Veterans, Women, Families with Children, and Persons With Disabilities Housing Fairness Act of 2010

Bill: 111-hr-476
Sponsor: Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9]
Introduced: 2009-01-13 in the House
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Disability and health-based discrimination
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Housing and community development funding
Housing discrimination
Housing finance and home ownership
Military personnel and dependents
Racial and ethnic relations
Religion
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-13
text: 
Housing Fairness Act of 2009 - Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to conduct, and report to Congress on, a nationwide testing program to: (1) detect and document differences in the treatment of persons seeking to rent or purchase housing or obtain or refinance a home mortgage loan; (2) measure patterns of adverse treatment because of the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability status, or national origin of a renter, home buyer, or borrower; and (3) measure the prevalence of such discriminatory practices across housing and mortgage lending markets.
 
 Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to reauthorize the fair housing initiatives program.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should: (1) fully comply with such Act's requirements to establish, design, and maintain a national education and outreach program for the development and dissemination of the fair housing rights of individuals who seek to rent, purchase, sell, or facilitate the sale of a home; (2) use all amounts appropriated for such program; and (3) promulgate regulations on the fair housing obligations of each recipient of federal housing funds to affirmatively further fair housing.
 
Directs the Secretary to implement a competitive matching grant program to assist private nonprofit organizations in: (1) conducting comprehensive studies of specified aspects of the causes and effects of housing discrimination and segregation; and (2) implementing pilot projects that test solutions to help prevent or alleviate housing discrimination and segregation.

action_date: 2010-12-09
text: 
Veterans, Women, Families with Children, and Persons With Disabilities Housing Fairness Act of 2010 - (Sec. 2) Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to conduct, and report to Congress on, a nationwide testing program to: (1) detect and document differences in the treatment of persons seeking to rent or purchase housing or obtain or refinance a home mortgage loan; (2) measure patterns of adverse treatment because of the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability status, or national origin of a renter, home buyer, or borrower; and (3) measure the prevalence of such discriminatory practices across housing and mortgage lending markets.
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015.
 
 (Sec. 3) Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 to require that only qualified private nonprofit fair housing enforcement organizations receive funds under the fair housing initiatives program for investigations of violations of the rights granted under the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015. Specifies amounts for education and outreach programs.
 
Requires the design of the national education and outreach program to provide for the development and dissemination of websites and other media outlets among its fair housing media products.
 
Requires private entities that formulate or carry out programs to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices to be nonprofit in order to be eligible for contracts to: (1) establish or support education and outreach programs at the regional and local levels; and (2) support community-based education and outreach activities.
 
Requires the Secretary to issue regulations that establish minimum standards for the training of testers of organizations funded with any amounts made available under this Act.
 
 (Sec. 4) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should: (1) fully comply with such Act's requirements to establish, design, and maintain a national education and outreach program for the development and dissemination of the fair housing rights of individuals who seek to rent, purchase, sell, or facilitate the sale of a home; (2) expend all amounts appropriated for such program; (3) promulgate regulations on the fair housing obligations of each recipient of federal housing and community development funds to affirmatively further fair housing; and (4) fully comply with HUD administrative enforcement requirements regarding complaints of alleged discriminatory housing practices. 
(Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to implement a competitive matching grant program to assist public and private nonprofit organizations in: (1) conducting comprehensive studies of specified aspects of the causes and effects of housing discrimination and segregation on education, poverty, and economic development or on veterans and military personnel; and (2) implementing pilot projects that test solutions to help prevent or alleviate housing discrimination and segregation.
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015.
 
(Sec. 6) Prohibits the use of funds made available under this Act for any political activities, political advocacy, or lobbying, or for expenses for travel to engage in political activities or preparation or provision of advice on tax returns.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-12-09
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 404.
action_date: 2010-12-09
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Financial Services. H. Rept. 111-678.
action_date: 2010-12-09
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Financial Services. H. Rept. 111-678.
action_date: 2010-07-28
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2010-07-28
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2010-05-27
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
action_date: 2010-05-27
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2010-05-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
action_date: 2010-01-20
text: Hearings Held by the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity Prior to Referral.
action_date: 2009-01-13
text: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
action_date: 2009-01-13
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2009-01-13
text: Introduced in House