Senate
Resolution
30
-
Introduced
SENATE
RESOLUTION
NO.
30
BY
BISIGNANO
A
Resolution
recognizing
the
50th
anniversary
of
the
1
Iowa
Civil
Rights
Act
of
1965.
2
WHEREAS,
in
the
early
1960s,
University
of
Iowa
3
College
of
Law
Professor
Arthur
Bonfield
worked
to
4
persuade
Iowa
lawmakers
that
new,
comprehensive
state
5
civil
rights
legislation
was
necessary
and
drafted
a
6
civil
rights
bill
in
December
1964
for
introduction
in
7
the
Iowa
General
Assembly
the
following
year;
and
8
WHEREAS,
the
bill
was
transmitted
to
Donald
Boles,
a
9
member
of
the
Governor’s
Commission
on
Human
Relations,
10
who
successfully
enlisted
the
support
of
Governor
11
Harold
Hughes,
who
was
instrumental
in
having
the
bill
12
introduced
in
the
legislature;
and
13
WHEREAS,
under
the
leadership
of
Senator
John
Ely
14
and
Representative
Roy
Gillette,
the
Iowa
General
15
Assembly
passed
unanimously
the
Iowa
Civil
Rights
Act
16
of
1965,
which
Governor
Hughes
signed
into
law
on
April
17
29,
1965;
and
18
WHEREAS,
effective
May
6,
1965,
the
Iowa
Civil
19
Rights
Act
of
1965
prohibited
discrimination
in
the
20
areas
of
employment
and
public
accommodations
on
the
21
basis
of
several
protected
personal
characteristics
22
including
race,
color,
national
origin,
creed,
or
23
religion,
as
well
as
retaliation
against
those
who
24
sought
to
enforce
their
rights
or
aided
others
in
doing
25
so;
and
26
WHEREAS,
the
Iowa
General
Assembly
and
the
Governor,
27
by
enacting
the
Iowa
Civil
Rights
Act
of
1965,
28
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S.R.
30
created
and
empowered
the
Iowa
Civil
Rights
Commission
1
to
enforce
the
Act’s
provisions
and
eliminate
2
discrimination
in
the
State
of
Iowa;
and
3
WHEREAS,
the
Iowa
Civil
Rights
Act
of
1965
has
been
4
amended
to
prohibit
discrimination
in
the
areas
of
5
housing,
credit,
and
education
and
to
add
age,
sex,
6
sexual
orientation,
gender
identity,
marital
status,
7
familial
status,
and
disability
as
protected
personal
8
characteristics;
and
9
WHEREAS,
the
50th
anniversary
of
the
Iowa
Civil
10
Rights
Act
of
1965
truly
represents
50
years
of
a
11
higher
quality
of
life
through
equality
in
the
State
12
of
Iowa;
and
13
WHEREAS,
great
strides
have
been
made
in
eliminating
14
discrimination
in
Iowa,
but
more
work
and
even
greater
15
strides
must
be
made
to
ensure
that
all
workplaces,
16
educational
settings,
and
places
of
accommodation
and
17
housing
are
free
of
unlawful
discrimination;
and
18
WHEREAS,
the
Senate
should
celebrate
and
inform
all
19
Iowans
of
the
history
of
the
Iowa
Civil
Rights
Act
of
20
1965
and
reinvigorate
Iowans
to
continue
to
fight
to
21
end
discrimination;
NOW
THEREFORE,
22
BE
IT
RESOLVED
BY
THE
SENATE,
That
the
Senate
honors
23
and
recognizes
the
importance
of
the
adoption
of
the
24
Iowa
Civil
Rights
Act
of
1965
in
ensuring
equality
and
25
freedom
in
this
state
and
recognizes
and
commends
all
26
of
those
individuals
who
made
that
possible.
27
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