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Panel advances bill requiring redaction and upfront tenant‑screening disclosures
Summary
Senator Benavides's bill would require landlords to redact personal data from eviction filings and to inform applicants which screening checks will be used before they pay fees; the committee moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole on a 4–3 vote.
Senator Benavides presented House Bill 11‑96 as two modest changes intended to protect tenant privacy and improve fairness in rental screening.
Benavides summarized the bill as protecting ‘‘personal information in eviction filings’’ and requiring landlords to avoid including Social Security numbers, driver’s license information and other sensitive data in public filings. He also said the bill requires landlords to tell applicants in advance what screening tools will be used — criminal background checks, credit checks or third‑party tenant‑screening services — so applicants can decide whether to pay application fees.
Committee members asked whether court rules about redaction vary by county and whether the bill merely reiterates existing court redaction authority. Benavides said redaction practice differs and the bill gives clearer direction to filers not to include information that courts would later redact. Senator Liston pressed to confirm that tenants may still consent to screening and that the bill would not prevent landlords from performing background checks when tenants agree.
There were no witnesses who signed up to testify in person on the bill that day; Benavides said industry stakeholders (realtors and the apartment association) had signaled support or neutrality. After brief questions and no amendments, Benavides moved HB 11‑96 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The committee recorded a roll vote of 4–3 in favor.
The bill will be considered next by the Committee of the Whole.
