III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 503 

Recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act 

and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 3, 2008 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. DODD, Mr. 

BROWN, and Mr. VOINOVICH) submitted the following resolution; which 

was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of the Fair 

Housing Act and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. 

Whereas 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the enactment 

of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.); 

Whereas 2008 also marks the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 

(Public Law 100–430; 102 Stat. 1619); 

Whereas the Chicago Freedom Movement, which took place 

from 1965 to 1967 and was led by the Reverend Doctor 

Martin Luther King, Jr., raised the national consciousness about housing discrimination and shaped the debate 

that led to landmark fair housing legislation; 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
2 

•SRES 503 ATS 

Whereas the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and 

commonly known as the Kerner Commission, found in 

1968 that ‘‘[o]ur nation is moving toward two societies, 

one black, one white—separate and unequal’’; 

Whereas Congress passed the Fair Housing Act as part of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Public Law 90–284; 82 

Stat. 73), and President Johnson signed the Act into law 

on April 11, 1968, one week after the assassination of 

Dr. King; 

Whereas the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in 

housing and housing-related transactions on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, and religion; 

Whereas, in section 808 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (Public Law 93–383; 88 Stat. 

728), Congress amended the Fair Housing Act to include 

protection on the basis of sex; 

Whereas the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (Public 

Law 100–430; 102 Stat. 1619), passed by overwhelming 

margins in Congress, included protection on the basis of 

familial status and disability and expanded the definition 

of ‘‘discriminatory housing practices’’ to include interference and intimidation; 

Whereas Congress’s intent in passing the Fair Housing Act 

was broad and inclusive, to advance equal opportunity in 

housing and achieve racial integration for the benefit of 

all people in the United States; 

Whereas housing integration affects other dimensions of life, 

including educational attainment, employment opportunities, access to health care, and home equity; 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
3 

•SRES 503 ATS 

Whereas the majority of people in the United States support 

neighborhood integration and numerous studies have 

shown the universal benefits of residential integration; 

Whereas the National Fair Housing Alliance estimates that 

3,700,000 violations of fair housing laws still occur each 

year against African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and American Indians, and that number does not 

include violations that occur on the basis of other national origins, religion, sex, or familial status or against 

persons with disabilities; 

Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that only 1 percent of individuals who believe they are victims of housing discrimination report 

those violations of fair housing laws to the government, 

and this underreporting is a major obstacle to achieving 

equal opportunity in housing; 

Whereas testing of the enforcement of fair housing laws continues to uncover a high rate of discrimination in the 

rental, sales, mortgage lending, and insurance markets; 

and 

Whereas the Fair Housing Act is an essential component of 

our Nation’s civil rights legislation: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary 

3 of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) and the 20th anniversary of the 

5 enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 

6 1988 (Public Law 100–430; 102 Stat. 1619); 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
4 

•SRES 503 ATS 

1 (2) supports activities to recognize and cele2 brate the historical milestone represented by the an3 niversaries of the enactment of the Fair Housing 

4 Act and the enactment of the Fair Housing Amend5 ments Act of 1988; and 

6 (3) encourages all levels of government to re7 dedicate themselves to the enforcement and the 

8 ideals of fair housing laws. 

Æ 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS