IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 333 

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

and supporting the recognition of April 2019 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, familial status, 

disability, and religion. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2019 

Mr. GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. 

GABBARD, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. MOORE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BEYER, Mr. 

COHEN, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. CRAIG, Mr. 

DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. MALINOWSKI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, 

Ms. FUDGE, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. PRESSLEY, 

Mr. LYNCH, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. POCAN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. 

JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. 

JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. RUSH, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. 

ESPAILLAT, Mr. VELA, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. 

SMITH of Washington, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. MUCARSELPOWELL, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. CARSON

of Indiana, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. EVANS, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. 

THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. 

HUFFMAN, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mr. CRIST, Mr. 

CARBAJAL, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. SIRES, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, and Ms. WATERS) 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 supporting the recognition of April 


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•HRES 333 IH 

2019 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, familial status, disability, and religion. 

Whereas April 11, 2019, marks the 51st anniversary of the 

congressional passage of title VIII of the Civil Rights Act 

of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), commonly known as 

the ‘‘Fair Housing Act’’; 

Whereas September 13, 2019, marks the 31st anniversary of 

the congressional passage of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100–430; 102 Stat. 

1619); 

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, 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 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.; 


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Whereas the original Fair Housing Act prohibits 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 this commitment to ‘‘build inclusive and sustainable communities free 

from discrimination’’; 

Whereas in section 808 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, Congress amended the Fair 

Housing Act to include protection 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 

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 facially neutral but have a discriminatory effect on protected classes; 

Whereas the Supreme Court of the United States of America 

has reaffirmed the use of the disparate impact doctrine 


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•HRES 333 IH 

to challenge policies or practices that have a discriminatory effect on protected classes; 

Whereas housing testing has revealed that discrimination on 

the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity exists 

and that fair housing protections must be extended to the 

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) 

community; 

Whereas housing testing has revealed that discrimination 

against people who use public housing assistance, including support from the Housing Choice Voucher Program 

(established under section 8(o) of the United States 

Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) and the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (established 

under section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act 

of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19))), and other forms of 

legal income exists and that fair housing protections 

against source of income discrimination must be extended 

to all people; 

Whereas housing conditions impact the health, educational 

attainment level, employment opportunities, and personal 

wealth of individuals; 

Whereas borrowers of color lack access to quality and affordable credit compared to similarly situated White borrowers; 

Whereas research shows that African-American and Latinx 

people pay anywhere between $250 million to $500 million a year more than similarly situated White borrowers 

due to discriminatory factors in mortgage lending; 

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


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•HRES 333 IH 

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 private nonprofit fair housing centers funded by the 

Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) are on the 

frontline in the effort to resolve housing discrimination 

and train local housing providers on how to comply with 

the Fair Housing Act; 

Whereas, in 2017, approximately 28,843 housing discrimination complaints were filed, of which 20,595 complaints or 

approximately 70 percent were filed with local private 

nonprofit fair housing centers; 

Whereas the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) 

funds State and 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 

its fair housing law; 

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

women, people with disabilities, people of color, religious 

minorities, LGBTQ people, and low-income people on 

public assistance still face discriminatory barriers to 

housing; 

Whereas fair housing education and enforcement play a pivotal role in increasing housing choice and home ownerVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:46 Apr 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR333.IH HR333

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ship opportunities for people of color and combating 

predatory lending; 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 House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals and values of the 51st 

3 anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing 

4 Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) and the 30th anniver5 sary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Amend6 ments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100–430; 102 Stat. 

7 1619); 

8 (2) supports activities to recognize and cele9 brate the important historical milestones represented 

10 by the anniversaries of the enactment of the Fair 

11 Housing Act and the enactment of the Fair Housing 

12 Amendments Act of 1988; and 

13 (3) 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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