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Introduced Version House Concurrent Resolution 1 History

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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 160

(By Delegates Fleischauer, Barill, Barker, Brown, Caputo,

Doyle, Guthrie, Hatfield, Hunt, Iaquinta, Mahan, Marshall,

       Moore, Pasdon, Poore, Rowan, Staggers and Wells)

 

Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to conduct a study relating to the capacity of the West Virginia Human Rights Commission to provide adequate outreach and services to the entire state to investigate complaints of housing discrimination.

    Whereas, The West Virginia Human Rights Commission (WVHRC) was created by article eleven, chapter five of the West Virginia Code, 1931, as amended, to provide equal opportunity in employment, public accommodations and in the sale, purchase, lease, rental and financing of housing accommodations or real property to all West Virginians; and

    Whereas, The WVHRC receives, investigates and adjudicates complaints alleging discrimination in public accommodations, housing and employment across the entire state; and

    Whereas, In fiscal year 2009, the WVHRC received one thousand three hundred forty-three requests for information on filing a complaint and docketed four hundred eighty-one complaints; and

    Whereas, In fiscal year 2009, the WVHRC had eight investigators for employment and public accommodation complaints, one housing specialist and one housing investigator; and

    Whereas, Only six West Virginia cities have local human rights or relations commissions: Wheeling, Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, Weirton and Martinsburg; and

    Whereas, Five of the six communities in West Virginia that have active local human rights commissions are in the ten counties with the highest number of housing discrimination complaints from 2005 thorough 2010; and

    Whereas, Communities without a local Human Rights Commission rely solely on the WVHRC, which can be as far as three hundred thirty miles from some communities; and

    Whereas, Only the Charleston Human Rights Commission is considered a Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is, therefore, authorized and required to investigate all housing discrimination complaints across the state; and

    Whereas, As there are only two employees at the WVHRC who work on housing complaints it is a struggle to investigate complaints from all over the state in a timely fashion; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the Joint Committee on the Judiciary is hereby requested to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the capacity of the West Virginia Human Rights Commission to currently serve the needs of the entire State of West Virginia and its capacity to investigate housing discrimination complaints in a timely manner, anticipating an increase in the volume of housing complaints over the next three to five years; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the study shall include an analysis of housing complaint statistics recorded by the WVHRC and HUD based on protected class and county of residence of complainants; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the study shall include an analysis of state demographics and areas with a growing population to determine where resources are most needed; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the study shall include an analysis of alternatives for expanding the capacity of the WVHRC to handle increased housing discrimination complaints as well as expanding the outreach of the WVHRC and its educational programs to the most distant counties in the state; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2012, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.

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