IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 714 

Supporting the goals and ideals of the Fair Housing Act and Fair Housing 

Month, which includes bringing attention to the discrimination faced 

by minority populations in the United States in housing and housingrelated transactions on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, 

familial status, disability, and religion. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 29, 2016 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. LEE, 

Mr. LEWIS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. HONDA, Mr. 

BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ELLISON, and Mr. HASTINGS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of the Fair Housing Act 

and Fair Housing Month, which includes bringing attention to the discrimination faced by minority populations 

in the United States in housing and housing-related 

transactions on the basis of race, color, national origin, 

sex, familial status, disability, and religion. 

Whereas April 11, 2016, marked the 48th anniversary of the 

enactment of the Fair Housing Act (title VIII of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1968; Public Law 90–284); 


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•HRES 714 IH 

Whereas September 13, 2016, marks the 28th anniversary of 

the enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 

1988 (Public Law 100–430); 

Whereas the Chicago Freedom Movement, led by the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., expanded the 

fight for civil rights from the South to the North, raised 

the national consciousness about housing discrimination, 

and shaped the debate that led to the landmark fair 

housing legislation that is the Fair Housing Act; 

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 and one white—separate and unequal’’; 

Whereas Congress passed the Fair Housing Act as part of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1968, and President Lyndon B. 

Johnson signed the Act into law on April 11, 1968, one 

week after the assassination of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.; 

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, the Congress amended the Fair 

Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of 

sex; 

Whereas the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, passed 

by overwhelming margins in Congress, included protection on the basis of familial status and disability, created 

an important enforcement mechanism, and expanded the 

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•HRES 714 IH 

clude interference and intimidation, requiring the Department of Housing and Urban Development to issue regulations to implement and interpret the Fair Housing Act 

and report annually to the Congress on the nature and 

extent of housing discrimination; 

Whereas the intent of the Congress 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 where one lives affects educational attainment, employment opportunities, access to healthcare, and home 

equity; 

Whereas the majority of Americans support neighborhood integration, and numerous studies have shown the universal benefits of residential integration; 

Whereas more than 4,000,000 violations of fair housing laws 

still occur each year against people of all protected classes, and 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; 

Whereas less than 1 percent of violations of fair housing laws 

are reported each year; 

Whereas fair housing centers funded by Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) are the front line in the effort to 

resolve housing discrimination; 

Whereas in 2015, approximately 27,600 housing discrimination complaints were filed, of which 19,400 complaints 

were resolved by fair housing centers; 

Whereas the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) provides fair housing grants annually on a noncompetitive 

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•HRES 714 IH 

cies, which are used for complaint processing, administrative costs, special enforcement efforts, training, and other 

projects designed to enhance the agencies’ administration 

and enforcement of their fair housing laws; 

Whereas fair housing education and enforcement play a pivotal role in increasing housing choice and minority homeownership and combating predatory lending; 

Whereas the Fair Housing Act is an essential component of 

our Nation’s civil rights legislation; and 

Whereas the month of April 2016 is officially celebrated as 

Fair Housing Month: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the significance of Fair Housing 

3 Month; 

4 (2) upon the occasions of the 48th anniversary 

5 of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act and the 

6 28th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Hous7 ing Amendments Act of 1988, supports the goals 

8 and ideals of such Acts and of Fair Housing Month; 

9 (3) supports activities to recognize and cele10 brate the important historical milestones represented 

11 by the anniversaries of the enactment of such Acts; 

12 and 

13 (4) encourages all people and levels of govern14 ment to rededicate themselves to the enforcement 

15 and the ideals of fair housing laws. 

Æ 


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