[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 52 (Thursday, April 3, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S2485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 503--RECOGNIZING AND HONORING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
   THE FAIR HOUSING ACT AND THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAIR HOUSING 
                         AMENDMENTS ACT OF 1988

  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:

                              S. Res. 503

       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.

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