We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-worth and robbed of their dignity by signs stating,
For Whites Only
– Martin Luther King Jr’s March 1963
“I Have a Dream” speech
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LEGISLATIVE WORK
Correcting injustices and supporting
Fair Housing
These are two examples of initiatives the Washington State Legislature is moving forward to
support diversity, equity and inclusion. We are advocating for similar bills in other states we
serve, and are keeping in touch with local REALTOR organizations about the topic.
John L. Scott COO Phil McBride testified on Wednesday, Feb. 3 in support of House Bill 1335, a bill
that would serve as the next step in correcting the historic injustice of racial language in covenants.
Skip to 12:53 for Phil McBride's testimoney
House Bill 1335 in Washington
Senate Bill 5378 in Washington
At John L. Scott, we are driving the conversation to right some of the wrongs caused by past redlining and other discriminatory processes. One way we’d like to create a positive change is by helping lead the charge to remove racist language still present in some neighborhood documents. This language is not enforceable but is still harmful, and should be removed.
John L. Scott COO Phil McBride testified on Wednesday, Feb. 3 in support of
House Bill 1335, a bill that would serve as the next step in correcting the historic injustice of racial language in covenants. John L. Scott has been leading the conversation, locally and nationally, around removing racial covenants still present in some home titles today.
Aimed at preventing homeownership by racial minorities, racial covenants or deed restrictions preventing homeownership are an explicit legacy of racial discrimination in housing. While these covenants have been ruled unconstitutional and unenforceable, they are still on the title of many properties in the state of Washington. In 2018, the Legislature created an administrative process enabling homeowners to file a recorded document to repudiate such racial covenants, and
HB 1335 is intended to take this one step further.If passed, HB 1335 would create a statewide review of recorded real estate documents to identify which properties have a racial covenant. Then, these homeowners would be notified of the presence of this covenant and instructed on how this covenant can be repudiated through the county administrative process created by the Legislature.
In early March, the Washington State Senate passed SB 5378, a bill that would revise real estate brokers and managing brokers license renewal requirements. One revision within the bill is adding mandatory diversity education to support Fair Housing. Next up, the bill will go through the House of Representatives and is expected to pass and be signed into law.
At John L. Scott, we are supportive of enhanced diversity education requirements in support of Fair Housing, so we are pleased to see this bill move forward.
Two important bills supporting diversity were passed by the Washington State Legislature in mid-April. One of these bills addresses removing racial covenants still present in some home titles today, and the other addresses mandatory diversity education to support Fair Housing. As you may know, John L. Scott is committed to working with Washington REALTORS to move these issues forward locally and nationally.
Removing racist language from property titles: This bill (HB 1335) will serve as the next step in correcting the historic injustice of racial language in covenants. While this new process is being implemented, we have opened up a free resource desk, called Driving Change, to help guide homeowners through the process of removing racial covenants from their property titles.
Mandatory diversity education to support Fair Housing: This bill (SB 5378) modifies license renewal requirements for real estate brokers and managing brokers. It also adds mandatory diversity education requirements in support of Fair Housing Laws.
John L. Scott COO Phil McBride was honored as a recipient of the
RISMedia National Homeownership Award in Nov. 2021. McBride’s award win from RISMedia was powered by the team at Rocket Mortgage, who nominated him after learning about his dedication to the Driving Change initiative. This program is in collaboration with industry leaders including Amazon Web Services (AWS).