Florida Senate - 2013                            (NP)    SR 1298
       
       
       
       By Senator Joyner
       
       
       
       
       19-01670A-13                                          20131298__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing April 2013 as “Fair Housing
    3         Month” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the
    6  Fair Housing Act of 1988 prohibit discrimination based on race,
    7  color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or familial
    8  status in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and
    9         WHEREAS, in 1983, the Florida Legislature enacted the
   10  Florida Fair Housing Act to ensure that the state make every
   11  effort to provide fair housing to all residents of this state
   12  and to prohibit discrimination in the sale or rental of any
   13  dwelling because of race, color, national origin, sex, or
   14  religion, and the act was amended in 1988 to include the bases
   15  of disability and familial status, and
   16         WHEREAS, the United States Department of Housing and Urban
   17  Development has proclaimed April as “National Fair Housing
   18  Month,” launching awareness campaigns to commemorate the
   19  historical passage of this landmark legislation, increasing the
   20  public’s understanding of the many protections of the Civil
   21  Rights Act, and encouraging communities to remember and
   22  celebrate more than 45 years of housing successes, and
   23         WHEREAS, because government and private entities may pursue
   24  certain practices that could have a disproportionately harmful
   25  effect on minorities protected by the Fair Housing Act of 1968,
   26  the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
   27  recently issued regulations endorsing the use of “disparate
   28  impact” standards that will serve as a powerful tool in
   29  promoting fair housing opportunities, encouraging meaningful
   30  housing integration, and ensuring fair and equal treatment in
   31  the areas of mortgage lending, homeowners’ insurance,
   32  exclusionary zoning, and admissions and redevelopment or
   33  demolition practices in public housing, and
   34         WHEREAS, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, as
   35  statutorily authorized, conducts thorough and timely
   36  investigations of housing discrimination complaints and, as a
   37  result of its investigative efforts, has found that housing
   38  discrimination continues to exist in this state, with
   39  disability, race, national origin, familial status, and sex
   40  constituting the top five bases for housing discrimination
   41  during the 2011-2012 fiscal year, and
   42         WHEREAS, the Florida Commission on Human Relations
   43  continually strives to reach out and educate members of the
   44  housing industry to ensure that they are informed of fair
   45  housing laws and their responsibilities in educating the public
   46  on housing rights and engaging in community partnerships so that
   47  all persons are afforded every opportunity to be treated fairly
   48  and are provided equal access to adequate and affordable housing
   49  without undue discrimination, prejudice, or barriers, NOW,
   50  THEREFORE,
   51  
   52  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   53  
   54         That we recognize April 2013 as “Fair Housing Month” in
   55  Florida and encourage state and local governmental leaders and
   56  communities and individuals throughout this state to observe
   57  Fair Housing Month through ceremonies and activities celebrating
   58  historical and future efforts to ensure fair and equal access to
   59  housing for all Floridians.