At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman introduced a bill on Tuesday that would increase penalties for landlords who refuse to rent to people who use federal rental assistance vouchers (previously called Section 8 vouchers) to pay their rent.

It’s already technically illegal for landlords to discriminate against renters based on their “source of income,” according to the D.C. Human Rights Act. That includes people whose source of income is housing vouchers. But still, flagrant discrimination in housing ads is rampant in the District.

A WUSA9 investigation found more than 100 Craigslist ads in the District with language like “No housing vouchers” or “Vouchers not accepted” written plainly in the description. In November, the D.C. Attorney General’s office sued two affiliated real estate companies in the District for allegedly discriminating against recipients of housing vouchers in their rental process. The companies allegedly explicitly stated in their online advertisements that they did not accept housing vouchers, and did not schedule viewings for people who said in their rental applications that they planned to pay with a voucher.

Silverman’s bill would increase penalties for any landlord who violates the D.C. Human Rights Act and “advertises their intent” to discriminate against housing voucher holders, according to an informational memo from Silverman’s office.The District already outlaws this kind of advertisement, the memo says, but “the problem is that not all voucher holders know it’s illegal to discriminate against them, so they read these advertisements and do not apply for the housing.”

The legislation would require the payment of a fine to the Office of Human Rights—$10,000 for the first violation, $15,000 for the second, and $20,000 for every subsequent violation, according to the text of the bill as introduced.

“This legislation gives the Office of Human Rights an additional tool to fight property owners who blatantly advertise their intention to violate District law and discriminate against our residents,” Silverman writes in the memo.

At-Large Councilmembers David Grosso and Anita Bonds, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen co-introduced the measure. Five more councilmembers co-sponsored the bill, including Ward 4’s Brandon Todd, who chairs the Committee on Government Operations, where the bill was directed.

The bill currently has the support of a majority of the D.C. Council.