Fair Housing Month: Colorado's Fair Housing Claim to Fame

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. is one of several government leaders to sign a proclamation declaring April 2010 to be "Fair Housing Month" in his state. In doing so, he noted "the great strides our state and nation have made toward breaking down barriers which impede the rights of all citizens."

If you study the proclamation, you'll notice that Mr. Ritter didn't wait until April to introduce the document (unlike the case with last year's proclamation), but had it signed, sealed, and delivered back on January 27.

The governor's early action on this matter is reminiscent of his state's own fair housing history. In 1959, Colorado became the first state to ban discrimination in private housing. So, by the time the United States caught up with the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) in 1968, landlords in the Centennial State had already amassed nearly a decade of compliance experience.

Interesting to note:

• In addition to the federally protected classes under the FHA, Colorado today also bans housing discrimination based on ancestry, marital status, and sexual orientation. (For more information, visit the Web site for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Civil Rights.)

Return tomorrow for the fourth part of this special "Fair Housing Month" feature at Fairhousingblog.com.