IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 337 

Promoting and supporting the goals and ideals of the Fair Housing Act 

and recognizing April 2023 as ‘‘Fair Housing Month’’, which includes 

bringing attention to the discrimination faced by everyday Americans 

in the United States in housing and housing-related transactions on 

the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender 

identity, familial status, disability, and religion. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 28, 2023 

Mr. GREEN of Texas (for himself, Ms. WATERS, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, 

Ms. NORTON, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mrs. BEATTY, 

Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. TRONE, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. BROWN, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 

CROCKETT, Mr. CARSON, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Ms. GARCIA of 

Texas, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, and Mr. EVANS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Promoting and supporting the goals and ideals of the Fair 

Housing Act and recognizing April 2023 as ‘‘Fair Housing Month’’, which includes bringing attention to the 

discrimination faced by everyday Americans in the 

United States in housing and housing-related transactions on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, 

sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status, disability, and religion. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HRES 337 IH 

Whereas April 11, 2023, marks the 55th anniversary of the 

date of enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, title 

VIII of which (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) is commonly 

known as the Fair Housing Act; 

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 Act; 

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

commonly known as the Kerner Commission, found on 

February 29, 1968, that ‘‘our 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 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 

International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights recognize adequate housing as a human 

right; 

Whereas the original Fair Housing Act prohibited discrimination in housing and housing-related transactions on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, and religion; 

Whereas the mission statement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reflects a commitVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR337.IH HR337

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HRES 337 IH 

ment to ‘‘build inclusive and sustainable communities free 

from discrimination’’; 

Whereas, in section 808 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (Public Law 93–383), Congress 

amended the Fair Housing Act to include protection on 

the basis of sex, including gender identity and sexual orientation; 

Whereas September 13, 2023, will mark the 35th anniversary 

of the congressional passage of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988; 

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 

definition of ‘‘discriminatory housing practices’’ to include interference and intimidation, requiring HUD to 

issue regulations to implement and interpret the Fair 

Housing Act and report annually to Congress on the nature and extent of housing discrimination; 

Whereas the intent of 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 the intent of Congress in passing the Fair Housing 

Act was to prohibit discrimination in all housing and 

housing-related transactions, including policies or practices that appear superficially neutral, but have a discriminatory effect on protected classes; 

Whereas the Supreme Court has reaffirmed the use of the 

disparate impact doctrine to challenge policies or pracVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Apr 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR337.IH HR337

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HRES 337 IH 

tices that have a discriminatory effect on protected classes; 

Whereas the majority of large metropolitan areas in the 

United States are more racially segregated today than in 

1990; 

Whereas research shows that, in some cases, the placement 

of housing funded through the Low-Income Housing Tax 

Credit program, which is the single largest source of Federal funding for the creation of affordable housing in the 

United States, further entrenches racial residential segregation, despite the Fair Housing Act requiring that 

Federal housing funds be used to affirmatively undo patterns of residential segregation; 

Whereas fair housing testing has revealed that discrimination 

on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity exists and that fair housing protections must be extended 

to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 

(LGBTQ+) community; 

Whereas same-sex couples are 73 percent more likely to be 

denied a home mortgage compared to heterosexual couples, and when same-sex couples are approved, they pay 

an average of $86,000,000 more in combined annual interest and fees; 

Whereas fair housing testing has revealed that discrimination 

exists against people who use public housing assistance, 

including support from the Housing Choice Voucher and 

Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing programs and other 

sources of income, and that fair housing protections 

against source-of-income discrimination must be provided 

to all people; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HRES 337 IH 

Whereas the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and 

Housing Trust Fund already prohibit the refusal of housing funded through such programs to Housing Choice 

Voucher holders or individuals receiving rental assistance 

through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program; 

Whereas there continues to be widespread discrimination in 

the housing industry against Black, Latinx, and AsianAmerican home buyers by real estate agents; 

Whereas owner-occupied homes located in majority-Black 

neighborhoods are undervalued by approximately 

$162,000,000,000 when compared to owner-occupied 

homes in similarly situated communities that have very 

few or no Black residents; 

Whereas the average home in a White neighborhood is valued 

2 times higher than comparable homes in Black and 

Latinx neighborhoods, even after controlling for neighborhood characteristics; 

Whereas 92.4 percent of appraisers identify as White and 

54.5 percent identify as male, compared to the total 

United States population that identifies as 59.3 percent 

White and 49.5 percent male; 

Whereas more than 71 percent of people experiencing homelessness in the United States are Black, Latinx, Asian 

American, Indigenous, or otherwise non-White despite 

making up just over 43 percent of the total population 

of the United States; 

Whereas an individual’s housing conditions impacts their 

health, educational attainment level, employment opportunities, exposure to the adverse effects of climate 

change, and personal wealth; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HRES 337 IH 

Whereas borrowers of color lack equal access to quality and 

affordable credit compared to similarly situated White 

borrowers; 

Whereas research shows that Black and Latinx borrowers 

pay $765,000,000 more in combined mortgage interest 

each year compared to similarly situated White borrowers 

due to discriminatory factors in mortgage lending by the 

government-sponsored housing finance enterprises; 

