A bill that would allow Wisconsin landlords to begin showing properties earlier was not voted on during the floor meeting of state legislators in the House Tuesday.
During Tuesday’s power session, the Wisconsin State Assembly met for the purposes of both a regular and special session. The special session was the second called to discuss jobs in Wisconsin. Both agendas were covered.
Among the many pieces of legislation addressed was a bill that would prohibit ordinances placing certain limits on landlords. The bill has been controversial on the University of Wisconsin campus because it would give landlords the right to begin showing apartments earlier.
According to the bill, landlords would also be permitted to require information such as monthly household income, occupation, rental history, credit information, court records and social security numbers. The bill also states that landlords would have the right to select and reject potential tenants based on this information.
By a vote of 59-34, the Assembly voted to suspend a ruling on the bill.
On Monday, Associated Students of Madison sent out a statement arguing a stance against the landlord bill.
“[The bill] was created to eliminate local ordinances currently in place to protect renter rights,” the statement said. “[If the bill passes] landlords will be able to deny or approve renters solely based on their personal incomes.”
In the statement, ASM Legislative Affairs Chair Hannah Somers called the bill “an abuse of power.”
According to the statement, the landlord bill has several provisions that would disrupt any sort of balance that exists between a renter and owner.
“[The bill] will eliminate many city ordinances that work to create a positive, constructive relationship between a landlord and tenant,” the statement said.
Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, proposed an amendment to the landlord bill that “protects some vestiges of local control.” Taylor said Madison has a larger tenant population than most communities because of the large student population, which he said should be taken into account when drafting legislation of this kind.
There are a lot of first-time renters who should be considered when the Assembly does vote on the landlord bill. With a vote of 60-33, the amendment was tabled, Taylor said.
Also during the meeting, the Assembly passed a bill that would permit extended hours during which liquor can be sold. The Republican-backed bill will now head to the Senate for approval.
Currently, stores can sell beer from 8 a.m. until midnight and other liquors from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Under the bill, retailers could start selling alcohol as early as 6 a.m.
A wide variety of other issues was addressed in the Assembly meeting, including bills that related to the selling and procurement of alcoholic beverages, nicotine and prescription drugs.
The special Assembly meeting brought out a small group of protesters, some of which came carrying copies of the U.S. Constitution. Many were escorted out of the gallery by police officials for disregarding gallery rules by displaying their Constitutions and videotaping the event.
Somers did not return calls as of press time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
