The Republican majority in the state Assembly has passed a bill that Democrats say will erode the rights of tenants in disputes with landlords.
The bill has strong support from landlords and the real estate industry. It gives landlords more power to carry out evictions and allows them to hold tenants more responsible for damage that occurs in a rental unit. The bill passed on a party line vote after Democrats spent an hour arguing against it.
Democratic Rep. Leon Young of Milwaukee says one provision in the bill that worries him the most would allow evictions to take place without the presence of law enforcement officers to prevent violence. “Whenever someone is evicted it's always very emotional,” he said, “and we think by having law enforcement there we are preventing confrontation, we are preventing fights, and in some cases it might be gun play.”
Another provision of the bill that has prompted strong opposition is one that will allow landlords to hold tenants liable for repairs that the landlord could have prevented by better maintenance. Madison Democrat Chris Taylor says that rewards landlords for not taking care of their properties. “It's patently unfair to tenants. It makes no sense. It lets landlords actually be negligent in not taking problems that if they took care of wouldn't lead to damages. Instead the burden becomes one on the tenant.”
The bill heads back to the state Senate now, as the Assembly version includes some changes that Democrats actually support, including one that would protect crime victims from being evicted simply because they were victimized in their rental unit.
