Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Fair Chance in Housing bill would limit criminal-history screening early in rental process, backers say
Summary
HB1077 would prohibit landlords from asking about criminal history at initial application and require individualized assessments and limited look-back periods; advocates said it reduces homelessness and recidivism while opponents raised safety and look-back period concerns.
Delegate Adrian Boafo presented HB 10 77, the Maryland Fair Chance in Housing Act, telling the committee the bill is aimed at giving returning citizens an opportunity to obtain housing by delaying criminal-history screening until after landlords issue a conditional offer.
“HB 10 77 addresses this by prohibiting landlords from asking about a prospective tenant's criminal history during the initial application process,” Boafo said, summarizing the bill’s procedural change. Under the draft presented, background checks would still be permitted after a conditional…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
