NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1981 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 132

HOUSE BILL 272

 

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF GREENSBORO, AS REVISED AND REORGANIZED BY CHAPTER 1137 OF THE SESSION LAWS OF 1959, AS AMENDED, BY ADDING PROVISIONS RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, FAIR HOUSING AND EQUAL EMPLOYMENT.  

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  Chapter III, Subchapter D of the Charter of the City of Greensboro, as set forth in Section 1, Chapter 1137 of the Session Laws of 1959, is amended by adding new sections following Section 3.61 as follows:

"Sec. 3.62. Public Accommodations. The city council shall have the power to adopt ordinances to insure that all public accommodations in the City of Greensboro shall be equally available to all persons without regard to race, color, religion or national origin. Such ordinances may prohibit discrimination by anyone who denies any individual the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and accommodations of a place of public accommodation. A place of public accommodation is defined to mean a business, accommodation, refreshment, entertainment, recreation or transportation facility of any kind whose goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations are extended, offered, sold or otherwise made available to the public.

"Sec. 3.63. Equal employment. The city council shall have the power to adopt ordinances prohibiting acts of employment discrimination based on race, religion, color, creed, national origin or sex, against all persons otherwise qualified, except where specific sex requirements constitute bona fide occupational qualifications necessary to proper and efficient administration. Acts of employment discrimination prohibited by ordinances adopted pursuant to this section shall be the same acts prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

"Sec. 3.64. Fair housing. The city council shall have the power to adopt ordinances to insure that all housing opportunities in the City of Greensboro shall be equally available to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Such ordinances may regulate or prohibit any act, practice, activity or procedures related directly or indirectly to the sale or rental of public or private housing which affects or may tend to affect the availability or desirability of housing on an equal basis to all persons. However, in accordance with Title VIII on Fair Housing, the following shall be exempt from coverage:

(a)       The rental of a housing accommodation in a building containing accommodations for not more than four families living independently of each other if the lessor or a member of his family resides in one of those accommodations.

(b)       The rental of a room or rooms in a housing accommodation by an individual if he or a member of his family resides there.

(c)       With respect to discrimination based on sex, the rental or leasing of housing accommodations in single-sex dormitory property.

(d)       With respect to discrimination based on religion, housing accommodations owned or operated for other than a commercial purpose by a religious organization, association or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society whereby the sale, rental or occupancy of such housing accommodations is limited or preference is given to persons of the same religion, unless membership in such religion is restricted because of race, color, national origin or sex.

"Sec. 3.65. Remedies. Any ordinances adopted by the city council pursuant to Sections 3.62, 3.63 and 3.64 may, in addition to any other remedies permitted by law, provide that any persons aggrieved may apply to the Superior General Court of Justice for appropriate civil relief including any legal and equitable remedies. Violation of an ordinance adopted pursuant to this act does not constitute a misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4."

Sec. 2. This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 25th day of March, 1981.