Preventing Sexual Harassment in Public Housing Act of 2020

Bill: 116-hr-5788
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Katko, John [R-NY-24]
Introduced: 2020-02-06
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses

Congressional oversight

Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Housing discrimination

Sex offenses
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-02-06
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Preventing Sexual Harassment in Public Housing Act of 2020</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take actions related to reporting and investigating housing-related discrimination and harassment, particularly sexual harassment.</p> <p>Specifically, HUD must include in its annual report to Congress tabulations of complaints of discriminatory housing practices filed with HUD or a fair housing assistance program in the preceding year. These tabulations must identify whether a complaint alleged discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or familial status. HUD must consider a complaint of sexual harassment under the category of discrimination based on sex and must include a separate tabulation of the total number of sexual harassment complaints filed.</p> <p>Additionally, DOJ must establish an initiative to investigate and prosecute allegations of housing-related sexual harassment.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5788 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 6, 2020 Mr. Katko (for himself, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire , Mr. Joyce of Ohio , Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois , Ms. Moore , and Ms. Speier ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend the Fair Housing Act to require a complaint of sexual harassment be annually reported to Congress, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the “ Preventing Sexual Harassment in Public Housing Act of 2020 ”. 2. Requirement to annually report complaints of sexual harassment (a) Annual report Section 808(e)(2) of the Fair Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 3608(e)(2) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (A) by striking and at the end; (2) in subparagraph (B)(iii) by striking the semicolon and inserting ; and ; and (3) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new subparagraph: (C) containing tabulations of the number of instances in the preceding year in which complaints of discriminatory housing practices were filed with the Department of Housing and Urban Development or a fair housing assistance program, including identification of whether each complaint was filed with respect to discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or familial status. . (b) Sexual harassment Section 808 of the Fair Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 3608 ) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (g) In carrying out the reporting obligations under this section, the Secretary shall— (1) consider a complaint filed with respect to discrimination based on sex to include any complaint filed with respect to sexual harassment; and (2) in reporting the instances of a complaint filed with respect to discrimination based on sex under subsection (e)(2)(C), include a disaggregated tabulation of the total number of such complaints filed with respect to sexual harassment. . (c) Initiative To combat sexual harassment in housing Title 9 of the Fair Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 3631 ) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 902. Initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing The Attorney General shall establish an initiative to investigate and prosecute an allegation of a violation under this Act with respect to sexual harassment. .