The ACLU of Iowa is pleased to see the passage of House File 134, which received final approval this afternoon from the Iowa Senate and now heads to Governor Terry Branstad’s office for signing into law. The law prohibits Iowa cities from enforcing housing rental policies that are based on the family or non-family relationships of the residents.
ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Rita Bettis said, “We supported this bill because we believe that city government should not be in the position of defining ‘family’ for anyone. Cities that want the benefits they feel they can get from these ordinances in college neighborhoods can do so with other, non-discriminatory ordinances that, for example, regulate parking and noise."
These ‘definition of family’ ordinances come at a steep price for the many respectful, law-abiding citizens—including homeowners and renters, students and non-students alike—who must relocate to comply with the ordinances. The ordinances restrict the ability of adults to make decisions for themselves about who they define to be in their families and to make living arrangements in non-traditional ways. These ordinances also severely harm moderate-income homeowners who rely on sharing their homes with unrelated renters to meet their monthly mortgage payments."
“We’re glad to see these ordinances go," Bettis said. "They have operated as highly restrictive planning devices that sweep too broadly in an attempt to solve student rental problems in predominantly single-family neighborhoods.”
