[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 503 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 503

 Recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act 
  and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 3, 2008

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Specter, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Brown, 
   and Mr. Voinovich) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act 
  and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.

Whereas 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.);
Whereas 2008 also marks the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair 
        Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-430; 102 Stat. 1619);
Whereas the Chicago Freedom Movement, which took place from 1965 to 1967 and was 
        led by the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., raised the national 
        consciousness about housing discrimination and shaped the debate that 
        led to landmark fair housing legislation;
Whereas the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, appointed by 
        President Lyndon B. Johnson and commonly known as the Kerner Commission, 
        found in 1968 that ``[o]ur nation is moving toward two societies, one 
        black, one white--separate and unequal'';
Whereas Congress passed the Fair Housing Act as part of the Civil Rights Act of 
        1968 (Public Law 90-284; 82 Stat. 73), and President Johnson signed the 
        Act into law on April 11, 1968, one week after the assassination of Dr. 
        King;
Whereas the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing and housing-
        related transactions on the basis of race, color, national origin, and 
        religion;
Whereas, in section 808 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 
        (Public Law 93-383; 88 Stat. 728), Congress amended the Fair Housing Act 
        to include protection on the basis of sex;
Whereas the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-430; 102 Stat. 
        1619), passed by overwhelming margins in Congress, included protection 
        on the basis of familial status and disability and expanded the 
        definition of ``discriminatory housing practices'' to include 
        interference and intimidation;
Whereas Congress's intent 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 housing integration affects other dimensions of life, including 
        educational attainment, employment opportunities, access to health care, 
        and home equity;
Whereas the majority of people in the United States support neighborhood 
        integration and numerous studies have shown the universal benefits of 
        residential integration;
Whereas the National Fair Housing Alliance estimates that 3,700,000 violations 
        of fair housing laws still occur each year against African Americans, 
        Latinos, Asian Americans, and American Indians, and that number does not 
        include violations that occur on the basis of other national origins, 
        religion, sex, or familial status or against persons with disabilities;
Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that only 1 
        percent of individuals who believe they are victims of housing 
        discrimination report those violations of fair housing laws to the 
        government, and this underreporting is a major obstacle to achieving 
        equal opportunity in housing;
Whereas testing of the enforcement of fair housing laws continues to uncover a 
        high rate of discrimination in the rental, sales, mortgage lending, and 
        insurance markets; and
Whereas the Fair Housing Act is an essential component of our Nation's civil 
        rights legislation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary of the 
        enactment of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) and 
        the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing 
        Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-430; 102 Stat. 1619);
            (2) supports activities to recognize and celebrate the 
        historical milestone represented by the anniversaries of the 
        enactment of the Fair Housing Act and the enactment of the Fair 
        Housing Amendments Act of 1988; and
            (3) encourages all levels of government to rededicate 
        themselves to the enforcement and the ideals of fair housing 
        laws.
                                 <all>