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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 333 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

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. Velazquez, 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. 
Mucarsel-Powell, 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. Garcia 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 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.;
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 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;
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 ownership 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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and values of the 51st anniversary 
        of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et 
        seq.) and the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair 
        Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-430; 102 Stat. 
        1619);
            (2) supports activities to recognize and celebrate the 
        important historical milestones represented by the 
        anniversaries of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act and the 
        enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988; and
            (3) encourages all people and levels of government to 
        rededicate themselves to the enforcement and the ideals of fair 
        housing laws.
                                 <all>
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