Title: Promoting and supporting the goals and ideals of the Fair Housing Act and recognizing April 2022 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, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status, disability, and religion, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
This resolution expresses support for the goals and values of the 54th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and for efforts to strengthen housing protections, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1078 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1078

 Promoting and supporting the goals and ideals of the Fair Housing Act 
   and recognizing April 2022 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, sexual orientation, gender 
   identity, familial status, disability, and religion, particularly 
                     during the COVID-19 pandemic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 29, 2022

 Mr. Green of Texas (for himself, Ms. Waters, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, 
Ms. Newman, Ms. Lee of California, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Danny K. Davis of 
Illinois, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Evans, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms. Dean, Mr. 
 Cleaver, Ms. Schakowsky, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. 
 Blumenauer, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. San Nicolas, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. 
Bass, Ms. Norton, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of 
    New York, Mr. Takano, and Mr. Cardenas) 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 recognizing April 2022 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, sexual orientation, gender 
   identity, familial status, disability, and religion, particularly 
                     during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whereas April 11, 2022, marks the 54th anniversary of the enactment of the Civil 
        Rights Act of 1968, title VIII of which (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) is 
        commonly known as the Fair Housing Act;
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 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 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant 
        on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights recognize adequate housing as a 
        human right;
Whereas the original Fair Housing Act prohibited 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 a commitment to ``build inclusive and sustainable 
        communities free from discrimination'';
Whereas in section 808 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 
        (Public Law 93-383), Congress amended the Fair Housing Act to include 
        protection on the basis of sex, including gender identity and sexual 
        orientation;
Whereas September 13, 2022, will mark the 34th anniversary of the congressional 
        passage of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988;
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 superficially 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 the majority of large metropolitan areas in the United States are more 
        racially segregated today than in 1990;
Whereas research shows that, in some cases, the placement of housing funded 
        through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is the single 
        largest source of Federal funding for the creation of affordable housing 
        in the United States, further entrenches racial residential segregation, 
        despite the Fair Housing Act requiring that Federal housing funds be 
        used to affirmatively undo patterns of residential segregation;
Whereas fair housing testing has revealed that discrimination on the basis of 
        sexual orientation and gender identity exists and that fair housing 
        protections must be extended to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 
        and queer (LGBTQ+) community;
Whereas same-sex couples are 73 percent more likely to be denied a home mortgage 
        compared to heterosexual couples, and when same-sex couples are 
        approved, they pay an average of $86,000,000 more in combined annual 
        interest and fees;
Whereas fair housing testing has revealed that discrimination exists against 
        people who use public housing assistance, including support from the 
        Housing Choice Voucher and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing programs 
        and other sources of income, and that fair housing protections against 
        source-of-income discrimination must be provided to all people;
Whereas there continues to be widespread discrimination in the housing industry 
        against Black, Latinx, and Asian-American home buyers by real estate 
        agents;
Whereas owner-occupied homes located in majority-Black communities are 
        undervalued by a cumulative $156,000,000,000 when compared to owner-
        occupied homes in similarly situated communities that have very few or 
        no Black residents;
Whereas the average home in a White neighborhood is valued two times higher than 
        comparable homes in Black and Latinx neighborhoods, even after 
        controlling for neighborhood characteristics;
Whereas 97.7 percent of appraisers identify as White and 69.6 percent identify 
        as male, compared to the total United States population that identifies 
        as 60.1 percent White and 49.2 percent male;
Whereas 67 percent of people experiencing homelessness in America are Black, 
        Latinx, and Indigenous;
Whereas an individual's housing conditions impact their health, educational 
        attainment level, employment opportunities, and personal wealth;
Whereas borrowers of color lack equal access to quality and affordable credit 
        compared to similarly situated White borrowers;
Whereas research shows that Black and Latinx borrowers pay $765,000,000 more in 
        combined mortgage interest each year compared to similarly situated 
