LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., vetoed the first bill of the legislative session, which would allow landlords to turn away potential tenants who have federal housing vouchers like Section 8.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed House Bill 18 Tuesday

  • The bill, passed last month, allows landlords to deny tenants who have housing vouchers 

  • Beshear says this would be harmful to several groups, including homeless veterans

  • Lawmakers will likely override his veto

Lawmakers behind House Bill 18 say it bolsters landlord rights, while opponents argue it opens the door for income-based discrimination. The bill now gets sent back to legislators for further action.

“The people that would be harmed by this bill are those with disabilities, senior citizens, low-income families, and our homeless veterans,” Beshear said before vetoing the bill during a news conference held in Louisville. 

The bill, passed by both chambers of the state legislature last month, prohibits local governments from adopting bans on source of income discrimination. Should this become law, it would allow landlords to turn away a tenant solely based on them having a housing voucher.

“We should never make it harder for someone to obtain a roof over their head, a safe place to call home, and that’s exactly what this bill tries to do,” Beshear emphasized.

This action by the legislature comes as the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted to ban source of income discrimination in February. Louisville Metro Council passed a similar ordinance in 2020.

HB 18 would nullify both ordnances. Beshear said earlier he thinks “the state legislature should let Louisville govern itself.”

“This is not merely a matter of policy or politics. It’s a matter of morality. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the struggles of our neighbors who are being denied equal opportunity,” stated Louisville Metro Councilman Phillip Baker, D-District 6.  

George Eklund, with the Coalition for the Homeless, worries about the additional issues HB18 would create if it became law.

“It is going to lengthen the time that families spend in homelessness. It’s going to make our jobs harder,” Eklund said. 

Following Beshear’s veto, Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, released a statement that said in part, “With today’s veto, he strikes out at the right of a property owner to make a decision about how his or her property will be used. The very idea of forcing a property owner to participate in a program runs contrary to one of the most basic and fundamental rights. Members will consider an override, as they have with almost every other policy vetoed by the Governor.”

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