The Fair Housing Act was signed into law 42 years ago this month and is a powerful reminder of the past as well as the challenges of the present and future. President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act in April 1968 after a heated debate in Congress. The law came into effect shortly after the Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated. It protects anyone in the United States from discrimination in finding and maintaining housing based on race, color, religion and national origin. In 1974, the law was amended to also include discrimination against gender. In 1988, the law was amended again to protect individuals from housing discrimination based on handicap or disability and family status (defined as the presence of minor children in the family). Some senior citizen complexes are legally exempt from this amendment. This law has been tested repeatedly since its passage, addressing issues such as the “steering” of some home shoppers to certain areas and a process called “redlining,” which describes an organization’s refusal to provide services to a specific area based on “a particular protected class.” The U.S. Supreme Court has also addressed advertising, home appraisals, tax assessments and many other issues over the years under the provisions of the Fair Housing Act. Although this piece of legislation has helped countless homeowners over the last 42 years, when you’re looking for the perfect Louisville home for sale, it pays to be discriminating in terms of price, location, features and other attributes. That type of discrimination is perfectly legal and very much encouraged. If you’re looking for a Louisville home or real estate in the Louisville area, no one has a better selection than Louisville Properties. Call today at 502.744.9504 to speak to an experienced Louisville realtor. Resource link: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100412/OPINION02/4120316/Community+Challenge+|+Fair+housing+still+faces+obstacles