I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2542 

To provide protection for survivors of domestic violence or sexual violence 

under the Fair Housing Act. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 14, 2021 

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (for herself, Mr. CARSON, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 

KUSTER, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. 

OMAR, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. 

JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. COOPER, Ms. LEE

of California, Mr. TORRES of New York, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. RASKIN, Mrs. 

WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. 

HORSFORD, Ms. ROSS, and Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To provide protection for survivors of domestic violence or 

sexual violence under the Fair Housing Act. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fair Housing for Do5 mestic Violence and Sexual Violence Survivors Act of 

6 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) Cities, towns, and rural communities in the 

4 United States continue to face enormous challenges 

5 regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, sex traf6 ficking, dating violence, stalking, and other forms of 

7 intimate partner and gender-based violence. 

8 (2) One in 3 women have experienced rape, 

9 physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner 

10 in their lifetime. 

11 (3) Approximately 7,000,000 women are raped 

12 or physically assaulted by a current or former inti13 mate partner each year. 

14 (4) Among women experiencing sex trafficking, 

15 many of their traffickers are also their intimate 

16 partners. 

17 (5) Each day, an average of 3 women are killed 

18 by a current or former partner. 

19 (6) Researchers estimate that domestic violence 

20 costs employers up to $13,000,000,000 each year. 

21 (7) A fundamental component of ending domes22 tic and sexual violence is securing safe and afford23 able housing for victims. 

24 (8) Research indicates that— 


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1 (A) nearly 50 percent of all homeless 

2 women report that domestic violence was the 

3 immediate cause of their homelessness; 

4 (B) 92 percent of homeless women report 

5 having experienced severe physical or sexual vi6 olence at some point in their lives, including 

7 sexual exploitation and trafficking; 

8 (C) victims become homeless as a result of 

9 sexual assault, and once homeless, are vulner10 able to further sexual victimization and exploi11 tation including sex trafficking; 

12 (D) women of color in the lowest income 

13 category experience 6 times the rate of nonfatal 

14 intimate partner violence compared to white 

15 women in the highest income category; 

16 (E) poor women of color, domestic violence 

17 victims, and women with children have a high 

18 risk of eviction; 

19 (F) vulnerable women are also at risk of 

20 sex trafficking and exploitation by landlords 

21 who pressure them for sex in exchange for rent 

22 or a delay in rent payments; and 

23 (G) approximately 38 percent of all victims 

24 of domestic violence become homeless at some 

25 point in their life. 


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1 (9) Surveys show that a majority of victims who 

2 experience a sexual assault in their home do not re3 locate to a safe environment because they do not 

4 have sufficient funds and are not aware of better op5 tions. 

6 (10) Domestic and sexual violence victims often 

7 find themselves trapped in homes where they are 

8 further victimized by caregivers, parents, siblings, 

9 landlords, intimate partners, neighbors, or others in 

10 or near their home. Economic insecurity and the 

11 trauma that often follows sexual violence make it 

12 difficult, if not impossible, for many victims to ac13 cess safe, affordable housing options for themselves 

14 and their families. 

15 (11) Domestic and sexual violence victims con16 tinue to face discrimination in securing and main17 taining housing based on their status as victims and 

18 as a result of crimes committed against them. 

19 (12) Research by the Attorney General of the 

20 State of New York found that 67 percent of domes21 tic violence victims reported that discrimination by 

22 landlords is a significant obstacle in obtaining hous23 ing. 

24 (13) Research also shows that victims of domes25 tic violence or sexual assault are commonly denied 


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1 housing opportunities if a previous residence of the 

2 victim was a domestic violence shelter, if the victim 

3 has secured a protective order, or if there is other 

4 evidence that the victim has experienced a previous 

5 domestic violence incident. 

6 (14) Studies show that victims of domestic vio7 lence or sexual assault often face eviction based on 

8 a single domestic violence incident. 

9 (15) Victims of sex trafficking face additional 

10 challenges in obtaining and maintaining housing due 

11 to criminal records incurred as a direct result of 

12 their exploitation. 

13 (16) It is in the public interest to ensure that 

14 victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, sex traf15 ficking, dating violence, stalking, and other forms of 

16 intimate partner and gender-based violence are not 

17 discriminated against, particularly with respect to 

18 housing, based on their status as victims or the 

19 crimes committed against them. 

