AB 1097

This bill provides that a political subdivision, meaning a city, village, town, or county, may create a new department or designate an existing department to perform the following functions as a fair housing department: provide information to the public about individual and family rights under local, state, and federal housing antidiscrimination laws; assist residents of the political subdivision in filing complaints regarding discrimination in housing; and enforce local ordinances regarding discrimination in housing. The bill also requires the Department of Workforce Development to establish a program to award grants to political subdivisions to create or designate fair housing departments. The bill includes a $10,000,000 continuing appropriation for the grant program. Under the bill, DWD must divide the state into regions based on the regions established by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority under the Infrastructure Access Program. Of the total amount awarded in grants under the bill, no region may receive more than 12.5 percent of those moneys in grants awarded under the bill. Under the bill, the grant program sunsets on June 30, 2029.