungement measure, a provision codifying tenants’ right to organize, a ban on rental junk fees, and other provisions outlined in a letter to Governor Whitmer. The coalition then invited housing advocates from across the state to visit the State House in Lansing on November 13 to call on lawmakers to pass the protections before the end of the legislative session. Ultimately, the source-of-income protection bills were the only bills passed before the close of the session.
“We are extremely grateful to our legislative champions for sponsoring [these bills] and extend our deep appreciation to the superb work of our housing advocates and colleagues on these bills,” said Lisa Chapman, director of public policy at MCAH, after the passage of SB 205, SB 206, and SB 207 earlier in the year. “This is the third time this has been introduced in the legislature, and it could not have been realized without the deeply committed advocacy of the Coalition for Expanding Housing Access workgroup that MCAH facilitates. When enacted, this legislation will expand housing opportunities for the many families and individuals that receive income supports. Vouchers and other forms of rental assistance and income support can be a lifeline for Michiganders who are struggling to get back on their feet.”
Michigan advocates will continue to advance the other tenant protections supported by the campaign during the next legislative session. NLIHC applauds the major wins achieved this session, which also include increased housing investments in the FY2025 budget.