        White borrowers due to discriminatory factors in mortgage lending by the 
        government-sponsored housing finance enterprises;
Whereas 2020 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data show that the majority of loans 
        purchased by the government-sponsored housing finance enterprises 
        primarily served higher-income, White borrowers in wealthier, majority-
        White neighborhoods;
Whereas Black and Latinx borrowers are more likely to receive mortgage loans 
        through the Federal Housing Administration, even when they qualify for 
        conventional lending options that may be offer more affordable terms;
Whereas research shows that algorithmic bias and discrimination exist in online 
        housing platforms, automated valuation models, and lending that use 
        artificial intelligence for advertising and decision-making purposes, 
        and there is an urgent need to eliminate individual bias that enters 
        into the development of artificial intelligence systems and systemic 
        bias through the use of inappropriate or historically biased data;
Whereas the majority of Americans support neighborhood integration and numerous 
        studies have shown the universal benefits of residential integration;
Whereas reports indicate there are more than 4,000,000 violations of fair 
        housing laws each year against people of all protected classes, and fair 
        housing testing continues to uncover a high rate of discrimination in 
        the rental, sales, mortgage lending, and insurance markets;
Whereas 68,000,000 adults in the United States believe they have experienced 
        unequal treatment in their housing search due to their status as a 
        member of a protected class under the Fair Housing Act;
Whereas less than one percent of fair housing violations are reported each year;
Whereas private nonprofit fair housing organizations funded by Fair Housing 
        Initiatives Program serve as the front line in the effort to resolve 
        housing discrimination and train local housing providers on how to 
        comply with the Fair Housing Act;
Whereas, in 2020, there were a total of 28,712 housing discrimination complaints 
        reported nationwide, of which over 73 percent, or 21,089 complaints, 
        were filed with local, private, nonprofit fair housing organizations;
Whereas the Fair Housing Assistance Program funds State as well as 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, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, 
        and low-income people receiving public assistance, among others, still 
        face discriminatory barriers to housing;
Whereas fair housing education and enforcement play a pivotal role in increasing 
        housing choice and homeownership opportunities for members of protected 
        classes and combating predatory lending;
Whereas amid a global health and economic crisis, housing discrimination against 
        health care workers and people who have been infected by coronavirus, or 
        are perceived as having been infected, is contributing to increased 
        evictions and hate crimes;
Whereas systemic health and economic disparities are exacerbated by the 
        coronavirus pandemic, disproportionately infecting communities of color, 
        destabilizing their employment opportunities, and resulting in higher 
        levels of evictions and foreclosures;
Whereas amidst the coronavirus pandemic, as mortgage interest rates reached 
        historic lows, Black borrowers were disproportionately denied mortgage 
        loans to purchase and refinance homes due to biased and potentially 
        discriminatory appraisal and lending policies and practices, excluding 
        them from wealth-building opportunities and lower housing costs;
Whereas amidst the coronavirus pandemic, harmful sentiments toward Asian-
        American and Pacific Islander communities have incited increases in 
        racialized and gendered violence across the Nation;
Whereas reports of sexual harassment have increased by 300 percent during the 
        coronavirus pandemic, with incidents disproportionately being reported 
        by women of color and transgender women;
Whereas immigrant and limited-English proficient communities must have in-
        language access to online, telephone, print, and all other mediums of 
        housing information, notices, and resources during the coronavirus 
        pandemic to prevent predatory and discriminatory housing and lending 
        practices;
Whereas persons with disabilities must have equal access to online, telephone, 
        print, and all other mediums of housing information, notices, and 
        resources during the coronavirus pandemic to prevent predatory and 
        discriminatory housing and lending practices;
Whereas persons with disabilities, including seniors and children with 
        disabilities, have experienced unlawful denials of their reasonable 
        accommodation requests to insulate them from exposure to coronavirus and 
        its associated life-threatening complications; 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 54th anniversary 
        of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et 
        seq.) and the 34th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair 
        Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-430; 102 Stat. 
        1619);
            (2) supports efforts to expand, strengthen, and increase 
        fair housing enforcement, education, and protections, 
        particularly during the coronavirus pandemic and recovery;
            (3) supports activities to recognize and celebrate the 
        important historical milestones represented by the 
        anniversaries of the enactments of the Fair Housing Act and the 
        Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988; and
            (4) encourages all people and levels of government to 
        rededicate themselves to the enforcement and the ideals of fair 
        housing laws.
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