[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 668 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 668

   To amend title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to increase the 
penalties for violating the fair housing provisions of the Act, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               March 29 (legislative day, March 3), 1993

Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Simon, Mr. DeConcini, Mr. Hatch, and Mr. 
Brown) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to increase the 
penalties for violating the fair housing provisions of the Act, 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 Housing Rights Amendments Act 
of 1993''.

SEC. 2. PENALTIES FOR ACTS OF VIOLENCE OR INTIMIDATION.

    Section 901 of the Act entitled ``An Act to prescribe penalties for 
certain acts of violence or intimidation, and for other purposes'', 
approved April 11, 1968 (known as the `Civil Rights Act of 1968'; 
Public Law 90-284; 42 U.S.C. 3631), is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 901. PREVENTION OF INTIMIDATION IN FAIR HOUSING CASES.

    ``(a) Unlawful Acts.--It shall be unlawful to use force or threat 
of force, whether or not acting under color of law, to willfully 
injure, intimidate, or interfere with, or attempt to injure, 
intimidate, or interfere with--
            ``(1) any person because of the race, color, religion, sex, 
        handicap, familial status, or national origin of the person and 
        because the person is or has been selling, purchasing, renting, 
        financing, occupying, or contracting or negotiating for the 
        sale, purchase, rental, financing, or occupation of any 
        dwelling, or applying for or participating in any service, 
        organization, or facility relating to the business of selling 
        or renting dwellings; or
            ``(2) any person because the person is, or has been, or in 
        order to intimidate the person or any other person or any class 
        of persons from--
                    ``(A) participating, without discrimination on 
                account of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, 
                familial status, or national origin, in any of the 
                activities, services, organizations, or facilities 
                described in paragraph (1) of this section; or
                    ``(B) affording another person or class of persons 
                opportunity or protection so to participate; or
            ``(3) any citizen because the citizen is, or has been, or 
        in order to discourage the citizen or any other citizen from 
        lawfully aiding or encouraging other persons to participate, 
        without discrimination on account of race, color, religion, 
        sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, in any of 
        the activities, services, organizations, or facilities 
        described in paragraph (1), or participating lawfully in speech 
        or peaceful assembly opposing any denial of the opportunity so 
        to participate.
    ``(b) Penalties.--Whoever commits an act described in subsection 
(a)--
            ``(1) shall be fined not more than $100,000, or imprisoned 
        not more than 1 year, or both;
            ``(2) that results in bodily injury shall be fined not more 
        than $250,000, or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both;
            ``(3) that results in death shall be subject to 
        imprisonment for any term of years or for life; and
            ``(4) that results in property damage exceeding the sum of 
        $100, or uses or attempts to use fire in committing the act, or 
        uses or carries a firearm while committing the act, shall be 
        fined not more than $250,000, or imprisoned not more than 5 
        years, or both.
    ``(c) Definitions.--As used in this section:
            ``(1) Familial status.--The term `familial status' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 802.
            ``(2) Firearm.--The term `firearm' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 921(a)(3) of title 18, United States Code.
            ``(3) Handicap.--The term `handicap' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 802.
            ``(4) Bodily injury.--The term `bodily injury' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 1515(a)(5) of title 18, 
        United States Code.''.

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