HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2023.10.17 - 40647
October 27, 2023
RESOLUTION #2023-3370 _ 23-142
Sponsored By: Charles Cavell
Board of Commissioners - Supporting Michigan House Bills 4062-4063 and Senate Bills 205-
207 Prohibiting Landlords from Income-based Discrimination
Chair and Members of the Board:
WHEREAS all residents of Michigan should have equal access to housing opportunities, including
renters with alternate sources of non-wage income, such as a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8
Voucher), Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability, Alimony, Child Support, funds
from a local nonprofit or church, or any other housing subsidy; and
WHEREAS housing subsidy recipients in Michigan are largely made up of seniors, people with
disabilities and veterans; and
WHEREAS many landlords choose not to accept these sources of income as they are not from
employment, even though these sources of income are more reliable and less subject to uncertainty
than the wages of the tenant; and
WHEREAS housing subsidy recipients typically live in a unit for 7-8 years and Michigan landlords
earn over $706 million annually from subsidies; and
WHEREAS the package of bills, comprised of House Bills 4062 and 4063 (introduced in February
2023) and Senate Bills 205, 206 and 207 (introduced in March 2023), will extend the protections of
the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to prevent discrimination based on source of income and would
prohibit landlords from denying prospective renters because of their use of housing vouchers or other
subsidies to pay rent; and
WHEREAS in addition, modifications proposed to the Landlord-Tenant Relationships Act will allow a
person who suffered a loss because of a landlord’s source of income discrimination to bring action to
seek remedy for the discrimination.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners supports
Michigan House Bills 4062-4063 and Senate Bills 205-207 aiming at ensuring equal access to
housing by disallowing landlords to deny renters based on their source of income.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners believes that all Michiganders should
have access to the same housing protections in order to ensure they are able to achieve their
economic potential and find housing that meets their accessibility needs.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds is requested to
forward copies of the adopted resolution to the Governor of the State of Michigan, the State Senate
Majority and Minority leaders, the State House Speaker and Minority Leader, and the members of the
Oakland County delegation to the Michigan Legislature and the Board of Commissioner’s legislative
lobbyist.
Chair, the following Commissioners are sponsoring the foregoing Resolution: Charles Cavell.
Date: October 17, 2023
David Woodward, Commissioner
Date: October 25, 2023
Lisa Brown, County Clerk / Register of Deeds
COMMITTEE TRACKING
2023-09-21 Full Board - Refer to Legislative Affairs & Government Operations
2023-10-10 Legislative Affairs & Government Operations - Recommend to Board
2023-10-17 Full Board - Adopt
Motioned by Commissioner Brendan Johnson seconded by Commissioner Charles Cavell to adopt
the attached Resolution: Supporting Michigan House Bills 4062-4063 and Senate Bills 205-207
Prohibiting Landlords from Income-based Discrimination.
Yes: David Woodward, Michael Spisz, Karen Joliat, Kristen Nelson, Christine Long, Robert
Hoffman, Philip Weipert, Gwen Markham, Angela Powell, Marcia Gershenson, William Miller III,
Yolanda Smith Charles, Charles Cavell, Brendan Johnson, Ajay Raman (15)
No: None (0)
Abstain: None (0)
Absent: Gary McGillivray, Penny Luebs, Michael Gingell, Janet Jackson (4)
Passed
ATTACHMENTS
None
STATE OF MICHIGAN)
COUNTY OF OAKLAND)
I, Lisa Brown, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true
and accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on
October 27, 2023, with the original record thereof now remaining in my office.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the Circuit Court at
Pontiac, Michigan on Friday, October 27, 2023.
Lisa Brown, Oakland County Clerk / Register of Deeds