Civil Rights Commission wants marital status protected

CEDAR RAPIDS - A small gathering of residents, including some landlords, turned out at a public forum last night at the Cedar Rapids library to talk about proposed changes to the city's civil-rights ordinance.

The most controversial piece of the proposed changes to the ordinance - which prohibits a renter from being denied housing solely because he or she derives income from government assistance, including federal government Section 8 housing vouchers - will be discussed at a second forum at 5:30 tonight at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 1340 Third Ave. SE.

Last night's meeting was led by Leonard Sandler, a University of Iowa law professor, who has been working with the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission for more than three years on the proposed changes to the ordinance.

Sandler said the commission's goal was to make Cedar Rapids a “welcoming community.”

The proposed ordinance changes include expanding protection against discrimination based on a person's family or marital status. Now, for instance, a couple who seeks to rent an apartment can be denied just because they are living together and are unmarried. Under the proposed change, a denial based solely on marital status would be prohibited.

Sandler said a landlord can inquire about an applicant's marital status in order to conduct a routine credit check. But a denial can't be based on marital status alone, he said.

Robin Tucker, a local Realtor and businessman, suggested landlords might feel they face greater risk of not being paid when they rent to an unmarried couple, who might be more apt to break up. However, Sandler said both names would be on a lease and both would be responsible for payment, no matter their marital status.

The proposed amendments to the ordinance also make it illegal to discriminate against someone based on gender identity, though Sandler noted that gender identity as a protected class is already covered by state law. Including gender identity in the local ordinance will make it easier for a Cedar Rapids resident to file a claim, he said.

The proposed changes in the ordinance, which must be approved by the City Council, also protect someone who has filed a discrimination claim from retaliation.