Baltimore City Council members are considering legislation that would enable increased oversight of abusive and negligent landlords — and would revoke rental licenses specifically for those who retaliate against undocumented immigrants.

The Rental Dwelling Health and Safety Enforcement Act builds upon the previously enacted Strengthening Renters’ Safety Act, which City Council President Zeke Cohen championed during his tenure as a council member. The existing “anti-slumlord” law applies to housing providers with at least 20 units and seeks to penalize the city’s most notable offenders.

The supplemental bill, sponsored by City Councilwoman Odette Ramos, would apply to landlords big and small and “takes enforcement to the next level,” she said at a Tuesday night hearing in City Hall.

With fewer than half of Baltimore’s rental units properly licensed, Ramos — donning an “ICE OUT” button — said the proposal closes glaring loopholes in the system and would ensure no bad actor, regardless of size, slips through the cracks.

“Improvements need to be made,” Ramos said. Those who take advantage of the law, she added, “should not be doing business in Baltimore.”

The legislation comes as the city ramps up its existing tenant safety measures and prepares for possible heightened ICE activity in and around Baltimore. Ramos, a longtime housing policy wonk who was born in Puerto Rico, said current laws don’t do enough to force landlords into compliance.

The act is wide-ranging and mainly requires property owners and landlords who flout health and safety standards to make changes or face the loss of their licenses, which are needed to charge and collect rent as well as file for eviction.

It also asks the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development to conduct audits of existing licenses to check for instances of fraud; force egregious violators into court-ordered receivership, which could result in the loss of a property; require landlords to provide additional identifying information during the licensing process; and mandate that property management staff take customer service training courses.

Ramos said the ICE provision stems from concerns that some renters might refrain from speaking out for fear of endangering their households. The bill would penalize those who disclose or threaten to disclose information about the immigration or citizenship status of a tenant or prospective tenant, as well as those who seek to evict someone based on their immigration or citizenship status.

Kathy Howard, an attorney who testified on behalf of the Maryland Multi-Housing Association and Regional Management, Inc., said landlords and property owners are generally in favor of the bill but want to work collaboratively to get the proposal to its best version.

“We want to make sure what we’re doing will actually benefit tenants and actual landlords,” Howard said.

Energized boosters, some wearing matching T-shirts, packed into council chambers Tuesday night in support of the bill, which many cheered as a long-awaited additive to the city’s current oversight process. Several speakers testified before council members that despite multiple complaints to code enforcers and even to state government officials, their housing problems often go unresolved.

Some shared stories about instances of harassment and retaliation by landlords. Others detailed experiences in subpar housing, including heat and cooling deficiencies, electrical hazards, mold and asbestos.

Some city residents live in “conditions you wouldn’t put your dog in,” said Heather Murphy, who lives in Northeast Baltimore. It’s clear, Murphy said, that city officials don’t have the bandwidth to respond to every complaint.

“Close this loophole,” Murphy said to council members. “They won’t stop until you stop them.”

City officials, including outgoing housing commissioner Alice Kennedy, said more review would be necessary to assess the cost of implementation, which was expected to be “considerable.” Ramos acknowledged the potential difficulties.

“If the money isn’t there,” added City Councilman Jermaine Jones, “I would hope to find a way to make it there.”