(Des Moines, IA) A bill that blocks cities from banning rental discrimination based on a tenant’s use of a Section 8 housing voucher will become law. Governor Kim Reynolds has signed the bill Friday. Landlords in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Marion will be allowed to resume rejecting tenants based on their use of rental assistance again in 2023. Those are the three cities in Iowa that currently have ordinances to prevent such discrimination. Landlords in those cities are allowed to reject voucher recipients for other reasons — such as past criminal convictions. Republican supporters of the new law have said landlords should get to choose whether to accept federal money for rent. Democratic opponents say this will make it even harder for vulnerable Iowans to find housing.
