On May 7, 2025, the Missouri Legislature passed House Bill 595, a bill that prevents cities like Kansas City from forcing private landlords to accept housing vouchers or alternative forms of payment such as gig work income or disability assistance. This law also blocks local governments from restricting how landlords conduct background checks and other due diligence during tenant screening.
This legislation was promoted by housing providers and real estate professionals in response to the 2024 Kansas City ordinance (No. 231019) that made “source of income” a protected class and required participation in housing voucher programs.
SENATE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NOS. 595 & 343
You can read the full Substitute for House Bills NOS 595 & 343 by clicing here
The basic text you need to see:
The basic text of HB 595 is as follows:
1. No county or city, or county or city with a charter form of government may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance or resolution which regulates the amount of rent to be charged for privately-owned, single-family, or multiple-unit residential or commercial rental property.
2. No county or city, or county or city with a charter form of government, shall enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance or resolution that:
- (1) Prohibits landlords from refusing to lease or rent a privately owned, single-family, or multiple-unit residential or commercial rental property to a person because the person’s lawful source of income to pay rent includes funding from a federal orother housing assistance program;
- (2) Restricts a landlord’s ability to use or consider income-qualifying methods, credit scores, credit reports, eviction or property damage history, or criminal history, according to such landlord’s own customarily applied criteria, or prohibits landlords from requesting such information, to determine whether to rent or lease a property to a prospective tenant;
- (3) Limits the amount of security deposit a landlord may require from a prospective tenant; or
- (4) Requires tenants to automatically receive the right of first refusal.
3. This section shall not be construed as prohibiting any county or city, or any authority created by a county or city for that purpose, from: (1) Regulating in any way property belonging to that city, county, or authority;(2) Entering into voluntary agreements with private persons which regulate the amount of rent charged for subsidized rental properties; or (3) Enacting ordinances or resolutions restricting rent for properties assisted with community development block grant funds.
4. Nothing in this section shall prevent a county or city, or county or city with a charter form of government, from enacting, maintaining, or enforcing an ordinance or resolution that prohibits a landlord from discriminating against a tenant or prospective tenant solely on the basis that such tenant is arecipient of veterans’ benefits.
What HB 595 Actually Does
While we have to wait until it takes effect in August, once it does the bill prohibits any Missouri city or county from enacting ordinances that:
✔️ Force landlords to accept housing vouchers or any third-party rent payments
✔️ Restrict how landlords screen tenants, including credit, eviction, or criminal history
✔️ Cap the amount of security deposits
✔️ Require a right of first refusal to be offered to tenants
✔️ Implement rent control on privately owned residential or commercial property
It still allows:
✔️ Local control over public housing or city-owned properties
✔️ Voluntary agreements to regulate subsidized properties
✔️ Source of income protections related only to veterans’ benefits
Why It Matters
Kansas City’s “Source of Income” ordinance was intended to expand housing access — but it had unintended consequences for the very people who provide affordable housing.
Landlords were not only forced into government programs like Section 8, they also had to navigate additional layers of paperwork, delayed inspections, and inconsistent payments — all while being stripped of their ability to screen tenants using their usual standards.
For small, mom-and-pop landlords, it was unsustainable. Some left the market entirely, reducing the housing supply and creating exactly the type of affordability crisis the ordinance claimed to solve.
A Political Journey: From Exclusion to Full Coverage
When the bill was first considered by the Missouri Senate in March, Senator Patty Lewis of Kansas City inserted a provision exempting part of Kansas City (Jackson County) from the protections of the bill. However, during Conference Committee, that exemption was removed.
“When the Bill came back up for final consideration in the Senate on May 7, 2025, there was a long debate during which Sen. Lewis made a motion to send the Bill back to Conference,”
Stone noted.“Her motion failed 22-8, and the Bill moved forward and was passed in its final form by a vote of 23-10.”
What Happens Now?
Once signed by Governor Mike Kehoe, HB 595 will go into effect on August 28, 2025, 90 days after the close of the legislative session.
But enforcement of Kansas City’s Source of Income ordinance is already limited due to a federal lawsuit.
In Jones & Vogel v. City of Kansas City, Missouri, two local housing providers filed suit arguing that forcing landlords to accept Section 8 vouchers violates their constitutional rights. They highlighted that participation in the Section 8 program is voluntary under federal law and that mandated acceptance comes with burdensome regulations and government inspections.
On February 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark granted a preliminary injunction, blocking enforcement of the ordinance as it relates to Section 8 vouchers. That injunction remains in effect while the lawsuit proceeds — and it’s likely to influence how other parts of the ordinance are interpreted moving forward.
➡️ Until August 28, Kansas City’s Source of Income ordinance technically remains in place, but the city cannot enforce it against landlords who decline Section 8 due to the federal injunction.
MAREI will continue to monitor both the legal case and the implementation of HB 595, and we’ll keep our members updated as new developments unfold.
Final Thoughts from MAREI
This legislation isn’t about discrimination — that’s already covered by federal law. It’s about protecting housing providers from being forced into contractual relationships with government programs they didn’t agree to join.
At MAREI, we believe in fair housing, responsible screening, and protecting the people who provide homes for our communities. HB 595 restores balance, especially for the small operators who make up the backbone of Missouri’s rental market.
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