Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) have filed a bill to repeal a decades-old federal statute that’s led to the denial of housing for millions of people with prior drug convictions.
The Fair Future Act would strike a section of the 1988 Fair Housing Amendments Act that the lawmakers say has prevented more than nine million people from accessing rental housing no matter how serious the offense was or how long it’s been since they’ve been convicted.
“No one should be permanently denied a place to live because of a prior drug conviction,” Booker said in a press release. “Right now, housing laws have denied people with prior drug convictions the ability to live in rental housing and in turn, denied them a fair chance at reentering society. The Fair Future Act will eliminate this discriminatory barrier to housing and help us put an end to our nation’s cycle of poverty and recidivism.”
Frost said that people “who have served their time, repaid their debt to society, and are looking to re-enter our communities cannot do so when the deck is stacked against them.”
“Housing is the foundation of a safe and secure life–yet outdated housing laws and conflicting state laws on marijuana mean that someone could go to jail, serve time, and be denied housing in one state, while someone carrying the same amount of marijuana in another state is abiding by the law,” the congressman said. “It’s time we allow folks a fresh start and put an end to housing exclusion for folks who have paid for their crimes and are rebuilding their lives.”
Hellbound and Down 