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5/5/2014City of Houston, Texas, Ordinance No. 2014-______ AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTERS 2, 15 AND 17 OF THE CODE OFORDINANCES, HOUSTON, TEXAS, PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION ON THEBASIS OF PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS IN CITY EMPLOYMENT, CITYSERVICES, CITY CONTRACTING PRACTICES, HOUSING, PUBLICACCOMMODATIONS, AND PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT; CONTAINING FINDINGS ANDOTHER PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE FOREGOING SUBJECT; DECLARINGCERTAIN CONDUCT UNLAWFUL; PROVIDING FOR A PENALTY; PROVIDING FORSEVERABILITY; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.* * * * *WHEREAS

, the City Council finds that all persons living in, working in or visitingthe City are entitled to be treated with equal dignity and respect and have the right to befree from discriminatory and unequal treatment; and

WHEREAS,

the City of Houston seeks to provide an environment that is free of any type of discrimination based on sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age,familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation,genetic information, gender identity, or pregnancy (“Protected Characteristics”); and

WHEREAS

, the City Council finds that achieving and maintaining adiscrimination-free environment is necessary to effectively serve the public by enablingthe City to recruit and train qualified employees and to procure and provide services tothe public; and

WHEREAS,

the City Council finds that it is in the best interests of the City and itscitizens to incorporate the nondiscrimination policy of the City into contracts entered intoby the City for which it spends public funds; and

WHEREAS

, the City Council finds that discrimination on the basis of ProtectedCharacteristics in privately owned and operated public accommodations, includingrestaurants, bars, entertainment venues and places of public amusement, hotels andmotels and public conveyances (“Public Accommodations”) results in the unjustexclusion of persons and a diminution of their dignity, respect, and status contrary to thepublic policy of the City and the Constitutional principles on which the United States wasfounded; and

WHEREAS

, the City Council finds that it is necessary, appropriate and theproper responsibility of government to make discrimination in Public Accommodationsunlawful in the City; and

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WHEREAS,

the City Council finds that discrimination in employment results inthe unequal treatment of persons and a diminution of their dignity, respect and statuscontrary to the public policy of the City and the Constitutional principles on which theUnited States was founded; and

WHEREAS,

the City Council finds that it is necessary, appropriate, and theproper responsibility of government to make discrimination in Private Employmentunlawful in the City; and

WHEREAS

, the City Council recognizes the rights of each person to obtainhousing without regard to Protected Characteristics; and

WHEREAS

, the City Council finds that discrimination in housing on the basis of Protected Characteristics is contrary to the public policy of the City and theConstitutional principles on which the United States was founded; and

WHEREAS

, the City Council finds that it is in the best interests of the City and itscitizens to make discrimination in housing on the basis of Protected Characteristicsunlawful in the City;

NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON,TEXAS:Section 1.

That the findings contained in the preamble of this Ordinance aredetermined to be true and correct and are hereby adopted as part of this Ordinance.

Section 2.

That Chapter 17 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas, ishereby amended in its entirety to read as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto andincorporated herein by this reference.

Section 3.

That Article XIV of Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston,Texas, is hereby repealed and reserved.

Section 4.

That Section 15-17 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas, ishereby amended to read as set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporatedherein by this reference.

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Section 5.

That, if any provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance, or the application of same to any person or set of circumstances, is for any reason held to be unconstitutional, void or invalid, the validityof the remaining portions of this Ordinance or their application to other persons or setsof circumstances shall not be affected thereby, it being the intent of the City Council inadopting this Ordinance that no portion hereof or provision or regulation containedherein shall become inoperative or fail by reason of any unconstitutionality, voidness or invalidity of any other portion hereof, and all provisions of this Ordinance are declared tobe severable for that purpose.

Section 6.

That there exists a public emergency requiring that this Ordinance bepassed finally on the date of its introduction as requested in writing by the Mayor;therefore, this Ordinance shall be passed finally on such date and shall take effect at12:01 a.m. on the thirtieth day next following the date of its passage and approval by theMayor.

PASSED AND APPROVED this ___ day of __________________, 2014.

_____________________________________ Mayor of the City of Houston

Prepared by Legal Dept. __________________________________ DMF:DFM:DAN:asw 5/1/2014 City AttorneyRequested by the Honorable Annise D. Parker, Mayor L.D. File No. 0391300324001