Raised Bill No. 1232, introduced in the General Assembly, pertains to housing discrimination matters before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The bill proposes an amendment to Section 46a-86 of the general statutes by adding a new subsection (h), which would be effective from October 1, 2023. This amendment allows the presiding officer to assess a civil penalty against a respondent found guilty of a discriminatory housing practice. The penalty amount varies depending on the respondent's history of discrimination: up to $10,000 for first-time offenders, up to $25,000 if the respondent has one prior offense within the past five years, and up to $50,000 if the respondent has two or more offenses within the past seven years. The penalties for repeat offenses can be imposed regardless of the time frame if the same individual is responsible for the discriminatory acts.

Additionally, the bill includes a provision effective from July 1, 2023, which appropriates $270,000 from the General Fund to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. This funding is designated for hiring additional staff to investigate claims of discriminatory housing practices filed with the commission. The purpose of the bill is to increase penalties for discriminatory housing practices and to provide the Commission with the necessary resources to effectively investigate such claims. The bill does not include any deletions from the current law.

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