§2.Prohibiting housing discrimination based on source of income, veteran status, or military status
This section amends the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) to prohibit discrimination in housing based on source of income, veteran status, or military status by—
(1) defining in section 802 (42 U.S.C. 3602)—
(A) "military status" as membership in the uniformed services (i.e., armed forces, NOAA commissioned corps, Public Health Service commissioned corps, per 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(5));
(B) "source of income" to include Section 8 housing vouchers (42 U.S.C. 1437f), other federal/state/local rental assistance or subsidies, Social Security (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.), SSI (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.), Railroad Retirement Act benefits (45 U.S.C. 231 et seq.), court-ordered support, payments from trusts or relatives, and other lawful sources (e.g., savings); and
(C) "veteran status" as former membership in the Armed Forces (per 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(4));
(2) inserting these terms after "familial status" in the nondiscrimination provisions of sections 804(a), 805(a) and (c), 806, and 808(e)(6) (42 U.S.C. 3604(a), 3605(a) and (c), 3606, 3608(e)(6));
(3) clarifying in section 804(f) (42 U.S.C. 3604(f)) that the act does not prohibit services or assistance for individuals receiving federal, state, or local housing aid; and
(4) replacing section 810(f)(4) (42 U.S.C. 3610(f)(4)) to deem previously certified agencies certified for these new protections for 40 months after enactment, with possible six-month extensions for exceptional circumstances.
This section further amends Section 901 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3631) to extend criminal penalties for intimidation in fair housing cases to these new protected classes. (Thus, the changes expand FHA protections—previously covering race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability, and national origin—to voucher holders, veterans, and service members.)