Whereas the 2020 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data show 

that the majority of loans purchased by the governmentsponsored housing finance enterprises primarily served 

higher income, White borrowers in wealthier, majorityWhite neighborhoods; 

Whereas Black and Latinx borrowers are more likely to receive mortgage loans through the Federal Housing Administration, even when they qualify for conventional 

lending options that may offer more affordable terms; 

Whereas research shows that algorithmic bias and discrimination exist in online housing platforms, automated valuation models, and lending that use artificial intelligence 

for advertising and decisionmaking purposes, and there is 

an urgent need to eliminate individual bias that enters 

into the development of artificial intelligence systems and 

systemic bias through the use of inappropriate or historically biased data; 

Whereas the majority of Americans support neighborhood integration and numerous studies have shown the universal 

benefits of residential integration; 

Whereas reports indicate there are more than 4,000,000 violations of fair housing laws each year against people of 

all protected classes, and fair housing testing continues 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HRES 337 IH 

to uncover a high rate of discrimination in the rental, 

sales, mortgage lending, and insurance markets; 

Whereas 68,000,000 adults in the United States believe they 

have experienced unequal treatment in their housing 

search due to their status as a member of a protected 

class under the Fair Housing Act; 

Whereas less than 1 percent of fair housing violations are reported each year; 

Whereas private nonprofit fair housing organizations funded 

by the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) serve 

as the front line in the effort to resolve housing discrimination and train local housing providers on how to comply with the Fair Housing Act; 

Whereas, in 2021, there were a total of 31,216 housing discrimination complaints reported nationwide, an 8.7-percent increase over the number of complaints filed in 

2020, despite there being less FHIP organizations available to process such complaints; 

Whereas the Fair Housing Assistance Program funds State 

as well as local civil and human rights enforcement agencies to investigate and process housing discrimination 

complaints, conduct special enforcement projects, and 

take part in training and other projects designed to enhance the agency’s administration and enforcement of 

fair housing laws; 

Whereas while our Nation has made great strides in eliminating housing discrimination, families with children, 

women, people with disabilities, people of color, religious 

minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and lowincome people receiving public assistance, among others, 

still face discriminatory barriers to housing; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HRES 337 IH 

Whereas fair housing education and enforcement play a pivotal role in increasing housing choice and homeownership 

opportunities for members of protected classes and combating predatory lending; 

Whereas, amid a global health and economic crisis, housing 

discrimination against health care workers and people 

who have been infected by the coronavirus, or are perceived as having been infected, is contributing to increased evictions and hate crimes; 

Whereas systemic health and economic disparities have been 

exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, disproportionately infecting communities of color, destabilizing their 

employment opportunities, and resulting in higher levels 

of evictions and foreclosures; 

Whereas, during the coronavirus pandemic, as mortgage interest rates reached historic lows, Black borrowers were 

disproportionately denied mortgage loans to purchase and 

refinance homes due to biased and potentially discriminatory appraisal and lending policies and practices, excluding them from wealth-building opportunities and lower 

housing costs; 

Whereas, during the coronavirus pandemic, harmful sentiments toward Asian American and Pacific Islander communities incited increases in racialized and gendered violence across the Nation; 

Whereas reports of sexual harassment increased by 300 percent during the coronavirus pandemic, with women of 

color and transgender women disproportionately reporting such incidents; 

Whereas immigrant and limited-English proficient communities must have in-language access to online, telephone, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HRES 337 IH 

print, and all other mediums of housing information, notices, and resources during the coronavirus pandemic to 

prevent predatory and discriminatory housing and lending practices; 

Whereas persons with disabilities must have equal access to 

online, telephone, print, and all other mediums of housing 

information, notices, and resources during the 

coronavirus pandemic to prevent predatory and discriminatory housing and lending practices; 

Whereas persons with disabilities, including seniors and children with disabilities, have experienced unlawful denials 

of their reasonable accommodation requests to insulate 

them from exposure to the coronavirus and its associated 

life-threatening complications; 

Whereas there is a chronic undersupply of accessible housing 

and an underenforcement of housing accessibility standards, which denies many people with disabilities their 

right to fair and accessible housing that is integrated into 

community settings; and 

Whereas the Fair Housing Act is an essential component of 

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

1 Resolved, 

2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

3 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Original Fair 

4 Housing Resolution of 2023’’. 

5 SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR FAIR HOUSING ACT. 

6 The House of Representatives— 

7 (1) supports the goals and values of the 55th 

8 anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HRES 337 IH 

1 Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) and the 35th anniver2 sary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Amend3 ments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100–430; 102 Stat. 

4 1619); 

5 (2) supports efforts to expand, strengthen, and 

6 increase fair housing enforcement, education, and 

7 protections, including robust funding for enforce8 ment and to fully staff the Department of Housing 

9 and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing 

10 and Equal Opportunity and an expansion of fair 

11 housing rights to include Federal source of income 

12 protections; 

13 (3) supports activities to recognize and cele14 brate the important historical milestones represented 

15 by the anniversaries of the enactments of the Fair 

16 Housing Act and the Fair Housing Amendments Act 

17 of 1988; and 

18 (4) encourages all people, every level of govern19 ment, and each Federal agency to rededicate them20 selves to the enforcement and the ideals of the Fair 

21 Housing Act and supporting civil rights laws. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB