Kansas Lawmakers Consider HB 2504 and SB 391 to Protect Rental Housing

Urgent –  Protect Your Property Rights – Support SB 391

More about HB2504 and SB391

Many thanks to Ed Jaskinia for representing our industry and Stacey Johnson-Cosby for keeping us up to date and in the loop at MAREI

A critical bill is moving through the Kansas Legislature that will determine whether housing providers can continue to operate without a growing patchwork of local mandates. SB 391 (the Source of Income Bill) seeks to ensure that state law—not dozens of conflicting local rules—governs the private rental market.

What is SB 391?

This legislation (click to review) ensures that participation in housing assistance programs (including Section 8) remains voluntary across Kansas and that our screening practices continue to be allowed.

(Agenda for the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs March 5th)

The bill ensures:

• Any government and all housing assistance programs (including Section 8) remain voluntary.

• Property Managers can continue using standard screening tools that have worked for our businesses for years. Otherwise, cities could restrict your ability to consider or use eviction history, credit report/scores, property damage history, criminal history, etc. (see #2 in the bill text).

• State law — not dozens of local rules — governs security deposits and preserves private property rights in a sale.

Why Your Voice Matters Right Now

The Senate has already passed this bill 31-7, and it is now headed for a House Committee Hearing on Thursday, March 5th.

Legislators have reported hearing from tenant advocacy groups in droves, but they haven’t heard from the “other side of the coin” in a significant way. They need to hear from housing providers of all sizes—from individual owners to large property management firms and Realtors—to understand the real-world impact of these policies.

Step 1: Take Action: Submit Your Written Testimony 

Please send your written testimony in support of SB 391. See customizable template below. It must be in PDF format. You may submit as an individual or on behalf of your professional organization.

Step 2: Submission Requirements:

• Deadline: Wednesday, March 4th by 12:00pm

• Format: Your testimony MUST be in PDF format.

• Send Email to: [email protected]

• Subject Line: Support SB 391 – [Your Name] – [Your City].

Pro-Tips 

• Use the below template as a starting point, feel free to add a few sentences describing the specific impact this legislation has on your business.

• Personalized messages carry the most weight with committee members.

• For the best chance of being read, send your testimony as a PDF attachment to an email, or via an official web form, while placing a summary in the email body.

• Due to cybersecurity rules, legislative offices often cannot open attachments or links, but PDF ensures formatting is preserved.

• Keep written testimony to one page and include your name, address, and bill number.

• Name it Bill Number – Support – Your Name

These letters go a long way in helping get a bill passed—every submission strengthens our industry’s voice and demonstrates unified, broad support for SB 391 before legislators.

Please Cut & Paste and customize before emailing:

(click here to download a copy from Google Drive

Make your edits, safe as a pdf and attached to your email.)

Hello Chair and Members of the Committee,

My name is [Name], and I am a [Property Manager, Realtor, Investor] & housing provider in [City] responsible for [X] rental units.

I support SB 391 because consistent statewide housing policy and reasonable screening tools help keep me as a (small) housing provider in the market, and housing available.

The bill helps ensure:

• Government and all housing assistance programs (including Section 8) remain voluntary

• Property Managers can continue using standard screening tools that have worked for our businesses for years

• State law — not dozens of local rules — governs security deposits and certain housing requirements

When regulations become unpredictable and goes against standard business practices, many housing providers often exit the market. That means less housing is available. We want to preserve and create more housing.

Thank you for helping protect housing availability in Kansas.

— [Your Full Name]

Address [home or business in Kansas]

Optional: [Share your contact information, if you’d like]