20-325. Commission; duties.

The commission shall:

(1) Make studies with respect to the nature and extent of discriminatory housing practices in representative urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout the state;

(2) Publish and disseminate reports, recommendations, and information derived from such studies, including an annual report to the Legislature to be submitted electronically:

(a) Specifying the nature and extent of progress made statewide in eliminating discriminatory housing practices and furthering the purposes of the Nebraska Fair Housing Act, obstacles remaining to achieving equal housing opportunity, and recommendations for further legislative or executive action; and

(b) Containing tabulations of the number of instances and the reasons therefor in the preceding year in which:

(i) Investigations have not been completed as required by subdivision (1)(b) of section 20-326;

(ii) Determinations have not been made within the time specified in section 20-333; and

(iii) Hearings have not been commenced or findings and conclusions have not been made as required by section 20-337;

(3) Cooperate with and render technical assistance to state, local, and other public or private agencies, organizations, and institutions which are formulating or carrying on programs to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices;

(4) Electronically submit an annual report to the Legislature and make available to the public data on the age, race, color, religion, national origin, handicap, familial status, and sex of persons and households who are applicants for, participants in, or beneficiaries or potential beneficiaries of programs administered by the commission. In order to develop the data to be included and made available to the public under this subdivision, the commission shall, without regard to any other provision of law, collect such information relating to those characteristics as the commission determines to be necessary or appropriate;

(5) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations, subject to the approval of the members of the commission, regarding the investigative and conciliation process that provide for testing standards, fundamental due process, and notice to the parties of their rights and responsibilities; and

(6) Have authority to enter into agreements with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in cooperative agreements under the Fair Housing Assistance Program. The commission shall further have the authority to enter into agreements with testing organizations to assist in investigative activities. The commission shall not enter into any agreements under which compensation to the testing organization is partially or wholly based on the number of conciliations, settlements, and reasonable cause determinations.

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