I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5531 
To provide protection for survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault 
under the Fair Housing Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 19, 2019 
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (for herself, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New 
York, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Ms. JAYAPAL, and Mr. RASKIN) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary 
A BILL 
To provide protection for survivors of domestic violence or 
sexual assault under the Fair Housing Act. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fair Housing for Do-
mestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors Act of 
2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) Cities, towns, and rural communities in the 
United States continue to face enormous challenges 
regarding domestic violence, sexual assault, dating 
violence, stalking, and other forms of intimate part-
ner violence. 
(2) One in 3 women have experienced rape, 
physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner 
in their lifetime. 
(3) Approximately 7,000,000 women are raped 
or physically assaulted by a current or former inti-
mate partner each year. 
(4) Each day, an average of 3 women are killed 
by a current or former partner. 
(5) Researchers estimate that domestic violence 
costs employers up to $13,000,000,000 each year. 
(6) A fundamental component of ending domes-
tic and sexual violence is securing safe and afford-
able housing for victims. 
(7) Research indicates that— 
(A) nearly 50 percent of all homeless 
women report that domestic violence was the 
immediate cause of their homelessness; 
(B) 92 percent of homeless women report 
having experienced severe physical or sexual vi-
olence at some point in their lives; 
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(C) victims become homeless as a result of 
sexual assault, and once homeless, are vulner-
able to further sexual victimization and exploi-
tation; 
(D) women of color in the lowest income 
category experience 6 times the rate of nonfatal 
intimate partner violence compared to white 
women in the highest income category; 
(E) poor women of color, domestic violence 
victims, and women with children have a high 
risk of eviction; and 
(F) approximately 38 percent of all victims 
of domestic violence become homeless at some 
point in their life. 
(8) Surveys show that a majority of victims who 
experience a sexual assault in their home do not re-
locate to a safe environment because they do not 
have sufficient funds and are not aware of better op-
tions. 
(9) Domestic and sexual violence victims often 
find themselves trapped in homes where they are 
further victimized by caregivers, parents, siblings, 
landlords, intimate partners, neighbors, or others in 
or near their home. Economic insecurity and the 
trauma that often follows sexual assault make it dif-
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ficult, if not impossible, for many victims to access 
safe, affordable housing options for themselves and 
their families. 
(10) Domestic and sexual violence victims con-
tinue to face discrimination in securing and main-
taining housing based on their status as victims and 
as a result of crimes committed against them. 
(11) Research by the Attorney General of the 
State of New York found that 67 percent of domes-
tic violence victims reported that discrimination by 
landlords is a significant obstacle in obtaining hous-
ing. 
(12) Research also shows that victims of domes-
tic violence or sexual assault are commonly denied 
housing opportunities if a previous residence of the 
victim was a domestic violence shelter, if the victim 
has secured a protective order, or if there is other 
evidence that the victim has experienced a previous 
domestic violence incident. 
(13) Studies show that victims of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault often face eviction based on 
a single domestic violence incident. 
(14) It is in the public interest to ensure that 
victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating 
violence, stalking, and other forms of intimate part-
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ner violence are not discriminated against, particu-
larly with respect to housing, based on their status 
as victims or the crimes committed against them. 
(15) Nothing in this Act should be interpreted 
to limit the ability of victims of domestic violence or 
sexual assault to recover for claims of discrimination 
on the basis of sex or race under the Fair Housing 
Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), including with respect 
to failure to conform to gender stereotypes or poli-
cies that disproportionately affect women. 
SEC. 3. SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR SEXUAL 
ASSAULT AS PROTECTED CLASS UNDER THE 
FAIR HOUSING ACT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
3601 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 802 (42 U.S.C. 3602), by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(p) ‘Domestic violence’— 
‘‘(1) has the meaning given the term in section 
40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a)); and 
‘‘(2) includes— 
‘‘(A) dating violence and stalking, as de-
fined in such section 40002(a); and 
‘‘(B) threatened domestic violence. 
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‘‘(q) ‘Sexual assault’— 
‘‘(1) has the meaning given the term in section 
40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a)); and 
‘‘(2) includes threatened sexual assault.’’; 
(2) in section 804 (42 U.S.C. 3604)— 
(A) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, or be-
cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault’’ before the period at the 
end; 
(B) in subsection (b), by inserting, ‘‘, or 
because the person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault’’ before the period at the 
end; 
(C) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘or na-
tional origin’’ and inserting, ‘‘national origin, or 
whether a person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault’’; 
(D) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘, or 
because the person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault,’’ after ‘‘national origin’’; 
and 
(E) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘, or of 
a person or persons who are survivors of domes-
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tic violence or sexual assault’’ before the period 
at the end; 
(3) in section 805 (42 U.S.C. 3605)— 
(A) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, or be-
cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault’’ before the period at the 
end; and 
(B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘or fa-
milial status’’ and inserting ‘‘familial status, or 
whether a person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault’’; 
(4) in section 806 (42 U.S.C. 3606), by striking 
‘‘or national origin’’ and inserting ‘‘national origin, 
or whether a person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault’’; 
(5) in section 807 (42 U.S.C. 3607), by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) Nothing in this title shall prohibit Federal, 
State, or local governmental or other assistance or a pref-
erence program designed to assist or benefit domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault survivors in seeking, securing, or 
maintaining dwellings, shelters, or any other form of hous-
ing, including associated notices, statements, or advertise-
ments.’’; and 
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(6) in section 808(e)(6) (42 U.S.C. 3608(e)(6)), 
by inserting ‘‘status as a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault,’’ after ‘‘handicap,’’. 
(b) PREVENTION OF INTIMIDATION IN FAIR HOUS-
ING CASES.—The Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
1301 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 901 (42 U.S.C. 3631)— 
(A) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, or be-
cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault,’’ after ‘‘national origin’’; 
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘or 
because the person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault,’’ after ‘‘national ori-
gin,’’; and 
(C) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘or be-
cause the person is a survivor of domestic vio-
lence or sexual assault,’’ after ‘‘national ori-
gin,’’; and 
(2) by inserting after section 901 the following: 
‘‘DEFINITIONS 
‘‘SEC. 902. In this title, the terms ‘domestic violence’ 
and ‘sexual assault’ have the meanings given those terms 
in section 802.’’. 
Æ 
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