IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 829 

Acknowledging the history and lasting impact of the Federal Governmentcreated problem of redlining and the responsibility of the Federal Government to address such impact. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 4, 2020 

Ms. CLARKE of New York (for herself, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. ADAMS, 

Ms. LEE of California, Ms. MOORE, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. CARSON

of Indiana, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. CLYBURN, and Mr. 

PAYNE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

RESOLUTION 

Acknowledging the history and lasting impact of the Federal 

Government-created problem of redlining and the responsibility of the Federal Government to address such impact. 

Whereas access to opportunity plays a fundamental role in 

determining the prospects of an individual with respect to 

achieving upward mobility and the American Dream; 

Whereas where an individual lives plays an outsized role in 

determining the access of such individual to life-altering 

opportunities, such as finding a well-paying job and 

avoiding illnesses caused by environmental factors; 


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•HRES 829 IH 

Whereas a persistent wealth gap exists in the United States 

between the wealthy and the vast majority of Americans, 

a gap that particularly impacts communities of color; 

Whereas a lack of wealth increases the vulnerability of a family to socioeconomic emergencies, such as health-related 

emergencies that can cause financial ruin; 

Whereas an income gap only explains a small portion of the 

racial wealth gap; 

Whereas housing, as the most common household asset and 

largest source of private wealth, is the largest driver of 

the racial wealth gap; 

Whereas Federal Government redlining provided the financial 

foundation and legal impetus for the racially discriminatory housing practices principally responsible for a disparity in housing wealth; 

Whereas redlining used the authority of the Federal Government and leveraged the borrowing power of that Government to reinforce racially discriminatory incentive structures in the housing market that substantially contributed to the persistent segregation still seen today; 

Whereas segregation creates an additional barrier to upward 

mobility for minority communities by concentrating disadvantage regardless of income; 

Whereas neighborhoods with high concentrations of Jews and 

immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Poland, and other Eastern European countries were also redlined, creating a 

multiethnic diaspora of the intentionally marginalized; 

Whereas the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008 exacerbated 

the racial wealth gap; 


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•HRES 829 IH 

Whereas intentionally malicious and racially motivated lending practices by large financial institutions directly resulted in the widening of the racial wealth gap in the 

ruthless pursuit of profits; 

Whereas efforts to incentivize the private sector to lend to the 

victims of redlining and historically financially underserved areas have failed to generate the private lending 

necessary to close the wealth gap or address disparate access to credit; and 

Whereas the Trump administration seeks to undermine the 

already weak incentive structure that pushes financial institutions to lend to the victims of redlining: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives acknowl2 edges— 

3 (1) the history and lasting impact of the Fed4 eral Government-created problem of redlining; and 

5 (2) that the Federal Government has a respon6 sibility to take any and all necessary affirmative ac7 tions to ameliorate the direct negative impacts of 

8 redlining. 

Æ 


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