Form revised May 5, 2009

FISCAL NOTE FOR NON-CAPITAL PROJECTS

Department:	Contact Person/Phone:	DOF Analyst/Phone:
Legislative	Patricia Lee   386-0078

Legislation Title:

AN ORDINANCE relating to civil rights; prohibiting discrimination against persons with veteran or military status, and amending sections 14.04.020, 14.040.030, 14.04.040, 14.06.020, 14.060.030, 14.08.015, 14.08.020, 14.08.045, 14.08.070, 14.08.190, 14.10.010, and 14.10.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code.

· Summary of the Legislation: Amends the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) to prevent discrimination based on an individual’s status as a veteran or member of the military in employment, public accommodation, housing and contracting.  “Honorably discharged veteran or military status” means a person who is a veteran as defined in  RCW 41.04.007 or an active or reserve member in any branch of the armed forces of the United States, including the national guard, coast guard and armed forces reserves.

· Background:

The Seattle Fair Employment Practices Ordinance, Public Accommodations Ordinance, Open Housing Ordinance and Fair Contracting Practices Ordinance establish the City policy of equal opportunity to all persons, free from restrictions because of race, color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability. This legislation would add members of the military service and honorably discharged veterans to this list. 

The Seattle Office of Civil Rights (SOCR) is responsible for administration and enforcement of these laws.  The SOCR investigates complaints of alleged discrimination and seeks to facilitate an agreed resolution between the parties.  If the parties come to an agreement they document this with a signed agreement and the case is closed.  If there is no agreement, and the SOCR finds a reasonable cause that discrimination took place, the SOCR will refer the case to the City Attorney for possible legal action.  If the SOCR finds no reasonable cause, the complainant can appeal the decision to the Seattle Human Rights Commission who can order the SOCR to do further investigation. A complainant may also opt to pursue a civil cause of action in Court.

__X__ This legislation does not have any financial implications.  The SOCR does not foresee any additional costs as the number of cases would be minimal and would not require additional staffing.  The SOCR informational materials are routinely updated and these amendment to the SMCs would be incorporated into those new materials

____ This legislation has financial implications.  (Please complete all relevant sections that follow.)

· Does this legislation affect any departments besides the originating department? 

· Yes, this legislation will be implemented by the Seattle Office of Civil Rights, who supports this legislation.

· What are the possible alternatives to the legislation that could achieve the same or similar objectives? (Include any potential alternatives to the proposed legislation, such as reducing fee-supported activities, identifying outside funding sources for fee-supported activities, etc.)

· Is the legislation subject to public hearing requirements:  (If yes, what public hearings have been held to date, and/or what plans are in place to hold a public hearing(s) in the future.)

· Other Issues (including long-term implications of the legislation):

Please list attachments to the fiscal note below: