A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning labor and safety.
HB 1128 expands Indiana’s fair housing law to add three protected categories in housing-related transactions: source of income, active duty military status, and veteran status. The bill defines “source of income” to include federal housing vouchers under Section 8 and similar federal, state, local, or nonprofit rental assistance, including rental subsidies and vouchers. It also cross-references existing Indiana law for the definitions of active duty and veteran.
The bill then amends multiple sections of the Indiana fair housing code to prohibit discrimination in the sale, rental, advertising, financing, appraisal, brokerage, and access to real-estate services and organizations. It also extends the law’s anti-intimidation provision to cover these new protected categories. The bill is set to take effect July 1, 2026.
HB 1128 would amend Indiana Code chapter 22-9.5, the state fair housing statute, by adding source of income, active duty status, and veteran status to the list of protected characteristics in housing. This would affect landlords, sellers, real estate brokers, lenders, appraisers, housing advertisers, and related organizations by making it unlawful to deny housing or housing-related services based on a tenant’s voucher or assistance income, military service, or veteran status. It would also create a clearer statutory basis for enforcement of housing discrimination claims involving housing assistance and military-connected individuals.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a civil-rights and housing-access measure with an expansion of existing fair housing protections. The overall posture of the bill is protective and remedial, aimed at preventing discrimination against voucher holders and members of the military community. No formal opposition or support is documented in the provided context, so sentiment cannot be assessed from debate history beyond the bill’s apparent policy intent.
The most likely points of contention are the new protections for source of income and the practical effect on landlords and property owners, especially regarding housing vouchers and other rental subsidies. Supporters would likely view the bill as expanding housing access for low-income renters, service members, and veterans, while critics may argue it imposes additional regulatory burdens or limits private housing-market discretion. Because no committee transcript or vote record is provided, specific arguments by legislators or stakeholders are not available.