WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services held a full committee hearing entitled, “The Fair Housing Act: Reviewing Efforts to Eliminate Discrimination and Promote Opportunity in Housing.” The hearing examines fair housing laws, new online platforms in the housing market, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) enforcement of the landmark federal Fair Housing Act under the current Administration.
Center for Responsible Lending Executive Vice President Nikitra Bailey released the following statement:
As April marks the 51st anniversary of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, CRL encourages lawmakers to enforce stronger housing civil rights laws that will alleviate segregation and ensure that every neighborhood is a community of opportunity. Earlier this year, HUD under Secretary Ben Carson proposed changes to roll back critical disparate impact regulations that protect vulnerable Americans including women, families of color, people with disabilities, families with young children, and victims of domestic violence from discrimination. If rollbacks occur, such a situation would impose a major setback to our nation’s civil rights laws that protect Americans from unlawful discrimination.
CRL also encourages Mr. Carson to restore the fair housing protections he eliminated in HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule and applauds Chairwoman Maxine Waters for continuing to push for legislation that will restore HUD’s mission to expand safe, decent, and affordable housing for all Americans. Further action from the Department should focus on drafting policies that mitigate the disparities in housing patterns that still exist today due to the history of unequal treatment in this country.
For more information, or to arrange an interview with a CRL spokesperson on this issue, please contact Vincenza Previte at vincenza.previte@responsiblelending.org.