DISCRIMINATION IN HOUSING – REPEAL

April 25, 2006

 

Good evening.  I am Nancy Soreng, President of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, MD (LWVMC).  Housing issues have been a focus of LWVMC research, study, discussion and consensus leading to position statements since the early sixties. LWVMC first supported comprehensive fair housing legislation in Montgomery County covering real estate and lending practices in 1966 and has reconfirmed our support in 1989 and in 2005.  On the National level, the League states that responsibility in the nationwide effort to achieve equality of opportunity for access to housing resides with government at all levels and with the private sector – builders, lending institutions, realtors, labor unions, business and industry, news media, civic organizations, educational institutions, churches and private citizens.  Rather than repealing the sections of the Montgomery County Code which implement Bill 36-04, LWVMC urges revision of the problematic sections.

 

We encourage working with the mortgage industry on the issue of fair housing.  One important aspect of Montgomery County’s inclusionary housing law has been the caveat that providing such housing should not impose a burden upon the housing industry.  The imposition of overly severe or poorly defined cause for penalties could inhibit the ability of qualified county residents to find financing for home purchases.  LWVMC recommends that any regulatory criteria or penalties should be based strictly on grounds that can be quantified.  Objective rather than subjective criteria should be the basis for determination of unfair practices.  In short, we recommend conciliation to make the law workable rather than retreat from the intention.

 

Thank you for your attention.