Prohibiting discrimination in housing because of domestic abuse victim status and providing a penalty

Current law, however, does not prohibit an owner of housing from requiring that a person who is seeking to buy or rent housing supply information concerning the person's family status, marital status, and financial and business status, but does prohibit an owner from requiring information concerning a person's race, color, disability, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, or, subject to an exception for housing for older persons, age.

This bill prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of a person's status as a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, which is defined in the bill as the status of a person who is seeking to rent or purchase housing or of a member or prospective member of the person's household having been, or being believed by the lessor or seller of housing to be, a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, sexual assault of a child, repeated sexual assault of a child, or stalking. The bill also prohibits an owner of housing from requiring that a person seeking to buy or rent housing supply information concerning the person's status as a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking.

"Domestic abuse" is defined under current law as the intentional infliction of physical pain, physical injury, or illness, the intentional impairment of physical condition, sexual assault, criminal damage to property, or a threat to engage in any of that conduct, by an adult family member or household member against another adult family member or household member, by an adult caregiver against an adult who is under the caregiver's care, or by an adult against his or her former spouse, an adult with whom he or she has or has had a dating relationship, or an adult with whom he or she has a child in common.