Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Ordinance

Project Summary

The Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission initially asked us to review the existing code, bring it in line with state law, and research best practices. The project's mandate was expanded to include adding disability-related protections for patrons of public accommodations, streamlining the investigation and dispute resolution process and making the language of the code consistent without overhauling it. After the floods of 2008 our focus shifted; law students conducted comparative law research and drafted provisions that would outlaw housing discrimination based on lawful sources of income, provide across-the-board coverage for other protected classes, define and provide guidance about animals used by persons with disabilities, and hold companies more accountable for failing to design or construct buildings to meet minimum accessibility features. The complete history of this ongoing project is chronicled in the Project Reports and Documents Section.