20 (17) Nothing in this Act should be interpreted 

21 to limit the ability of victims of domestic violence or 

22 sexual violence to recover for claims of discrimina23 tion on the basis of sex or race under the Fair 

24 Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), including 

25 with respect to failure to conform to gender stereoVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 May 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2542.IH H2542

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1 types or policies that disproportionately affect 

2 women. 

3 SEC. 3. SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR SEXUAL 

4 ASSAULT AS PROTECTED CLASS UNDER THE 

5 FAIR HOUSING ACT. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 

7 3601 et seq.) is amended— 

8 (1) in section 802 (42 U.S.C. 3602), by adding 

9 at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(p) ‘Domestic violence’— 

11 ‘‘(1) has the meaning given the term in section 

12 40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 

13 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a)); and 

14 ‘‘(2) includes— 

15 ‘‘(A) dating violence and stalking, as de16 fined in such section 40002(a); and 

17 ‘‘(B) threatened domestic violence. 

18 ‘‘(q) ‘Sexual assault’— 

19 ‘‘(1) has the meaning given the term in section 

20 40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 

21 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a)); and 

22 ‘‘(2) includes threatened sexual assault. 

23 ‘‘(r) ‘Sex trafficking’ has the meaning given the term 

24 in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act 

25 of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102(12)). 


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1 ‘‘(s) ‘Coercion’ has the meaning given the term in sec2 tion 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 

3 (22 U.S.C. 7102(3).’’; 

4 (2) in section 804 (42 U.S.C. 3604)— 

5 (A) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, or be6 cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio7 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking’’ before 

8 the period at the end; 

9 (B) in subsection (b), by inserting, ‘‘, or 

10 because the person is a survivor of domestic vio11 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking’’ before 

12 the period at the end; 

13 (C) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘or na14 tional origin’’ and inserting, ‘‘national origin, or 

15 whether a person is a survivor of domestic vio16 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking’’; 

17 (D) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘, or 

18 because the person is a survivor of domestic vio19 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking,’’ after 

20 ‘‘national origin’’; and 

21 (E) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘, or of 

22 a person or persons who are survivors of domes23 tic violence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking’’ 

24 before the period at the end; 

25 (3) in section 805 (42 U.S.C. 3605)— 


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1 (A) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, or be2 cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio3 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking’’ before 

4 the period at the end; and 

5 (B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘or fa6 milial status’’ and inserting ‘‘familial status, or 

7 whether a person is a survivor of domestic vio8 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking’’; 

9 (4) in section 806 (42 U.S.C. 3606), by striking 

10 ‘‘or national origin’’ and inserting ‘‘national origin, 

11 or whether a person is a survivor of domestic vio12 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking’’; 

13 (5) in section 807 (42 U.S.C. 3607), by adding 

14 at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(c) Nothing in this title shall prohibit Federal, 

16 State, or local governmental or other assistance or a pref17 erence program designed to assist or benefit domestic vio18 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking survivors in seek19 ing, securing, or maintaining dwellings, shelters, or any 

20 other form of housing, including associated notices, state21 ments, or advertisements.’’; and 

22 (6) in section 808(e)(6) (42 U.S.C. 3608(e)(6)), 

23 by inserting ‘‘status as a survivor of domestic vio24 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking,’’ after 

25 ‘‘handicap,’’. 


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1 (b) PREVENTION OF INTIMIDATION IN FAIR HOUS2 ING CASES.—The Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

3 1301 et seq.) is amended— 

4 (1) in section 901 (42 U.S.C. 3631)— 

5 (A) in the paragraph preceding subsection 

6 (a), by inserting ‘‘or coercion’’ after ‘‘threat of 

7 force’’; 

8 (B) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, or be9 cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio10 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking,’’ after 

11 ‘‘national origin’’; 

12 (C) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘or 

13 because the person is a survivor of domestic vio14 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking,’’ after 

15 ‘‘national origin,’’; and 

16 (D) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘or be17 cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio18 lence, sexual assault, or sex trafficking,’’ after 

19 ‘‘national origin,’’; and 

20 (2) by inserting after section 901 the following: 

21 ‘‘DEFINITIONS

22 ‘‘SEC. 902. In this title, the terms ‘domestic violence’, 

23 ‘sexual assault’, ‘sex trafficking’, and ‘coercion’ have the 

24 meanings given those terms in section 802.’’. 

Æ 


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