A. The board may, by ordinance, establish a local commission on human rights which shall have the following duties:

1. To promote policies to ensure that all persons be afforded equal opportunity;

2. To serve as an agency for receiving, investigating and assisting in the resolution of complaints from citizens of the county regarding discriminatory practices and, with the board's approval, to seek, through appropriate enforcement authorities, prevention of or relief from such practices.

B. The board may by ordinance provide that whenever the commission has reasonable cause to believe that any person has engaged in or is engaging in a violation of an authorized local human rights ordinance, and after making a good faith effort to obtain, voluntarily, the attendance of witnesses necessary to determine whether such violation occurred, the commission is unable to obtain such attendance, it may request the county attorney, with the approval of the board, to apply to the judge of the circuit court for the locality in which the witness resides or is doing business for a subpoena against such person refusing to appear as a witness, and the judge of such court may, upon good cause shown, cause the subpoena to be issued. Such ordinance shall provide that any witness subpoena so issued shall include a statement that any statements made will be under oath and the witness is entitled to be represented by an attorney. Such ordinance shall further provide that any person failing to comply with such subpoena so issued shall be subject to punishment for contempt by the court issuing the subpoena, and that any person so subpoenaed may apply to the judge who issued a subpoena to quash it.

C. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection A, whenever a county has adopted an ordinance prohibiting discrimination as authorized by this section, such county may also in its ordinance prohibit discrimination in commercial real estate transactions.

1982, c. 108, § 15.1-687.3; 1991, c. 143, § 15.1-687.20; 1996, c. 877, § 15.1-687.24; 1997, c. 587.