A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to protect veterans and low-income families from housing discrimination. Senator Tim Kaine reintroduced the Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2019, which he originally introduced in the previous Congress.

According to a release, many veterans and low-income families pay for their rent through vouchers, and current law allows landlords to discriminate against them by denying housing based on how they pay their rent. This bill would expand protections under the Fair Housing Act to prohibit housing discrimination based on the tenants source of income or veteran status, which would give more families access to affordable housing.

“Our nation’s veterans and vulnerable families should have the same right to a home as any other American, regardless of how they pay rent,” said Kaine. “I’ve seen firsthand the impact that discrimination has on a person searching for a home. We can no longer allow these barriers to keep families and veterans from finding a stable place to live.”

The National Low Income Housing Coalition says stable housing can impact many aspects of life for residents and their children, including educational attainment, lifetime earnings, health and life expectancy. The release says Congress provides vouchers to help 2.2 million veterans and low-income households live in stable private market housing. However, it adds landlords can reject such vouchers and do in states and cities that allow them to do so, which undermines the federal government’s largest rental assistance program.

~From CBS19 News