LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A week after the Kentucky legislature passed a controversial bill focused on low-income housing, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has chosen to push back.
On Tuesday, Gov. Beshear (D) vetoed House Bill 18, which would would allow the city's landlords to refuse to rent to people who use federal housing assistance, including Section 8 vouchers.
Supporters, including bill sponsor State Rep. Ryan Dotson (R), say it's about protecting landlords' property rights.
Opponents argue the bill would worsen Louisville's affordable housing shortage, which sits in the tens of thousands of units.
"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 said at the Beecher Terrace Apartments, one of Louisville's largest public housing complexes. "This bill is just wrong, and it's mean, and today I'm going to veto it."
The bill would block local governments from passing or enforcing their own housing ordinances that ban discrimination based on source of income.
Louisville has this kind of local law, passed in late 2020, to prevent landlords from rejecting tenants solely because they rely on Section 8.
"It disallows property owners the ability to properly vet their prospective tenants," Dotson said on the Kentucky House floor on Jan. 23.
HB 18 would overrule that ordinance.
"The people who would be harmed by this bill are those with disabilities, senior citizens, low-income families, and our homeless veterans," Beshear said Tuesday.
Advocacy groups like the Coalition for the homeless fear the bill would only make it harder for underserved families to access affordable housing.
"It's just going to mean we're going to have to make twice as many calls to find a landlord that's willing to work with us, that's willing to take a voucher," said George Eklund, director of education and advocacy. "It is going to lengthen the time that families spend in homelessness."
WHAS11 also got the perspective of Louisville landlord Gene Johnson, who says he's seen a few of his homes wrecked by tenants.
"I have talked to other landlords and almost 100 percent of them told me the same thing: They felt like the government [has been] so behind the section 8 people, and that the section 8 people were just taking advantage of the fact they didn't have to do anything," Johnson said. "I'm a Christian man. I don't want someone living out on the streets. But at the same time, I don't expect someone to take advantage of me."
Last month, Lexington passed a law to ensure landlords accept housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance payments for rent.
The bill and the Governor’s veto message now return to the General Assembly in Frankfort where Republican lawmakers in control are expected to override Beshear's action, in which case, it would become law.
The other big question that remains is what legal action both state and local officials can and will take if Beshear's veto is overridden. Both the Governor and Louisville Metro Councilman Phillip Baker (D-6) told WHAS11 they're going to look at all options."
"That's something that we'll have to get to that road when we get there. We'll work with the ACLU and some other [organizations] and see what options that we have from a local government standpoint," Baker said at the news conference.
Beshear is encouraging Kentuckians who support his veto to contact their lawmaker and voice opposition to any further action being taken on House Bill 18.
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