A bill in Baltimore County is eliciting emotion and getting lots of attention -- and it has yet to be introduced. The new measure, set to be introduced by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz's office at Tuesday night's County Council meeting, would ban housing voucher discrimination. This bill is required under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that happened earlier this year. But county officials said it was also prompted, partially, because it's the right thing to do.

Advertisement Fate of housing discrimination bill uncertain in Baltimore County County Council expected to vote Aug. 1 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A bill that would bar landlords in Baltimore County from discriminating against potential tenants with government housing vouchers faces an uncertain future.While the bill has the backing of Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, it appears that Councilman Julian Jones is the only one of the seven-member council to support the legislation, according to council members.Among the concerns expressed by council members in recent weeks is whether the bill would lead to a high concentration of poor people in neighborhoods where vouchers are already heavily used while also diminishing the rights of property owners.According to local government figures, there are 6,133 housing vouchers being used in Randallstown and Dundalk. Councilwoman Cathy Bevins, a Middle River Democrat, said she is worried about more housing vouchers ending up in her district.“As the bill is currently worded, I cannot support it,” Bevins said. “This bill does nothing to help reduce poverty. I would prefer to see a bill where there would be guarantees that the vouchers would be evenly distributed across the county.“Most of those groups that support this bill are people who live outside my district. The county executive moved forward on this settlement without County Council input.”The bill is required under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that happened earlier this year. Prospective tenants in Baltimore County, prospective tenants can currently be turned away by a landlord because he or she has a housing voucher.In remarks during a County Council work session last Thursday, county planning director Andrea Van Arsdale said housing vouchers are used by fewer than 2 percent of households in the county. She said 32 percent of the voucher holders are elderly and another 32 percent are disabled.Van Arsdale said those in the county with housing vouchers are currently clustered in sections of the county where housing costs are lowest and poverty concentration is highest.“Without competition in the marketplace, people will remain trapped in the same places, areas of poverty will remain unchanged and grinding disinvestment will continue,” Van Arsdale said in her remarks. "But probably the most important fact is that by discriminating against poorer families, we may be denying their children the opportunity to better their lives and to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty.”Opponents of the bill claim that it will mandate participation and lead to more paperwork and manpower along with additional costs and inspections for landlords.Councilman David Marks, a Perry Hall Republican, has his own concerns about the bill.“Throughout the day, I kept hearing about 'deconcentrating poverty,' which means placing the poor in rentals in places like Perry Hall and White Marsh,” Marks said. “The goal should be to eliminate poverty, and to lift everyone up by supporting job creation, training and education.”Under the terms of the settlement, if the bill fails but gains three votes, the council must reconsider the bill next year. However, if the bill gets two or fewer votes, it will not have to be reintroduced until after the 2018 elections.The council is expected to vote Aug. 1 on the bill.Get the WBAL-TV News App