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Washington State FAIR HOUSING UPDATE |
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By Seth Kirby, Program Specialist, Washington State Human Rights Commission During the 2007 legislative session, SB 5123 was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, prohibiting discrimination against honorably discharged veteran and military status in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other areas covered by the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD). With the large number of veterans returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places where the American military serve, it is especially important to protect the rights of service members and veterans to jobs, places to live, and services. A few unscrupulous employers, housing providers, and places of public accommodations have harmful, preconceived, and stereotypical notions about veterans and people serving in the military. The Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC) views the veteran and military status jurisdiction as an important addition to the WLAD. The WSHRC will model its implementation of the veteran jurisdiction after its nationally recognized work on the recently added sexual orientation/gender identity jurisdiction. Outreach efforts will include training to housing providers and publication of a new self-assessment guide. See the Frequently Asked Questions posted under the "Veterans" tab at www.hum.wa.gov. The new jurisdiction will become effective on July 22, 2007. Many veterans are already protected by the WLAD's nondiscrimination provisions on the basis of disability. It has been estimated that 30% or more of returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have closed head injuries, traumatic brain injury, or post-traumatic stress disorder. In its outreach and training, the WSHRC will also inform and educate constituents about overlapping federal civil rights protections. Under the WLAD, as well as federal law, it is illegal to discriminate in many housing and real estate transactions on the basis of honorably discharged veteran or military status. For example, the federal Service Members Civil Relief Act * protects service members from eviction while the service member is in a period of military service. Under the WLAD, a housing provider cannot deny renting to a service member or reservist based on the assumption that he or she would be called to active duty before the terms of the lease were completed. Similarly, a real estate agent should not steer or persuade a service member to buy a home in a certain area simply because of its proximity to a military base or other military families. The WSHRC will be working closely with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as housing providers, employers, and advocates to ensure a sound knowledge base on veterans' issues. Starting in late July, the WSHRC will conduct outreach, education, and training for covered entities and veterans' groups. The WSHRC enforces the WLAD, which prohibits discrimination in employment (employers with eight of more employees), housing, places of public accommodation, and credit and insurance transactions, on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, including gender expression/ identity, marital status, age (over 40), the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, honorably discharged veteran or military status (starting July 22, 2007), retaliation for opposing an unfair practice, filing a whistleblower complaint with the Washington State Auditor, or filing a nursing home abuse complaint. For more information about the WSHRC, visit www.hum.wa.gov. WSHRC Commissioners, as appointed by Governor Chris Gregoire, are Kathy Baros Friedt, Chair, Olympia; Ellis Casson, Seattle; Deborah Sioux Cano-Lee, Olympia; Jerry Hebert, Kitsap County; and Shawn Murinko, Spokane. The Executive Director is Marc Brenman. * 50 U.S.C. App. §531 (1)(a) OCR Fair Housing Home Page | Your comments about this Web page Updated: July 6, 2007 King County | DES | OCR | News | Services | Search Links to external sites do not constitute
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