Key Votes

SB 391 permanently blocks Kansas cities and counties from passing local ordinances that protect renters — including rules limiting landlords' use of criminal history, credit scores, and eviction records to screen tenants. The bill uses the same state preemption playbook that already stripped local governments of the power to set their own minimum wage. For union members with records who got back to work through fair chance hiring, this law slams the door on local fair chance housing protections that could help them stay housed.

SB 391 permanently bans Kansas cities and counties from requiring landlords to accept housing vouchers or from limiting landlords' use of criminal history, credit scores, and eviction records when screening tenants. This blocks local communities from passing fair chance housing protections that help workers with records stay housed after getting back to work. The bill uses the same state preemption approach that already stripped cities of the power to set their own minimum wages — expanding a playbook that undermines local authority on issues that matter to working families.

SB 391 prohibits Kansas cities and counties from passing local laws that protect tenants who use housing vouchers or other rental assistance. It also bars local governments from restricting landlords' use of criminal history, credit scores, and eviction records when screening tenants — blocking fair chance housing policies that help working people with records stay housed after getting back to work. This bill uses the same state preemption playbook that has already been used to strip local minimum wage authority from Kansas communities.

HB 2504 prohibits cities and counties from passing local laws that protect renters who use housing vouchers or have criminal or eviction histories. The bill strips local governments of the power to require landlords to give these tenants a fair chance at housing — undermining the same fair-chance principles labor has fought for in hiring. This hurts working families trying to find stable housing, especially low-wage workers and those rebuilding their lives after incarceration.