Senate Bill 599 passes in a 36-to-15 vote, advances to Gov. Kotek’s desk
Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle
In a 36-15 vote, the Oregon House on Monday passed a bill to prohibit landlords from asking tenants about their immigration status.
Senate Bill 599 — similar to laws in Washington, California and New York — would prevent landlords from discriminating against an individual based on the type of identification documents provided to them. It also prevents landlords from disclosing or threatening to disclose an applicant’s or tenant’s immigration status.
The bill already passed the Senate in a 21-8 vote. It is now headed to the governor’s desk, where Gov. Tina Kotek can sign it into law, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature. It would take effect 30 days once put into law.
Oregon in 1987 was the first state in the U.S. to pass a sanctuary law prohibiting state and local law enforcement from helping federal officials to enforce immigration law. As the Trump administration has heightened its immigration enforcement, Kotek has repeatedly said she supports Oregon’s immigrant community and will uphold Oregon’s sanctuary law.
“This bill is about more than documents — it’s about dignity,” chief bill sponsor Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, said in a press release. “No Oregonian should have to live in fear that where they were born could cost them their home. This bill makes it clear: Housing is a human right, and discrimination has no place in Oregon.”
Mia Maldonado covers Oregon and state Legislature with a focus on social services for Oregon Capital Chronicle. She started her career in journalism with Oregon Capital Chronicle’s sister outlet in Idaho, the Idaho Capital Sun.
