Fair Housing bill advances through House

by Ginny Monk, Housing & Children’s Issues, CT Mirror, April 19, 2024

On Wednesday, a bill allowing the state attorney general to bring civil action against people who violate fair housing law advanced through the House of Representatives. House Bill 5419 would allow the attorney general to file lawsuits against people who violate fair housing rules and let them take the case to court in the jurisdiction where the actions occurred rather than forcing all cases to go to Hartford, lawmakers said.

H.B. 5419 would also aim to take some of the caseload off of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The federal government also accepts fair housing complaints, although there is a backlog of cases that haven’t been through the system.

The bill, which came through the Judiciary Committee, had support from both sides of aisle. It heads to the Senate.