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| Feb 25, 2014
LIBOR’S Government Affairs Department along with several REALTORS® attended the Nassau County Bar Association’s seminar on housing discrimination in Nassau County. The speakers included County Executive Thomas Suozzi as well as Renaire Frierson, Executive Director of the Nassau County Human Rights Commission. The purpose of the seminar was to explain the impact of the new Nassau County Human Rights Law.
The law took effect on January 1, 2007, and was unanimously passed by the Nassau County Legislature. A 15 member Human Rights Commission was created through appointment by the County Executive. The Commission would first try to mediate a settlement between a broker and the victim. If mediation is not successful, an administrative law judge will then hear the complaint. Anyone who feels they have been discriminated against due to differences on account of: race, color, creed, gender, age, disability, religion, source of income, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, familial status or ethnicity can file a complaint with the Commission. The Commission through its own investigation can also initiate a complaint.
Nassau County’s law will simplify the complicated and confusing housing legal system by making county law substantially equivalent to existing state and federal fair housing laws. The benefit of filing locally over a federal filing is that it is expected that Nassau County will process complaints faster than the New York State Division of Human Rights or the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Cases sent to the state often take years to process.
If it is determined that a broker has engaged in a discriminatory practice fines will be imposed up to $50,000. If the Commission determines that a broker’s discriminatory practice was due to a "wanton or malicious act" the Commission shall impose a fine of no more than $100,000. Nassau County has hired additional inspectors to enforce this law.
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The Long Island Board of REALTORS®, Inc. (LIBOR) is a non-profit trade association consisting of more than 19,000 professional Realtors®. For more information about LIBOR or how to locate a Realtor® in your area, visit our web site at: www.mlsli.com™.