Title: Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2017
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2017
This bill amends the Fair Housing Act (FHA) under the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to add sexual orientation and gender identity as classes protected against discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing. (Currently, the FHA prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.)
The bill defines: (1) "gender identity" as gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth; and (2) "sexual orientation" as homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.
The bill also extends prohibitions against housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, handicap, familial status, or national origin to include discrimination based on: (1) an individual's association with another person who is a member of such a protected class; and (2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, that an individual is a member of such a protected class.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1328 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1328

To extend the protections of the Fair Housing Act to persons suffering 
 discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 8, 2017

 Mr. Kaine (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Warren, Ms. 
Hassan, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Markey, Mr. Franken, 
  Mr. Merkley, Mr. Booker, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mr. 
Brown) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To extend the protections of the Fair Housing Act to persons suffering 
 discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fair and Equal Housing Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. HOUSING.

    (a) Fair Housing Act.--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) `Race', `color', `religion', `sex', `sexual orientation', 
`gender identity', `handicap', `familial status', or `national origin', 
used with respect to an individual, includes--
            ``(1) the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, 
        gender identity, handicap, familial status, or national origin, 
        respectively, of another person with whom the individual is 
        associated or has been associated; and
            ``(2) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, 
        concerning the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, 
        gender identity, handicap, familial status, or national origin, 
        respectively, of the individual.
    ``(q) `Gender identity' means the gender-related identity, 
appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an 
individual, without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth.
    ``(r) `Sexual orientation' means homosexuality, heterosexuality, or 
bisexuality.'';
            (2) in section 804 (42 U.S.C. 3604), by inserting ``sexual 
        orientation, gender identity,'' after ``sex,'' each place that 
        term appears;
            (3) in section 805 (42 U.S.C. 3605), by inserting ``sexual 
        orientation, gender identity,'' after ``sex,'' each place that 
        term appears;
            (4) in section 806 (42 U.S.C. 3606), by inserting ``sexual 
        orientation, gender identity,'' after ``sex,''; and
            (5) in section 808(e)(6) (42 U.S.C. 3608(e)(6)), by 
        inserting ``sexual orientation, gender identity,'' after 
        ``sex,''.
    (b) Prevention of Intimidation in Fair Housing Cases.--Section 901 
of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3631) is amended by 
inserting ``sexual orientation (as such term is defined in section 802 
of this Act), gender identity (as such term is defined in section 802 
of this Act),'' after ``sex,'' each place that term appears.
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