Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) signed a law expanding the Covenant Homeownership Program to make it easier for minorities to buy homes.
Washington passed the program two years ago, meant to help first-time homebuyers “if they’re descended from someone affected by racist real estate practices in Washington before 1968.”
You have to be from these groups:
From The Center Square:
The Covenant Home Ownership program offers home buying assistance to minorities who have faced housing discrimination in the past. The program is open to those who lived in or had a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent living in Washington before 1968 and who meet one of the following government-defined racial identities: “Black, Hispanic, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Korean and Asian Indian.”Launched on July 1, 2024, the program allows qualified homebuyers to apply through their lenders for zero-interest loans to help fund down payments and closing costs. The loans are funded by fees on real estate documents recorded with the state.SSHB 1996 would increase the income threshold for applicants to 140% of the area median income and allow for loans to be fully forgiven after five years of repayment.It would also change one of the oversight committee membership positions to include a representative from a nonprofit organization that provides housing counseling, replacing the previous requirement for a community-based organization specializing in affordable housing development.
The Democrats shot down all 15 amendments proposed by Republicans, including one banning convicted sex offenders (emphasis mine):
Rep. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, offered an amendment that would exclude those who have been convicted of sex crimes from participating in the program.“It might break your heart as well, Madame Speaker [Laurie Jinkins], to think that somebody that raped or abused a child or raped or abused a woman, would have preferential treatment over those who survived sexual violence,” he explained.Griffey brought up his wife’s own trauma with sexual abuse.“I think if it comes down to choosing one or the other, let’s choose the survivor and not the monster that did it to them,” he said.Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, spoke against Griffey’s amendment.“Putting this into this bill as if that group of people had a higher propensity to create sexual abuse than anybody else, doesn’t seem logical,” Ortiz-Self said.
Is that woman serious?! My jaw literally dropped when I read her response. Someone does not watch a lot of true crime documentaries or shows.
Then again, these people think money grows on trees. One representative noted that the programs has run out of money in less than a year. The state paid out $34 million in loans!
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon for the Civil Rights Division had a simple response:
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